Trueque Chilote: Traditional Barter Networks Connect Nature and Society in Northern Patagonia

Abstract

An almost mythic traditional barter system, known locally as trueque Chilote, between the islands of Chiloé and the surrounding fjordland communities of Patagonia, has been in place for centuries. Island and mainland communities exchange endemic varieties of heirloom potatoes for wooden posts made from local trees found in the dense coastal temperate rainforests of Patagonia. This chapter, based on ethnographic field research in the region conducted over 10 years, offers an account of the spatial, material, and social manifestations of this Chilote barter system. Drawing from interviews and participant observation data, I describe how the exchange provides vital resources to isolated communities where national currency is scarce or nonexistent, and explore its influence on the culture and landscape that is Chiloé.