Juego, deporte y cultura en la infancia: el significado del Palín para el niño mapuche

Abstract

This paper analyses the role of traditional games within Mapuche culture. Games are rule-based and their acquisition has been the object of a number of different studies in developmental psychology. A game’s rules and actions are charged with a cultural meaning often taken for granted and a complexity often overlooked. This article analyses how children ages eight to fourteen evolve in their grasp of a game’s meaning and its rules, using a group of children playing Palín, a Mapuche game, as its subject. The data comes from observations and interviews of Mapuche children and adults. Our main conclusion is that the game of Palín has a rich cultural and traditional meaning that is reflected in its rules and rituals. The children’s understanding of this meaning is a complex process described in three broad stages.