, ARIAS ORTEGA, KATERIN ELIZABETH, Arias-Ortega, Katerin Elizabeth, Valenzuela, Andrea, Previl, Carlo

The article presents research findings on the significance of schools in an indigenous context, as expressed by Mapuche scholars from La Araucanía, Chile. These scholars are respected members of their community, possessing knowledge of their people s social, cultural, and familial history, language, and culture. They are responsible for transmitting the Mapuche social memory to future generations. The methodology used in this study is qualitative and descriptive. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 indigenous Mapuche people who had undergone formal schooling in monocultural Chilean schools. The participants ranged in age from 40 to 70 years old and were all fluent in their native Mapuche language, the mapunzugun. Thematic analysis revealed categories of central content that emerged from the participants discourse. This acknowledgment allowed for an understanding of the meaning of the school and its impact on the Mapuche context. It is imperative to make visible the psychological, physical, and affective traumas that the school has caused as a result of whitening practices and cultural genocide. Thus, this is an opportunity to advance towards reparation and reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous subjects in school education in Chile. © 2024 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.