Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: The Creation of Araucanian Anti-Colonial Identity During the Contact Period, AD 1550-1650

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Under the direction of Dr. Tom Dillehay, Jacob J. Sauer will conduct archaeological excavation at the site of Santa Sylvia in south-central Chile, as well as ethnographic and ethnohistoric research in the surrounding area of Pucón-Villarrica, and will constitute the bulk of his doctoral research at Vanderbilt University. Santa Sylvia (and the surrounding area) was occupied by Spanish colonizers between AD 1556 and AD 1598 and by the Araucanian/ Mapuche Indians before, during, and after the Spanish occupation, and is the only known site in south-central Chile to definitively have artifacts and other cultural remains from the Spanish and the Araucanians/Mapuche in both prehistoric and historic times. As one of the few indigenous groups in the Americas to actively resist European colonialism and the only group to successfully maintain cultural and political autonomy for over 300 years while expanding cultural influence into Argentina, the Araucanians/Mapuche of south-central Chile are in the unique position to provide important information and perspectives on colonialism, culture contact, identity formation, ethnogenesis and other topics through ethnohistoric, ethnographic, and archaeological investigation. This research seeks information on the above topics through archaeological investigation at the site of Santa Sylvia as well as ethnohistoric and ethnographic research in the surrounding area of Pucón-Villarrica, to show: 1) how the Araucanians/Mapuche reacted to Spanish incursion in this area; 2) possibilities on how the Araucanian/Mapuche experience in Pucón-Villarrica compares to other areas of south-central Chile and directions for future research; and 3) demonstrate the utility and necessity of interdisciplinary, holistic research on the Araucanians/Mapuche during this important time period.Locally, this research will provide important information, archaeological in particular, regarding the interactions between the Araucanian/Mapuche and Spanish. Most treatments of the subject deal with the written documents without delving in to the archaeological and ethnographic record. Today, as the Araucanians/Mapuches seek to strengthen their own social and historical identity in Chile and Argentina, this research will provide insight into the changes that occurred during interactions with the Spanish, while at the same time highlighting the long material record that existed prior to Spanish attempts at colonization.This research can be applied not only to anthropology, history, and the social sciences in general, but can also be applicable to other organizations and groups dealing with the social and political effects of cultural interaction. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, individuals and groups react in myriad ways to the influences coming from elsewhere, some with hostility and others with acceptance. Though colonialism in the traditional sense rarely occurs today, cultural and social influences nonetheless have the considerable impact on modern societies as they did in the past. The Araucanian/Mapuche example studied here can provide insight into the ways that different societies interact, resist and accept different influences, and the effects those have on notions of identity and history, not only for indigenous societies but for the outside influencers as well.