Saint Pino Fernández, the Qom guardian who wove language, art, and spirituality

Saint Pino Fernández was a teacher, artisan, basket weaver, and Qom spiritual authority. In this comic, we wanted to rescue her story and the legacy that endures in the Chaco forest.

Santa Pino indigenous women cultural diversity

October 9, 2025

Moira Millán

Capella Flower

Edited by: Ana Fornaro, María Eugenia Ludueña

Santa Pinto Fernández was a teacher, artisan, basket weaver, and Qom spiritual leader from the Paraje Palo Santo community in El Espinillo, Chaco. She lived to be 103 years old. In this comic, we wanted to preserve her story and legacy.

While Santa traveled with her family as a seasonal worker between harvests, she passed on the ancient knowledge of palm basket weaving. She also wove wool on a homemade loom and taught the origins of the Qom culture through this art. For her work, she was recognized at the Indigenous crafts fair in Quitilipi, Chaco.

In 2020 her granddaughters represented her at the Creators of Time Fair at the Kirchner Cultural Centre in Buenos Aires.

Santa was a guardian of the Qom language and of the knowledge related to territorial spirituality. The Chaco Legislature declared her a Living Cultural Heritage in April 2021, and she passed away in August, leaving a legacy that outlives her.

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