Indigenous women and care practices towards children with disabilities in Mexico and Chile; Mujeres indígenas y prácticas de cuidado hacia infancias con discapacidad en México y Chile

Abstract

During their childhood, Indigenous populations experience disability intersected by the social, cultural, and historical context of their communities, and are recipients of various care practices that sustain their lives in multiple ways. In this context, the objective of this article is to identify the care practices of Indigenous women towards children with disabilities, based on an ethnography carried out with women from the Mapuche, Nahua, and Mixe nationalities of Chile and Mexico. It was found that women are the main caregivers of infants with disabilities and that in their families and communities they provide physical and spiritual care of three types - ancestral and traditional care, collective and community care, and intercultural care. It is concluded that women play a fundamental role in the provision and maintenance of care practices, which are complex and holistic and include spiritual aspects, ancestral knowledge, and collective care. At the same time, there is a relationship with non-Indigenous institutional systems, which demonstrates the capacity for intercultural dialogue and coexistence between medical systems. However, it should be noted that some of these practices, in addition to stemming from women's agency and resistance, are carried out as a result of state neglect.