The beliefs about pregnancy in Mapuche culture

Aim: To identify the perceptions, behaviors and cares that  Mapuche women have about pregnancy, delivery and post partum. This information will help us understand as the Mapuche culture live this period and so to know how interact with them.

Methods: Through reading and analysis of a Ethnographic work made during eight years in the Mapuche communities of the Araucania Region.

Results: Was demonstrated that in the Mapuche society exist a different and complex meaning about care for the Mapuche women during pregnancy also the existence of a set of social and cultural norms that define what is allowed and not allowed in pregnant women and how the comunity and the Mapuche husband should to behave also shows that all the beliefs of the Mapuche people are associated with the strength, energy and movement of the elements of the life because they have this knowledge since many generations and ancestral times and recognize it as sacred.

Discussion: The Mapuche culture pattern about the care during the pregnancy combines physical, natural and spiritual elements of the conventional medicine and Mapuche.

Conclusions: The knowledge of the beliefs and practices during pregnancy in  Mapuche culture will allow us to create models of appropriate health care for this comunity during this process and others as the delivery and post partum. To understand how this culture lives this normal and beautiful period will help us to develop an intercultural approach in the health programs for women in our country.

Key words: Mapuche culture, pregnancy.

The pregnancy in Mapuche women

Aim: To identify the perceptions that have Mapuche women about pregnancy and post partum. This I will help us understand as the Mapuche culture live this beatiful period and so know how interact with them.

Methods: Through reading and analysis of a Ethnographic work made for eight years in the Mapuche communities.

Results: Was demonstrated that in the Mapuche society exist a different and complex meaning about care for the Mapuche women in this stage of the life.

Conclusions: Knowledge of the beliefs and practices of the pregnancy in  Mapuche culture will allow us to create models of appropriate health care for this comunity.

 

 

A little of my life

Hello!! my name is Constanza Escobar but my friends, family and partners call me Cony or Cona. I am 18 years old but  I will be 19 years in the next month. I live in Santiago with my parents and two brothers.

Actually I am in my second year in the Universidad de Chile where I study Midwifery. I love this career because I think that it is very important for the life of women and also is very pretty and my desire is to become the best midwife. 

Of monday to friday I get up at 6.30, I eat breakfast and later I go in the metro to the University where I have so much fun sometimes. Recently I begin to practice Kung Fu and soon I will play Handball.

In my free time I stay in my home sharing with my family also I listen to music and I read books for example the collection of Harry Potter which I like much. Sometimes I see a movie or simply I visit to my friends.

On my vacations I like go south to visit my grandmother, uncles and cousins also I like enjoy of country and the nature, ocassionally I go to the beach.

Finally I can say that I like the chocolates, the animals, the autumm and winter, the purple colour, to see the moon and laugh for hours also talk with the people and enjoy the little and beatiful things of the life.