THE ROUND OF MATE IN PARANA, A TERRITORIAL SPACE TO RETHINK THE IMMATERIAL CULTURAL HERITAGE.

Staffolani, Claudio1 ; Alcaíno, Lucio2 ; Tessio Conca, Silvia3 ; Ojeda, Natalia4.

Abstract

It seeks to identify the process that characterizes ‘la ronda del mate’ as a cultural element that defines a territorial space in which priming and drinking mate is a practice that supports integration and cohesion. The ‘round of mate contributes to shaping and relocating spaces that are permeable to practices transmitted from one generation to another, with functions and roles that are repeated and updated. The general objective has been to describe the motivations, uses and customs reproduced by those who are part of the practice of drinking mate in round mode in the city of Paraná in the province of Entre Ríos, Argentina. The methodology was based on semi-structured interviews with characterized informants who can be related to the mate, as well as group interviews with neighbors. The data analysis method has been the constant comparison and triangulation of both sources. The results describe the motivations -identified in the analysis of testimonies and practices observed around the round of mate- that lead to the meeting of people to drink mate, the characteristics of the groups that make up the round, the places where the rounds. Regarding the discussion, although compatible investigations have not been identified to discuss the object of study itself with the characteristics that we mentioned above, instead we have found references -especially from the most traveled informants- that allow us to trace certain comparisons with the round of mate with other regions of Argentina, neighboring countries and regions of the world.