Chichinmanum Weamu: Bienestar de los estudiantes awajún en la Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana

Abstract

This article analyzes if life conditions in the National University of the Peruvian Amazon assured six young Awajun their well-being. It ponders several questions; what is the emic meaning of being well?, Could young migrants satisfy their socio-economic and affective needs?, which are the strategies used to perform as students? To answer these questions, a qualitative methodology and different ethnographic techniques such as interviews, focus groups, observations and life stories were used. And different actors such as student colleagues, teachers, university authorities, were observed and interviewed. The expression chichinmanum weamu, translated from Awajún as going against the current, describes a situation that many young natives who try to become graduates go through. Young Awajun thought that being good meant having all the basic services, goods and resources needed to develop as students, which also implied having fluid relationships with peers and teachers. The study reached the conclusion that young Awajun were not entirely satisfied. However, the social capital developed through the Student Organization of the Indigenous Peoples of the Peruvian Amazon did ensure their survival in Iquitos.

Chichinmanum weamu, traducido como yendo a contracorriente, describe una experiencia por la cual atraviesan muchos jóvenes indígenas universitarios al enfrentar situaciones que afectan su bienestar. Esta investigación analiza si las condiciones en las que estudiaban seis jóvenes awajún en la Universidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana garantizaban ese bienestar. Con este propósito, utilizamos una metodología cualitativa y diferentes técnicas etnográficas como entrevistas, grupos focales, observaciones e historias de vida. Argumentamos que estar bien significaba para los estudiantes awajún contar con todos los servicios básicos, bienes y recursos que incluyen relaciones cercanas con sus compañeros y docentes. Al observar dichos aspectos, concluimos que los estudiantes awajún no estaban satisfechos. Sin embargo, el capital social desarrollado a través de la Organización de Estudiantes de los Pueblos Indígenas de la Amazonia Peruana les garantizaba su sobrevivencia en Iquitos.