Biocultural Calendars Across Four Ethnolinguistic Communities in Southwestern South America

Ricardo Rozzi; Ricardo Álvarez; Victoria Castro; David Núñez; Jaime Ojeda; Alejandra Tauro; Francisca Massardo

doi:10.1029/2022GH000623

Biocultural Calendars Across Four Ethnolinguistic Communities in Southwestern South America

Geohealth. 2023 Apr 20;7(4):e2022GH000623. doi: 10.1029/2022GH000623. eCollection 2023 Apr.

Authors

Ricardo Rozzi^{1

2

3}, Ricardo Álvarez^{1

4}, Victoria Castro^{1

5}, David Núñez^{1

6}, Jaime Ojeda^{1

7}, Alejandra Tauro^{1

8}, Francisca Massardo¹

Affiliations

¹ Cape Horn International Center (CHIC) Omora Ethnobotanical Park Universidad de Magallanes Puerto Williams Chile.
² Sub-Antarctic Biocultural Conservation Program Department of Philosophy and Religion and Department of Biological Sciences University of North Texas Denton TX USA.
³ Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies Millbrook NY USA.
⁴ Millennium Nucleus Ocean, Heritage & Culture Escuela de Arqueología Universidad Austral de Chile Puerto Montt Chile.
⁵ Departamento de Antropología Facultad de Ciencias Sociales Universidad de Chile Campus Juan Gómez Millas Santiago Chile.
⁶ ONG Poloc Santiago Chile.
⁷ School of Environmental Studies University of Victoria Victoria BC Canada.
⁸ El Colegio de Puebla AC Puebla Mexico.

Abstract

Since the mid-20th century, the so-called Great Acceleration (sensu Steffen et al., 2007, https://doi.org/10.1579/0044-7447(2007)36[614:TAAHNO]2.0.CO;2) has amplified processes of ecosystem degradation, extinction of biological species, displacement of local peoples, losses of languages, and cultural diversity. These losses are still underperceived by the academic community, and by a global society that is disconnected from biocultural diversity. To reconnect society with biocultural diversity, we integrate temporal and spatial dimensions of seasonal cycles, by combining two conceptual frameworks: ecological calendars and the "3Hs" model of the biocultural ethic (sensu Rozzi, 2012, https://doi.org/10.5840/enviroethics20123414). The latter values the vital links between human and other-than-human co-inhabitants, their life habits (e.g., cultural practices of humans or life cycles of other-than-human species), and the structure and processes of their shared habitats. This integration enhances an understanding of links between cultural practices and the life cycles of biocultural keystone species. As a synthesis, we use the term biocultural calendars to emphasize their co-constitutive nature that result from interactions between dynamic biophysical and cultural processes embedded in specific ecosystems and cultures. These calendars link astronomical, biological, and cultural seasonal cycles that sustain life and enhance the integration of Indigenous and scientific knowledge to confront challenges of climate change faced from local to global scales. To illustrate this integration, we examine cultural practices and socio-environmental changes across four contrasting ethnolinguistic communities in southwestern South America, from southern to northern Chile along a marked climatic gradient to show the broad application of the concept of biocultural calendars.

Keywords: Chile; biocultural ethics; climate change; conservation; ecology; worldviews.