Mujeres de Agua: the value of artisanal heritage for the conservation of coastal natural refuges

Mujeres de Agua is a documentary series that highlights the work of three artisans who, through their trades, promote biocultural memory and the conservation of marine ecosystems on the coasts of southern Chile. The project, winner of the FMA 2023 Fund, addresses the current threats faced by the protagonists in relation to the loss of their trades, heritage, and the environmental crisis that puts the sustainability of their communities and territories at risk.

The research, led by María Ignacia Court, Teresa Díaz, Bárbara Elmúdesi and Franco Sanguinetti, was co-created in a participatory manner with the artisans portrayed in the audiovisual production. These are Elvia Ule, known as the last Huilliche potter from a clay vein in the Chiloé archipelago; Yohana Coñuecar, also Huilliche, a wool weaver and leader of networks of women defending the coastal edge of Llanchid, in Los Lagos; and Haydée Águila, a Kaweshkar basket maker from Punta Arenas involved in the protection of peat bogs.

Through their memories, the project reveals the different ways in which each of these women has become the caretakers of natural refuges and the tangible and intangible heritage of which they are bearers. Thus, the documentary delves into the problems that affect these territories, addressing extractive practices, the loss of biodiversity, rising temperatures and the displacement of local communities. In this context, the role of women artisans is intertwined with the observation of the seasons and processes that occur in nature linked to the search for raw materials that nourish their trades.

In the first stage of the project, which is supported by our fund, a preliminary investigation was carried out that included the review of bibliographic and documentary material, as well as interviews with the artisans. This investigation allowed them to develop the guidelines for filming and participatory research that were applied in the field. All of this allowed them to build three scripts for this documentary series, as well as the teaser, dossier and financing plan for the series.

Bearers of the memories of the ocean

Elvia Ule , who is recognized as the last Huilliche potter from Puhuío in the Chiloé archipelago, has turned her craft into a family affair. Through her ancestral knowledge of medicinal secrets, as well as raw materials present in nature, she is able to find the vein of clay that she uses to make her pieces, revealing her intimate connection with the territory she inhabits, where the conditions of the tides and the moon play a fundamental role.

Yohana Coñuecar, Huilliche, is a wool weaver and organizer of networks of women who defend the coastal edge from aquaculture extractivism with a strong drive to rescue ancestral knowledge and practices. Her work has sought to highlight the importance of the Chilote loom as a unique practice and differentiated from other manifestations of weaving and textiles associated with cultures from other territories.

Haydée Águila , a Kaweshkar basket maker from Punta Arenas, intertwines her exercise of memory with each rush weave and her active participation in the defense of peat bogs, ecosystems threatened by mining companies seeking to obtain pompon moss. Peat bogs, crucial reservoirs of fresh water, provide the raw material for her craft. 

Currently, this project is seeking funding for the production and post-production stages of the documentary series, as well as the search for new characters to add to future seasons.