Local-made blankets in Lebu, Chile. Lebu is home to SKILLS, a branch of SKI Charities that celebrates local craftsmanship and artistry.

Lebu isn’t the only town that boasts local, indigenous talent in Chile – Chile’s northernmost region, Arica y Parinacota, is home to a large indigenous population that has long maintained the tradition of craftsmanship. It hasn’t been without hardship, though, to celebrate this idea of community-oriented building and craft. These small towns in Chile, rural as they may be, are not immune to the ways of the modern world. In his article highlighting the resurgence of Chile’s traditional artisans, Jonathan Foyle notes, “The modern world’s emphasis on individual careers tends to deskill rural communities, which in turn threatens the survival of the rural-built environment.”

Fortunately, local organization Fundación Altiplano enables community members to learn traditional building and restoration skills that are unique to indigenous regional cultures. Thus far, Fundación Altiplano “has funded 32 conservation projects, supported artisanal craft production and hosted a film festival about this area.”

The community has rejoiced at the opportunity to preserve their heritage and exercise new skills. Not only are people provided with employment options, but they are also instilled with a sense of pride, responsibility, self-empowerment, and a deeper connection to one another and the history of their ancestors.

Raimundo Choque, a villager in the Arica y Parinacota region was struck by Fundación Altiplano’s mission and liked the idea of beginning a career in conservation as a way to remain connected to his culture – and to keep his culture alive. Choque and his community members had the opportunity to be “reborn as artists.”

Among the restoration projects sponsored by Fundación Altiplano are the rehabilitation of churches, which reinforces the cultural and spiritual connection of craftsmanship with the people. Choque comments, “The work in the church is not only a material job, but also a spiritual job. Our villages are depopulating, so a way to captivate people is to make them feel how families were before.”

SKI Charities aims to do similar work in the indigenous Lebu commmunity – encouraging local craft and entrepreneurship is a way of encouraging self-empowerment and responsibility. Much of the craft in Lebu (painting, weaving, leatherwork, etc) stems from skills that are passed down generationally. Keeping these skills alive, celebrating them, is what SKIC aims for in its SKILLS program. The SKI Local Life Survey helps to empower artists to share their histories and craftsmanship with a broader global community. For more about SKILLS and to purchase art that has been born out of this initiative, click here.

The quotes in this article are excerpted from “High Plains Grafters: Chiles Traditional Artisans” by Jonathan Foyer. It was published in the Financial Times on March 23, 2017.