Mapuche

The Mapuche are the largest Indigenous group in Chile, accounting for 75 to 85 percent of the nation’s Indigenous population. Many Mapuche also live in southwestern Argentina. Their name is taken from words meaning “earth” and “people” in their native tongue of Mapudungun. Historically, the Mapuche are known for being the only South American Indigenous cultures to successfully resist invasion by both the Incan Empire and Spanish conquistadors. Although the Mapuche have become increasingly assimilated into modern Chilean society, the Mapuche people continue to embrace their own cultural traditions. Relations between the Mapuche and the Chilean government have long been strained, with the Mapuche frequently being persecuted for their efforts to achieve some level of political autonomy. The Mapuche also often endure discrimination at the hands of non-Indigenous Chileans. As a result, some Mapuche choose to forgo their cultural heritage to stand a better chance of advancing in Chilean society.

Background

The historical roots of the Mapuche date back to the Asian peoples who first migrated to the Americas via the Bering Strait thousands of years ago. The Mapuche initially arose as part of a broader Indigenous group known as the Araucanian people. The early ancestors of the Araucanian people first arrived in the region of South America now known as Chile approximately twelve thousand years ago. Prior to the arrival of Spanish conquistadors in the sixteenth century, the Mapuche lived in a territory that stretched across a large portion of South America’s southern cone. With a total population of around two million, the early Mapuche nation included both permanent settlements and nomadic communities. Most Mapuche lived in family groups that were each led by a chief known as a lonko. These family groups together formed larger regional communities.

For much of their pre-modern history, the Mapuche distinguished themselves through their resilience in the face of invasion. In addition to denying the advance of the Incan Empire, the Mapuche were successful in resisting Spanish attempts to conquer their territory in the sixteenth century. In fact, the arrival of Spanish forces led to the unification of several different Indigenous groups that all became part of the Mapuche as they are known today. In response to Spanish attempts to conquer their territory, the Mapuche carried out a fierce rebellion that eventually escalated into the Arauco War (1536–1810). Ultimately, the Spanish were forced to acknowledge Mapuche autonomy.

The Mapuche maintained their independence until the Republic of Chile began a campaign to seize control of the Araucania region in 1882. As part of this campaign, the Chileans sought to conquer the Araucania by “civilizing” the Indigenous peoples who lived there. After Chile successfully completed the military component of its campaign, the Mapuche and other Indigenous people were restricted to small plots of land. This resulted in a dramatic decrease in the size of Indigenous territory and left the Mapuche dependent on the Chilean government. Since that time, the Mapuche have turned to political action as a means of carrying on the fight for the survival of their culture.

Overview

With a population of approximately 1.7 million people, the Mapuche remains Chile’s largest Indigenous group, and around 300,000 Mapuche also live in Argentina. In both countries, the various Mapuche people closely identify with the specific regions in which they live. The Mapuche who live in coastal areas are known as Lafkenche, for example. As a whole, the Mapuche have been incorporated into the nations of Chile and Argentina. This led to an array of decades-long political and social issues.

While the Mapuche population in some parts of Chile remains predominantly rural, most of the Mapuche people live in urban environments. This trend has helped to encourage Mapuche assimilation into mainstream Chilean culture. In fact, fewer than 20 percent of their population still speak Mapudungun. At the same time, however, the Mapuche are also one of Chile’s most impoverished and marginalized communities. The Mapuche occupy the lowest rung of Chile’s prominent social class structure and are frequently subject to racism and discrimination. For this reason, many Mapuche people who wish to improve their social standing and advance their professional careers often abandon their cultural heritage in favor of assimilating to Chilean culture as completely as possible. Those who continue to embrace their heritage usually struggle to find work or elevate themselves socially.

In their struggle to improve their situation in Chile and Argentina, Mapuche activists generally focus on three central issues. For one, the Mapuche ask governments to honor and respect the various treaties they previously signed with Indigenous communities. Second, they seek the return of their ancestral lands and territories. Finally, they seek recognized political autonomy for their traditional authorities and institutions.

Conflicts between government leaders and the Mapuche are particularly problematic in Chile. To quell protests and violent confrontations, the Chilean government eventually began systematically criminalizing the Mapuche by classifying them as terrorists. This approach led to more protests and further strife between the Mapuche and the Chilean government. The Mapuche are frequently the target of police brutality and raids and continue to face threats to their territories from various transnational companies looking to exploit their land for its natural resources.

Despite the adversity they face, the Mapuche have managed to make some headway in their struggle for freedom and equality. Lacking appropriate representation in the Chilean national legislature, some Mapuche began working to establish their own political party in 2008. The Wallmapuwen Party, as it is known, is a pro-autonomy group that ultimately aims to recreate the Mapuche territory as it once existed in both Chile and Argentina. Other Mapuche organizations have also found success in education reform, particularly as it pertains to ensuring that Mapuche children have access to bilingual and intercultural education. Still, some critics argue that such accomplishments are relatively minor and point out that the Mapuche continue to face much more pressing issues.

In the 2020s, Mapuche communities in Argentina and Chile reported forced evictions from ancestral lands. These lands were used for mining, logging, and development projects, destroying their natural biodiversity without the consent of the Mapuche people. Mapuche activists continued to advocate for these communities, and tensions with the governments remained high. Some Mapuche groups were labeled as terrorist groups in 2022, which allowed the government to use counter-terrorism legislation to silence these groups.

Bibliography

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“Detailed Information about Mapuche Culture and Araucana.” InterPatagonia, www.interpatagonia.com/mapuche/index‗i.html. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.

Loncón, Elisa. "The Mapuche Struggle for the Recognition of Its Nation." President and Fellows of Harvard College, 20 Apr. 2023, revista.drclas.harvard.edu/the-mapuche-struggle-for-the-recognition-of-its-nation-from-a-feminine-and-decolonizing-point-of-view. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.

“Mapuche.” Minority Rights Group International, minorityrights.org/minorities/mapuche-2. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.

“The Mapuche People.” Don Quijote S.L., www.donquijote.org/chilean-culture/traditions/mapuche. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.

“Mapuche.” Unrepresented Nations & Peoples Organization, unpo.org/mapuche. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.

“Who Are the Mapuche?” Mapuche Foundation FOLIL, www.mapuche.nl/english/mapuche.html. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.

Youkee, Mat. “Why the Lost Kingdom of Patagonia Is a Live Issue for Chile’s Mapuche People.” Guardian, 21 Mar. 2018, www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/21/kingdom-mapuche-chile-patagonia-araucania. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.