중남미

The paper presents an integrating approach of conceptual issues to evaluate the wellbeing in indigenous communities. The approach recognizes the consensual absence of a “wellbeing” definition. Therefore, understanding the local concepts of wellbeing could help develop planning tools for decision-makers in indigenous societies contexts. The approach is based on the concept of capacities developed by A. Sen in which a group of human wellbeing indicators are constructed and where cultural issues might be included without affecting the power of the indicator. A study with Uitoto (múrui-muina-mɨnɨka) and the called People of the Center indigenous groups of the Northern Amazonia has been done to discuss their particular idea of what wellbeing is. It is a concept the People of the Center summarizes in the word monifue (abundance). This concept is the result of the analysis of their symbolic and ritual contexts. The concept has been actualized through the time and today integrate issues of their contemporary life style. The paper describes some elements derived of this concept, and contributes to the conceptualization of issues that might be used in a valid model to describe the life style of these indigenous societies. The discussion of the paper is not based on technical issues of the model yet. The discussion define some limits where the variables to measure and relate should be placed. This is an important result about the understanding of the concept wellbeing of these indigenous societies and the elements that require to be transformed in concrete indicators.