A look at Patagonia: A learning and teaching toolkit

The province of Chubut is an area in Argentinean Patagonia which has been home to a Welsh community since the 19th century. People often refer to it as "Y Wladfa". In 1865, a group from Wales travelled to Patagonia on a ship called Mimosa, establishing towns such as Rawson, Trelew and Gaiman. This venture was an attempt to create a community where they could keep their Welsh language and culture, but access to better land and a better life was also an important motivation for the emigrants. 

The government of Argentina had offered the settlers land near the river Chupat (which would mean "transparent" in the Tehuelche language), which then became the river "Camwy" in Welsh and "Chubut" (pronounced "t͡ʃuˈbut") in Spanish. The indigenous peoples living in Patagonia at the time were autonomous and not answerable to the laws of Argentina. The government of Argentina had drawn up what was called the "Chegüelcho Agreement" (in reference to the Tehuelche people) with the leaders of local indigenous communities. According to that agreement, the government would send regular rations to the communities, as well as providing animals and clothing, if the leaders let the Welsh settlement develop on the lands in question.

Although the Welsh and the indigenous communities established a prosperous trade throughout the years, the government of Argentina wanted to expand its control over the lands of Patagonia. It did so by increasing the pressure on the indigenous people, especially through the military campaigns known as the "Conquest of the Desert" (1879-1884). Thousands were killed and displaced as a result, including children and the elderly. The communities were torn apart and the state took over their territories and offered them to immigrants from Europe who would be willing to settle on them (including the Welsh).

Given the special and very close relationship between indigenous people and their territories, the advance of the state affected them profoundly in many ways:

• Loss of their homes and impact on their way of life: As the families were evicted and dispossessed, their way of life was torn apart, severing their emotional, cosmological, political and economic ties to their ancestral lands.
• Economic changes: The huge ranches and livestock companies that were established in Patagonia were severely impacted indigenous peoples' economic systems, drastically limiting the availability of land for them to hunt and collect food, and forcing them to adapt to a new way of life. This led to poverty and dependence on the new society and its economic structure, as they were compelled to work as labour hands without employment rights.
• Diseases: Contact with the Welsh and other outsiders brought new infectious diseases to the area, causing deadly epidemics among the indigenous populations.
• Reconfiguration of identity: In addition to having their territories taken away, those who survived were forced to assimilate. Assimilation meant adapting themselves in order to be like the rest of the Argentine population and lose their indigenous particularities. Their traditions and way of life were replaced by policies that included the imposition of Spanish-language names, conversion to Christianity and the suppression of their languages and customs more widely.

The consequences of the above continue to affect the indigenous peoples of Patagonia to this day, affecting their land rights, their cultural recognition and their economic and social well-being. As we learn about the Welsh settlement in Patagonia, we must remember that aspects of the past can be represented and interpreted in different ways, and that has an impact on how we see things in the present. That is why it is important for us to consider the views of Patagonia's indigenous peoples.
 

• Why must the habitat, history and culture of each country and its people be respected?
• Why is it important to listen to different perspectives on history or a story?
• What is loss and how does it affect people?
• What is injustice and how does it affect people?

Idea 1

Aim: Investigate the cultures of the Tehuelche, Mapuche and Mapuche Tehuelche peoples in the province of Chubut and consider ways in which the past influences the present. 

Activity: The video art “TAIÑ MÜLEKAN - Our Presence” (part of De-mapping the feat) explores aspects of the relationship between indigenous peoples and Welsh settlers in the 19th century. The aim of the activity is to promote discussion about the video art before learners create a collage portraying a
native person from Chubut and a native person from Wales (both in the present) bearing in mind the below. In what ways is the collage technique used to present the past and the present at the same time? What is the effect of the technique on the audience?

The work should be inspired by the collages of artist Nadia Pissano Paileman, who takes audiences on “a sensory journey, where the colours, the landscape, the smells and the orality of history create a visual product out of images of the recent past and the present.” Once the collages are completed, learners
will be invited to share their work with the rest of the group and explain the reasons behind their choices. This may provide opportunities for them to reflect on settlement and its impacts on indigenous peoples, as well as on indigenous resistance up to the present.

Idea 2

Aim: Discuss and express opinions about rhythms, language, musical instruments, the composition and the words. Movements can be created to go with the song.

Activity: Included in Puel Willi Mapu Mew is the song ‘Del mismo río’ [Of the same river] by Pablo Rosas in the Mapudungun (pronounced: ma.puˈð̞ũŋ.ɡũn) language, which is the language of the Mapuche people. Listen to the song (starts at minute 8:00, until minute 11:15) and discuss the rhythm, the language, the musical instruments, the composition and the words. Had learners come across them before? Do they resemble anything with which learners are familiar? How does the song make them feel? Learners may be
encouraged to create movements to go with the song.

Below is the English translation of the excerpt sung in the recording:

I am from this very transparent river
of whirlpools tearing the belly
of black stones and calm shores
meandering into escarpments and farms.
I am from this river and the river is mine.
I am from this river and the river is mine.

I gave you my stones, the most washed ones.
You released your hopes to the sky.
You cried rains disguising
a beloved love and disappointments.
I am from this river and the river is mine.
I am from this river and the river is mine.

I sit among the tamarisk trees.
There is no waiting in my thoughts
but if you come back it will be nice
to see us face to face in the river,
the black river.

I'm from your river and you from mine.
I'm from this river and you from mine.

Idea 3

[following a discussion about the drowning of Capel Celyn and Cwm Tryweryn and their effects on people in Wales]

Aim: To understand the effects of the settlement of the province of Chubut, Patagonia, on the indigenous Tehuelche, Mapuche and Mapuche Tehuelche.

Activity 3a: Read the text below by Agustín Pichiñan (which is part of Memories and stories of Mapuche territory elders) and create a presentation (Google Slides/Canva/Adobe Express) comparing the views of the different groups of people regarding settlement processes in the province Chubut. From a Welsh perspective, how did settlement unfold? What was the stance of the Argentinian state? What were the experiences of the Tehuelche, Mapuche and Mapuche Tehuelche peoples? 

"Our ancestors told us about how the families of the Pichiñan lofche [community] settled in Paso de Indios around the year 1900, after being driven out by the military campaigns of the late 19th century. The official history of Chubut silences the stories of the Mapuche and allows words like ‘progress’ and ‘Welsh settlers’ to resonate; settlers with whom we had connections. With the support of the State, fences were extended all over our territory bringing us subjugation, harassment and discrimination." Agustín Pichiñan

Activity 3b: Following the above, reference can be made to the English-language version of the song 'I only ask of God', recorded by Outlandish: What is the song's message? How does the notion of injustice apply to the history of the Tehuelche, Mapuche and Mapuche Tehuelche indigenous peoples in Patagonia?

Idea 4

[if class has notdiscussed Capel Celyn/Cwm Tryweryn]

Aim: To read the profile of Agustín Pichiñan (which is part of Memories and stories of Mapuche territory elders) and pay attention to what is important to him at the end of the passage. 

Activity: Create an individual profile based on Agustín Pichiñan's profile, focusing on: What is important to you and your family? What is worth fighting for, in your opinion? What part of your family's history would you like people to remember in the distant future?

Idea 5

Aim: To describe the landscape scenery of Nahuelpan, which is one of the Mapuche Tehuelche communities in the province of Chubut, developing vocabulary to describe visual resources.

Activity 5a: Choose a picture from the seven below (which are part of Nahuelpan: Memory, dispossession and struggle). Observe in detail the landscape of Nahuelpan, and discuss the photos describing the landscape. You can talk about lighting, close/far shot, atmosphere, animals, colours, shade, outline and so on, and use descriptive adjectives to compare the Nahuelpan landscape with Wales. Learners can describe the pictures orally and in writing. Invite learners to animate a picture with an app/artificial intelligence; e.g. landscape changes with the seasons/sunset and dawn. Learners can create a song that follows the style of the song ‘Del mismo río’ or choose an instrumental song to listen to in the background with the animation.

The learners' journey will stem from the Curriculum for Wales and the statements of what matters. They will be challenged to be curious and to question, to think critically and reflect on evidence.

Humanities

• Learning about the past and understanding its relationship with the present.
• Analysing and understanding different versions of history, based on different sources (including those that have been silenced), and interpret them in an appropriate and fair way.
• Stimulating inquiry and discovery of a global context.
• Nurturing the ability to question, to think critically and reflect on evidence.
• Developing an understanding of historical interpretation and skills in dealing with a source.
• Recognising that there is a difference between wants, needs and rights, and understanding that injustice and inequality exist within societies.
• Understanding that a range of factors influence people's behaviour, actions and decisions, and recognising the consequences of actions and how these affect local, national and global issues.

Well-being

• Appreciating that perceptions of truth can vary from one individual to another, and respecting people from the past as well as the present.
• Recognising that past events and experiences affect thoughts, feelings and actions.
• Coming to understand how and why experiences affect people, and show empathy towards others.
• Developing an understanding that values, attitudes and identity are shaped by different groups and influences.

The Expressive Arts 

• Responding and reflecting, as an artist and as an audience.
• Deepening artistic skills and knowledge.
• Enabling learners to become curious and creative individuals.
• Forming and expressing personal, social and cultural identity.
• Looking at work from various cultures and societies, and learning about their influences, histories and impact.