Isabella Brunilda Mamani Mamani (born 9 September 1982) is an

Aymara Aymara may refer to: Languages and people * Aymaran languages, the second most widespread Andean language ** Aymara language, the main language within that family ** Central Aymara, the other surviving branch of the Aymara(n) family, which today ...

attorney and politician in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. In

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, she was elected to represent the Aymara people in a reserved seat on the

Chilean Constitutional Convention The Constitutional Convention () was the constituent body of the Chile, Republic of Chile in charge of drafting a new Political Constitution of the Republic after the approval of the 2020 Chilean national plebiscite, national plebiscite held in O ...

Early life and education

Mamani was born to an Aymara family on 9 September 1982. Mamani graduated with a law degree from

Arturo Prat University Universidad Arturo Prat is a university in Chile. It is a derivative university part of the Chilean Traditional Universities. The university was created in 1981 from the former campus of the University of Chile in Iquique. It also has campuses i ...

and has credited her education with giving her the tools she needed to advocate for her people. She is a resident of the

Alto Hospicio Alto Hospicio is a Chilean municipality and commune located next to Iquique, in the Iquique Province, I Region. It is a fast-growing popular area in the heights of Iquique and has a population of 94,254 according to the preliminary result of the ...

Tarapacá Region The Tarapacá Region ( es, Región de Tarapacá, ) is one of Chile's 16 first-order administrative divisions. It comprises two provinces, Iquique and Tamarugal. It borders the Chilean Arica and Parinacota Region to the north, Bolivia's Oruro D ...

, and is currently studying for a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in procedural law from the Central University of Chile.

Constitutional Convention

Following her election to the Constitutional Convention in 2021, Mamani embarked on a seven-day journey from Alto Hospicio to

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

, where the body is located. Though the trip would ordinarily take a few hours time, Mamani explained that " ery time the Aymara people do something or buy something or want something, they always ask permission from the

Pachamama Pachamama is a goddess revered by the indigenous peoples of the Andes. In Inca mythology she is an " Earth Mother" type goddess, Dransart, Penny. (1992) "Pachamama: The Inka Earth Mother of the Long Sweeping Garment." ''Dress and Gender: Making ...

and the Tata

Inti INTI International University & Colleges are private university colleges located in Malaysia. The main campus was initially known as INTI University College until 31 May 2010 when the Higher Education Ministry announced its upgrade to universi ...

for us to do well. You always have to respect that.” During her week-long trip to Santiago, she stopped in

Colchane Colchane is a Chilean village and commune in Tamarugal Province, Tarapacá Region. The commune is located in the Andean altiplano, bordering Bolivia. It also includes the localities of Isluga, Enquelga, Cariquima and Chijo. Demographics Accor ...

to "receiv the blessing from the ''

cacique A ''cacique'' (Latin American ; ; feminine form: ''cacica'') was a tribal chieftain of the Taíno people, the indigenous inhabitants at European contact of the Bahamas, the Greater Antilles, and the northern Lesser Antilles. The term is a Spa ...

s''", and visited other areas of ancestral importance to the Aymara people.

''Phawa'' controversy

Mamami requested that she be allowed to perform a ''phawa'', a traditional Aymara prayer ceremony, at the site of the Constitutional Convention. This request was declined by Executive Secretary of the Administrative Secretariat Francisco Encina, who defended his decision on the basis of logistical issues. Encina's decision was met with calls for his resignation from indigenous activists.

Political views

On the subject of

plurinationalism Plurinationality, plurinational, or plurinationalism is defined as the coexistence of two or more sealed or preserved national groups within a polity (an organized community or body of peoples). In plurinationalism, the idea of nationality is plura ...

, Mamani has expressed concern that proposals for a "plurinational state" would amount to a mere recognition of indigenous autonomy without taking meaningful steps towards emboldening native communities. She cited the case of the

Constitution of Bolivia The current Constitution of Bolivia ( es, Constitución Política del Estado; literally, the ''Political Constitution of the State'') came into effect on 7 February 2009 when it was promulgated by President Evo Morales, after being approved in a ...

that was pushed forward by then-President

Evo Morales Juan Evo Morales Ayma (; born 26 October 1959) is a Bolivian politician, trade union organizer, and former cocalero activist who served as the 65th president of Bolivia from 2006 to 2019. Widely regarded as the country's first president to co ...

, a fellow Aymara, that she considers to have failed to meaningfully uplifted the

indigenous peoples of Bolivia Indigenous peoples in Bolivia, or Native Bolivians, are Bolivian people who are of indigenous ancestry. They constitute anywhere from 40 to 70% of Bolivia's population of 11,306,341, depending on different estimates, and belong to 36 recognized e ...

. Mamani stated:

"I like the wording of the Bolivian Constitution, but in practice, its indigenous legislation has been limited. We want this to not be the case in this new Constitution, but rather for the plurinational State to be transversal and recognize all the first nations and their self-determination in all areas: legal, political, social, cultural..."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mamani, Isabel Aymara politicians Chilean people of Aymara descent Members of the Chilean Constitutional Convention People from Tarapacá Region 21st-century Chilean lawyers Chilean women lawyers Arturo Prat University alumni Universidad Central de Chile alumni 1982 births Living people 21st-century women lawyers