Sarah Kelly

Sarah Kelly

Sarah Kelly is a geographer with fifteen years of experience in community-based research on water and energy equity.

Dr. Sarah Kelly is a Lecturer and Research Associate with the Geography Department at Dartmouth College. She is the co-founder and Program Manager of the Energy Justice Clinic at Dartmouth College, and she is a founding member and collaborating researcher of the intercultural water monitoring collective, Epulafkenmapu in the Puelwillimapu territory of Chile. Find her work on her website and on Researchgate.

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Protecting a Sacred River: Transnational Appeals for Energy Justice and Indigenous Rights Recognition

By Sarah Kelly

The Pilmaiquén River is named after the swallow. Like the bird, the turquoise river makes a few quick and sporadic turns as it winds its way down from the Andean mountains toward the Pacific Ocean. In southern Chile, the Mapuche-Williche people hold the river as sacred to their culture. On We tripantu, the Mapuche new year which occurs on Austral winter solstice (June), the spirits of those who have died that year are known to travel up to the Wenumapu (the land above) when the river unites with the river of the sky, the Milky Way. Until We tripantu comes each year, these spirits live on animals in the river like birds and fish.