Writing from Mapuzugun: Orality, Ontology, and the Plurality of Humanities

Abstract

Mapuzugun constitutes a relational epistemology and ontology historically transmitted through orality. Through the epew, the ül, the piam and oraliture, this language not only preserves memory and ancestral knowledge, but also produces its own forms of philosophical thought that challenge the universalist and Eurocentric foundations of the modern Humanities. 
This paper develops a theoretical-interpretative study based on the analysis of Mapuche oral discourses, contemporary poetry in Mapuzugun, and philosophical concepts present in the oral tradition. The corpus includes epew, ül, piam, and texts by Leonel Lienlaf, Elicura Chihuailaf, and Roxana Miranda Rupailaf, together with narratives and memories transmitted in community contexts. 
The analysis is situated within a decolonial and intercultural perspective, understanding orality not as a secondary form of expression, but as an epistemological and ontological practice of knowledge production. Methodologically, the study articulates hermeneutic analytical tools, philosophical reflection, and a critique of the coloniality of knowledge, with the purpose of foregrounding Mapuzugun as a relational rationality that challenges the modern categories of humanity, nature, and knowledge.