Los saberes de los ancestros: clave para los vínculos con la Madre Tierra en una comunidad andina en Argentina [The knowledge of ancestors: Key to the linkages with Mother Earth in an Andean community in Argentina]

Steinhäuser Cornelia

Abstract

If we assume that landscapes are produced in permanent co-creation between humans and non-humans, it is relevant to recognize the forms of knowledge immersed in this process to design the socio-ecological transformation towards sustainable development, especially the transition to agroecology. This case study, which was carried out in northern Argentina, addresses the tangible and intangible relationships with which an Andean community builds its reality and a complex and varied landscape. The study uses ethnographic methodologies combining participant observation with interviews and qualitative analysis. The results reveal the network of links between humans and non-humans narrated by the people interviewed, such as affection and reciprocity, which are decisive to continue cultivating the land and to develop endogenously with their peasant knowledge based on their ancestors' knowledge. In turn, the compatibility of such knowledge is discussed - whose origin is a full immersion in the landscape - with current lifestyles.