“That's why we are where we are, with global warming, we have a water shortage, because of all this, because of the pine plantations and the eucalyptus trees. Only the beautiful things are shown... the Mapuche appear on postcards, but when we take care of the environment, we take care of nature, that is not shown. So everything is a chain. "We are not the ones who are destroying this, because to do our jobs we look for the wood that was left there, which was not useful to them."
Bila Huaquifil lives on the outskirts of Pucón, in Lof Quelhue. Like most Mapuche artisans, Bila works with dead wood left over from sawmills, leftovers from the indiscriminate logging of the native forest over the last 150 years.
This extract is part of the book that we published thanks to Fondart, with great research by Christine Gleisner and wonderful photos by Edgar Dassi Junior , as a recognition of the valuable work of the artisans who live in our southern lands and we hope that they are an encouragement for them and many others who contribute with their effort and dedication to preserving our cultural heritage.
And don't forget that in this collection on our website you can buy all the wonders that these artisans create with their skillful hands and dedicated science.