Abstract
By this photo-essay, which is part of an ethnographic re
search on machines, their maintenance and repair on Indigenous lands
of South America, I explore the techniques that the indigenous Wichí
of the Argentine Chaco have developed to repair plastic. With chairs
and motorbikes becoming fixtures in the local landscape, plastic things
and their breakages have actually become part of their daily lives. More
specifically, I show how the Wichí men creatively appropriate the fe
male practice of weaving to sew up the fairings of their two-wheelers
and keep their chairs upright.
Keywords
Plastic, Sewing, Care, Indigenous People, motorcycles, Chaco, Argenti
