Approaching Speech and Language Disorders from Mapuche Health, in the Araucanía Region, Chile: Towards an Intercultural Speech-Language Therapy

The objective of this research was to investigate and discuss how the Mapuche health system approaches the health conditions that speech-language therapy classifies as communication disorders, from a theoretical and epistemological perspective that includes the training of healthcare practitioners, the diagnostic process, the Mapuche and intercultural health systems, and the treatment of voice, hearing, swallowing, language, and cognition disorders. Using a theoretical and methodological design based on grounded theory, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six Mapuche healers, including four machi, one lawentuchefe, and one peumantufe. Three categories were obtained for analysis: kizukutrán (related to the training process of healthcare providers), kutrán (related to pathologies, disorders, diagnosis, and treatment), and health system (related to the differences and relationships between the Mapuche and non-Mapuche health systems). Mapuche traditional practitioners use medicinal plants, rituals, and their own therapeutic resources to address speech and language pathologies, independently or in cooperation with the official medical care. We discuss the differences and similarities of the Mapuche healthcare approach to pathologies in the field of speech therapy, as well as the challenges that carrying out respectful and ethical intercultural practices implies for the profession.