Música de Chiloé: Folklore, Syncretism, and Cultural Development in a Chilean Aquapelago

The islands of Chiloé, in southern Chile, have developed a distinct culture over several centuries, blending indigenous traditions and Spanish settler heritage to create a vibrant pattern of folklore, music, dance, and related creative practices. This cultural heritage has become an important aspect of the islands’ identity and is key to their successful marketing as a tourist destination. However, these elements exist in tension with new developments, most particularly the introduction of salmon aquaculture, which has disrupted traditional livelihood patterns and polluted the region’s marine environment. This volume analyzes the development of the islands’ distinct culture with a particular focus on music and dance. Key topics include the relation of tradition and modernity, the impact of tourism on cultural practice, and the relationship between social activism and music culture. The authors complement this focus with a discussion of their own creative engagements with the region through the production of the music album Viaje a Chiloé (2018) and through the work of the audiovisual ensemble The Moviolas (in 2015–2018).

Table of Contents:
Introduction Chapter 1: History and culture Chapter 2: Folklore, tourism and music Chapter 3: Contemporary music, cultural identity and social justice Chapter 4: Creative engagements with Chilote culture: Viaje a Chiloé and The Moviolas

About the Author :
Waldo Garrido is adjunct fellow at Macquarie University and lecturer in music performance at the University of Western Sydney. Dan Bendrups is lecturer in research education and development at La Trobe University. Philip Hayward is adjunct professor of communications at the University of Technology Sydney and adjunct professor of arts and social sciences at Southern Cross University.

Review :
Música De Chiloé makes an empirically rich and detailed contribution to this broader relational turn in island scholarship by focusing upon “the traditional music and dance cultures of Chiloé, their relation to and position within regional folklore, and the manner in which they have been modified and extended by contemporary artists engaging with these traditions” (p.2). . . the book deftly draws out relations between island life, modernity, tradition, tourism, social activism and music. This provides a fascinating interpretation of island life which will appeal to many disciplines; including, but not confined to, music studies, island studies, geography and cultural studies in particular. . . . throughout the book is full of rich empirical and ethnographic insight and perspective. It will appeal well to anyone interested in the specific islands under consideration, and for those interested in how humans, culture, politics, social, material and aesthetic relations more generally come together to shape island life and experience. . . . Música De Chiloé is a highly original, useful and fascinating text. I highly recommend it. The book brings together three contrasting yet intersecting types of engagement with the musical culture of Chiloé. The authors offer an engaging discourse around notions of space relating to diverse music and folklore topics, and include distinct and fascinating personal and creative engagements on Chiloé and Chilote cultural themes. Of particular note is the socio-spatial concept of aquapelago (“an integrated terrestrial and marine space generated by human livelihood activities”), which is introduced through the analytical lens of island studies. The text offers an intriguing interpretation of cultural phenomena that has much relevance for contemporary cultural music research, island studies, and related cultural fields.