WEICHÁN. The struggle of the Mapuche people in southern Chile.
Chile is a country of 18 million inhabitants. Within it live 10 ethnic minorities officially recognized by Ley Indigena 19,253, but not by the Constitution. According to a 2017 census, they represent around 12.8% of the population. Of these, the most numerous is the Mapuche.
The Wallmapu is the ancestral territory of this people, which in the past included the territories of the central part of the Cono Sur, through the current states of Chile and Argentina: from the Limarí River to the Chiloé archipelago, from the Province of Buenos Aires to Patagonia.
Today, in Chile this territory corresponds to the so-called “Macrozona Sur”, which includes the regions of Biobío, Araucania, Los Riós and Los Lagos. This macro-region is traditionally marked by the “Mapuche conflict”, a long- standing conflict in which the indigenous communities are pitted against the interests of many private companies and the Chilean state on a daily basis.
In their thousand-year history, the Mapuche have had to resist several invasion attempts. The first were the Incas, who never managed to expand their empire south of the Biobío River. Later, the Spanish tried to invade the territories to the south in search of precious metals. Again, the Mapuche put up fierce resistance, some of the most heroic ever in the Americas, forcing the European invaders to reconsider their claims. Once they gained independence from the Spanish crown, the states of Chile and Argentina decided to end the Mapuche people’s aspirations for freedom once and for all with military campaigns known as the “Pacification of Araucania” on the Chilean side and the “Desert March” on the Argentine side. These campaigns ended the independence of the Mapuche people and reduced the indigenous territory to a few hundred hectares, within which the survivors were confined. Since then, the Mapuche people have been forced to fight for the recognition of their cultural, territorial and economic rights.
In the course of time, much Mapuche land has been sold to companies mainly engaged in forestry. These companies have cleared native forests and replaced native plants with pine and eucalyptus, trees that are not native to Chile and require a lot of water, causing frequent droughts that prevent the inhabitants from irrigating their fields and quenching their animals. Furthermore, the Mapuche are a people whose spirituality is strongly linked to respect for Mother Earth (“Mapuche” literally means “people of the Earth”). They believe that within the forests and along the banks of rivers dwell ancestral forces that are driven out by the continuous exploitation of natural resources. Thus, it is not uncommon for environmental and land protection motivations to be added to territorial claims.
Nowadays, the Wallmapu territories are deeply marked by this conflict. There are continuous incidents of violence related to territorial disputes and tensions between indigenous communities and industrial sectors, to which law enforcement agencies respond with excessive use of force. This situation has given rise to serious security and crime concerns that have led to the progressive militarization of the Araucaria and Biobío regions and the declaration of a state of emergency.
25/10/2023 Temuco, Chile. A woman waves the Mapuche flag in front of the Araucania Region building during a demonstration called by several communities against a series of laws passed by the Chilean state: Specifically, to Law 21560, known as “Ley Nain Retamal,” which allows privileged self-defense for police officers, expanding the possibility of resorting to the use of weapons in cases of perceived risk, Law 21488 on “Robo y hurto de madera,” which increased the penalties for timber theft, both monetary and prison, and the so-called “Anti tomas” law, which expanded the discretion of law enforcement agencies in carrying out forced evictions of occupied land and buildings.11/09/2023 Valdivia, Chile. During the march organized to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the coup d’état, a demonstrator held up a placard demanding justice for the death of Pablo Marchant, a young Mapuche militant from CAM (Coordinadora Arauco Malleco), who was shot in the head in 2021 during a confrontation with the police. Although Pinochet’s dictatorship ended in 1990, for some Chileans the use of violence is still an integral part of police culture. This is particularly evident in the so- called conflict between the Chilean state and the Mapuche people.09/02/2024 Concepción, Chile. Poster hung at the entrance of the Concepción courthouse, awaiting the trial review ruling of four Mapuche detainees on hunger strike. For some, the strike has lasted more than 80 days, amid total indifference from the institutions. In addition to the review of the trial of some convicts, who according to those protesting have been found guilty in the absence of clear and certain evidence, the inmates are seeking better prison conditions and the right to be able to continue living in respect for Mapuche traditions and culture within the prison.14/05/2024 Lebu, Chile. Monoculture of pine trees near Lebu. Over the years, many Mapuche territories have been acquired by companies primarily engaged in wood and pulp production. These companies have cleared hectares of native tree forests to replace them with pine and eucalyptus forests. The spread of these intensive crops has generated environmental and cultural issues. The trees used require a lot of water, and their continuous uprooting does not allow undergrowth, depleting the soil. During the hot season these monocultures are frequently affected by forest fires, endangering the lives of people and animals. 21/01/2024 Conguillío National Park, Chile. View of Villarica volcano from Conguillío National Park, a protected natural area located in the Chilean Andes. The reserve’s forests consist mainly of araucaria (Conguillío in mapudungun means “water with araucaria seeds”), trees that are thousands of years old and of great importance to Mapuche culture.15/05/2024 Lebu, Chile. Monoculture of pine trees near Lebu where the effects of harvesting are evident. Intensive tree uprooting prevents the regeneration of the undergrowth and impoverishes the soil. Culturally, the Mapuche believe that spirits called “Ngen” dwell within the forests, who are driven out once the place is cleared, while several Mapuche spiritual authorities complain that they can no longer find medicinal plants useful in the creation of traditional remedies.08/03/2024 Temuco, Chile. During the 8th of March commemoration, a girl marches by holding a wino, a bat used to play “palin”. Palin is a traditional Mapuche activity with a religious and sporting purpose. Very similar to hockey, it is recognised as the main indigenous sport in South America. Although originally practised by both sexes, due to western influence, palin has become the exclusive preserve of men. For some years now, a group of Mapuche women has been trying to exercise a “recuperación cultural” by organising women’s games.07/03/2024 Victoria, Chile. Rubber bullets fired by security forces at protesters in an attempt to carry out an arrest during a public demonstration convened in front of the court during a sentencing of Mapuche defendants in “recuperación territorial”.17/01/2024 Concepción, Chile. Tents set up in front of the Concepción prison by family members and people close to the hunger strikers. The family members remained in the tents for the duration of the protest, despite pressure from the police, who especially in the initial stages wanted to avoid setting up a garrison, and insults from several passers-by.27/09/2023 Lautaro, Chile. Rural area near Lautaro, an area historically marked by occupation and land claim activities, especially during the 1960s and 1970s. Most of these experiences were crushed following Pinochet’s military coup, only to resume after the dictatorship ended. Currently, the majority of the area’s population declares itself to be of Mapuche origin and has already taken back land considered usurped or is in the process of “recuoperación territorial”10/05/2024 Lautaro, Chile. Small sheep farm in rural Lautaro, an area historically marked by occupation and land claim activities, especially during the 1960s and 1970s.09/02/2024 Concepción, Chile. Family members of Mapuche detainees on hunger strike in front of the Concepción courthouse, awaiting a ruling to review the trial of four detainees. Due to the presence of procedural errors during the previous trial, the court ruled in favor of annulling the ruling, calling for a new trial.25/10/2023 Temuco, Chile. A little girl sits in the street in front of the Araucania Region building during a demonstration against the latest laws passed by the Chilean state.27/09/2023 Lautaro, Chile. Rural area near Lautaro, an area historically marked by occupation and land claim activities, especially during the 1960s and 1970s.10/05/2024 Lautaro, Chile. Small sheep farm in rural Lautaro, an area historically marked by occupation and land claim activities, especially during the 1960s and 1970s.17/01/2024 Concepción, Chile. Murals on a wall in front of Concepción prison, where eleven inmates are on hunger strike, joined by five inmates in Temuco prison.24/04/2024 Temuco, Chile. On the occasion of a demonstration against the construction of a high-voltage power line destined to pass through the territory of several communities in the area, authorities and activists show their solidarity with the Mapuche prisoners by symbolically closing the march in front of the Temuco prison.31/08/2023 Panguipulli, Chile. River bed disrupted by a dam near Panguipulli. Blocking the normal flow of water for about seven kilometers, the dam caused several problems for at least three local communities. The scarcity of water downstream, especially during the summer months, has made it more difficult to develop agricultural and livestock activities. In addition to the environmental impact on biodiversity, cultural issues must also be considered. For Mapuche spirituality, in fact, it is vital that water continues to flow. For this reason, affected communities are fighting for the company to allow more water to pass beyond the dam.21/01/2024 Conguillío National Park, Chile. Araucaria trees in Conguillío National Park, a protected natural area located in the Chilean Andes. Araucaria is a species endemic to the south- central part of the Chilean Cordillera. It is a slow-growing tree species and can live up to 1,021 years. It holds great importance in Mapuche culture.10/05/2024 Lautaro, Chile. Small sheep farm in rural Lautaro, an area historically marked by occupation and land claim activities, especially during the 1960s and 1970s.24/04/2024 Temuco, Chile. Mapuche demonstrators protest the construction of a high-voltage line intended to pass over the territory of several communities near Temuco. The line is part of a larger megaproject that is supposed to affect the entire Macrozona Sur. The protesters complain about the total absence of information about the project and the failure to convene an indigenous council on the issue.07/03/2024 Victoria, Chile. A woman is attended to in the emergency room after being hit by pepper spray thrown by carabineros. The police tried to disperse the crowd in an attempt to make an arrest during a public demonstration called in front of the court for a sentencing of Mapuche defendants in “recuperación territorial”.09/02/2024 Concepción, Chile. Demonstration of former political prisoners at the time of the dictatorship in Plaza Independencia, also in support of Mapuche prisoners on hunger strike in Temuco and Concepción prisons.
About the author: GIUSEPPE SANTAGUIDA
Giuseppe Santaguida graduated in International Economics, with a thesis on the role of NGOs in the economy of developing countries. Always passionate about documentary photography and social photography, he has been collaborating for years with associations active in the field of culture, social and international cooperation. In 2023 he had the opportunity to collaborate with Operazione Colomba, an Italian NGO that has been active in Chile for many years, dealing mainly with the observation and monitoring of the respect for human rights in the country, living in close contact with indigenous communities and people involved in the so-called “State-Mapuche conflict.”
