Graciela Huinao
Graciela Huinao (born 1956) is a Mapuche poet and fiction writer. Huinao, who writes in Spanish, is the first Indigenous woman to join the Academia Chilena de la Lengua.
Graciela del Carmen Huinao Alarcón | |
---|---|
![]() Graciela Huinao at a poetry reading in 2016. | |
Born | 1956 Osorno, Chile |
Occupation | Poet, fiction writer |
Language | Spanish |
Nationality | Chilean |
Biography
Graciela Huinao was born in the area of Osorno, Chile, in 1956. Her parents, Herminia Alarcón and Dolorindo Huinao Loi, were Huilliche.[1][2] Huinao's education began in 1962, when she enrolled in Escuela 107.[3] She was raised speaking Spanish, not Mapudungun, because her father had been punished at school for speaking his native language and he feared she would experience the same; she later studied her ancestral language as an adult.[4]
Huinao's mother died in 1969, when she was 13 years old, and her father died eight years later, in 1977. After his death, she moved to Santiago.[3]
She published her first poem, "La Loika" in 1989. Her first book, Walinto, was published in 2001; it was rereleased in 2008 in Mapudungun, Spanish, and English.[1] This book of poetry was named for the Mapuche community in which she was born, which is located 36 kilometers from Osorno.[2]
Huinao has also written short stories and a novel, and her work has been anthologized in several collections, including Hilando en la memoria, 7 poetas mapuche (2006) and Hilando en la memoria, epu rapa. 14 mujeres poetas mapuche (2009).[2]
Her work has also been published in translation, including into English, Chinese, Hebrew, and Indigenous languages of North America.[1][4]
Huinao became the first Indigenous woman to join the Academia Chilena de la Lengua in 2014.[1][2][4]
Selected works
- Walinto, poetry, bilingual edition, with translation into Mapudungun by Clara Antinao Varas; published by La Garza Morena, Santiago, 2001 (republished by Cuarto Propio, 2008, in a trilingual format: Mapudungun-Spanish-English)
- La nieta del brujo, seis relatos williche, Caballo de Mar, 2003
- Desde el fogón de una casa de putas williche, novel, Caballo del Mar, 2010
- Katrilef, hija de un ülmen mapuche williche. Relato de su vida, Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Sociales, 2015
References
- "Huinao: La lengua mapuche sobrevive por la conciencia de su pueblo". El Telégrafo (in Spanish). 2015-11-13. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
- Almarza, Paula (2014-04-18). "Graciela Huinao: "Es un orgullo ser la primera mujer indígena en la Academia Chilena de la Lengua"". BioBioChile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-01-27.
- "Huinao, Graciela". Escritores.org (in Spanish). 2019-09-30. Retrieved 2021-01-27.
- Mançano, Luiza; Ribeiro Nogueira, Pedro (2019-03-18). "MARÇO DAS MULHERES | A VOZ, O CAMINHO E A POESIA MAPUCHE DE GRACIELA HUINAO". Brasil de Fato (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2021-01-27.