Strengthening Indigenous Capacity in Artisan and Sustainable Economies in the Argentine Chaco

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Mara Dicenta

Project Description

This project, co-designed with Wichí communities, aims to build a bilingual, digital information system that documents and supports Indigenous craft practices in the Chaco, emphasizing deep ecological, cultural, and economic connections to the forest. By involving local institutions and promoting language accessibility, the initiative seeks to center Indigenous knowledge in conservation efforts and recognize crafts as vital expressions of sustainable, interconnected ways of life.

W&M students are invited to join this project to compile written and audiovisual documents related to the valorization of Indigenous Chaco crafts. Co-designed with Wichí communities, teachers, and students, William & Mary students are invited to help build this system, organize the data, and address key questions:

How can we create a sustainable, intercultural, and accessible repository?

How can we involve local institutions (national parks, schools, municipalities, NGOs, and Indigenous community associations) in its ongoing use and maintenance?

This project aligns with broader biodiversity conservation goals in the dry Chaco, responding to the needs and aspirations of local communities. It recognizes the cultural and economic value of artisanal practices as a way of life deeply connected to native forest ecosystems. By developing a bilingual (Wichí–Spanish), accessible, and living repository of projects, scientific papers, technical reports, and audiovisual materials, the initiative supports the sustainable use of local plants, trees, and materials, such as chaguar fibers and natural dyes used in Wichí artisanal production. These practices are rooted in traditional ecological knowledge and involve the careful identification, harvesting, and processing of resources in ways that maintain biodiversity and ecological balance.

The project also addresses a critical gap in conservation strategies that often prioritize tourism and external NGOs while sidelining Indigenous knowledge, particularly that of women. A key priority is language accessibility. Through bilingual translation and intercultural collaboration, this project promotes inclusive practices that view crafts not merely as market commodities, but as living expressions of a way of life woven through native forest ecosystems.

Prerequisites and Required Skills

Required:

1. Maturity, capacity to work interculturally
2. Capacity to work in groups
3. Capacity to work individually
4. Some level of Spanish (intermediate perferred)

Preferred, some of them, not limited to:

1. Web design - programming - AI - Data Science, Data Visualization
2. Communications, image, arts, photography, digital humanities
3. Information, archiving, cataloguing, translation, linguistics
4. Environmental Justice, Community Science, Integrative Conservation, Ecology

Required Travel

Travel to rural Argentina to work alongside Wichi community members, teachers, and students in the Argentine Chaco, localities of Misión Nueva Pompeya and Miraflores, for 4 weeks. This will involve staying in a mix of homestays and hotels and travel in rural settings in beautiful Argentina.

Notes for Applicants

This is a great fit for students who are excited to learn from people from different cultures and to explore the ways that the environment and economies are intertwined.

Project ID - Format

26-001-26 - CRP Year