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Pottery of Quinchamalà and Santa Cruz de Cuca is added to UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding
This recognition reaffirms the commitment of the State of Chile to safeguard this centuries-old craft tradition of the commune of Chillán, in the Ñuble Region.
A group of 36 potters representing Quinchamalà and Santa Cruz de Cuca, together with the Undersecretary for Cultural Heritage, Carolina Pérez, and the head of Transformative Education at UNESCO, Mary Guinn Delaney, followed live at the Pereira Palace the transmission of the 17th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in the city of Rabat, Morocco, where the inscription of the Pottery of Quinchamalà and Santa Cruz de Cuca in the List of Urgent Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage was approved.
With this inscription, worldwide recognition is given to all the generations of women who have passed on their knowledge and who have allowed this valuable pottery to remain present in the history of Chile for more than 200 years. Along with this, it expresses the unrestricted commitment of the State to implement the necessary actions to support the work of the communities in pursuit of safeguarding the pottery of Quinchamalà and Santa Cruz de Cuca.
"UNESCO values the joint work that the Chilean State has developed together with the culturing organizations to preserve the centenary pottery of Quinchamalà and Santa Cruz de Cuca," said Claudia Uribe, representative of the international organization in Chile, who added that "this heritage of the Ñuble area, which is transmitted from generation to generation, is preserved by the communities in constant interaction with nature and its history. Inclusion on this list will allow the implementation of an action plan to support its safeguarding, considering its important contribution to local identity and the country's cultural diversity".
"As the Government of Chile we are very proud of this tremendous achievement and this recognition of the potters of Quinchamalà and Santa Cruz de Cuca. This is a huge step towards the recognition of this tremendous work, which is passed on from generation to generation, which also has women as protagonists and which has been going on for more than 200 years. We are very interested that this tradition is maintained, and that there is an interest of the new generations in this trade and tradition", said the Minister of Cultures, Arts and Heritage, Julieta Brodsky Hernández.
Mónica Venegas was one of the 36 potters who arrived at the Pereira Palace to follow the transmission from Morocco and to celebrate the announcement with excitement. "We are very proud to be the ones who are going to begin this work, in the name of all the potters who have gone, who have been invisible and who through their hands have told the story of all the women present and those who will train new generations in this craft", declared the potter with emotion.
The Undersecretary of Cultural Heritage, Carolina Pérez, accompanied the potters at the announcement. "In the public policy of intangible cultural heritage, the State plays a role as collaborator and guarantor of cultural rights, being the potters the protagonists in the maintenance of their knowledge. This is why we feel the responsibility to attend the request for inscription on the Urgent Safeguarding List, which allows us to promote a process that helps to articulate various entities in a joint work plan, to strengthen and maintain over time this intangible heritage that culturally enriches our country," said the Undersecretary.
After the announcement, the potters went to the Palacio de La Moneda, where they took a guided tour with the authorities of the Ministry of Cultures and UNESCO, where they were received by the socio-cultural coordinator of the Presidency, Irina Karamanos. The tour was accompanied by the National Director of Cultural Heritage, Roberto Concha.
This announcement was also followed in the seventh region, where the potters met with local authorities to receive the news of their inclusion in UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
In 2021, the roundtable for the safeguarding of the knowledge and practices of the pottery of Quinchamalà and Santa Cruz de Cuca was created, composed by 18 public services and 7 representatives of the potters, who jointly develop a structured work plan to address the problems that affect the continuity of the pottery of Quinchamalà and Santa Cruz de Cuca. This cultural heritage faces socio-environmental risks and threats that affect the scarcity of raw materials, pollution and health problems, low economic profitability, as well as migration from the countryside to the city and the lack of interest in the new generations to dedicate themselves to pottery given the lack of social appreciation of their work.
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