Indigenous movement in Chile

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If one speaks of an indigenous movement in Chile , then the movement of the Mapuche (Mapu = earth, Che = people; "people of the earth") is always in the foreground. This is the best known and with 87.3% also the largest indigenous group in Chile.

Origin and course

Since the colonization of Chile by the Spaniards, the Mapuche have offered this resistance, although it was only after the military defeat against Chilean government troops in 1883 that a social movement emerged that fought primarily for recognition in Chilean society. At the end of the 1920s, the model of the current assimilation policy in Chile was a disciplined society , in whose eyes the traditional settlement areas of the indigenous peoples were regarded as “non-places” and had to be dissolved. Most of the settlements were able to resist this process for the time being, but many Mapuche migrated to the big cities due to the expropriations and the subsequent poverty.

Under the government of the socialist Salvador Allende (1970–1973) the situation of the indigenous people improved. Law 17.729 recognized indigenous cultures as independent, restored land to them and founded the “La Fundación Instituto Indígena” (Institute for Indigenous Development).

However, after General Augusto Pinochet's military coup on September 11, 1973, Law 17.729 was repealed. 80% of the lands previously owned by indigenous peoples became the property of large landowners. Law No. 2568 of 1979 led to the collective expropriation of the indigenous peoples and the dismantling of all cultural, social, political and economic structures. Pinochet affirmed his actions by saying: “There are no indigenous people, we are all Chileans!” With which he publicly denied the indigenous people their right to their own culture.

After 54.6% of Chileans spoke out against the military dictatorship in a plebiscite in October 1988, the Mapuche signed the Nueva Imperial agreement in 1989 with the presidential candidate of the democratic parties Patricio Aylwin Azócar , under which the law known as "Ley Indigena" was signed No. 19253 was passed. This law should improve the situation of the indigenous people in Chile. A central component was the founding of the "Corporación Nacional de Desarrollo Indigena" CONADI (National Society for the Development of the Aborigines), which so far has not achieved any fundamental success because the attitude of the governments towards the indigenous people changed little even after the dictatorship.

Organizations

The most important organizations of the Mapuche movement are the “Consejo Todas las Tierras”, the “Coordinadora de Comunidades en Conflicto de Arauco-Malleco” and various “Identidades Territoriales”. While the Consejo has largely distanced itself from confrontational actions in order to enforce its demands for political-territorial autonomy under the direction of the traditional leaders, the Coordinadora, as the most radical Mapuche organization, relies on full confrontation with the state. Furthermore, various "Identidades Territoriales" try to win autonomous spaces for themselves with a mixture of negotiations and confrontation. In addition, there are national organizations such as the “Coordinadora Nacional Indianista” (CONACIN), as well as the “Confederación Multicultural de Pueblos Originarios” (CMPO), which operates mainly in northern Chile, and campaigns for the interests and rights of all indigenous people in Chile.

aims

The overarching goal of the Mapuche is the struggle for recognition, which is presented on two levels: On the one hand, they are concerned with cultural recognition, and on the other hand, they fight against the socio-economic disadvantage they suffer from mega-projects such as the construction of a dam on the Bío-Bío who learn about forest industry activities in their territories. A current goal is the release of imprisoned indigenous people. They were arrested in connection with the 1997 riots. The legal basis was the reactivation of the “anti-terror” law from the dictatorship era.

medium

In the past, the Mapuche generally refrained from violent actions in order to enforce their demands. Only at the end of the 1990s did some Mapuche activists riot, for example in December 1997 in southern Chile. Clashes with the Chilean police broke out there when Mapuche officials blocked roads and set fire to forest company trucks to protest the clearing of natural forests. Usually the Mapuche try to support their demands through protest marches such as in June 1999 from Temuco to Valparaíso , or the protest step to Concepción in October 1999, as well as through rallies in their own radio and television stations. In order to assert their interests, the Mapuche also resort to lobbying, dialogue with the government in negotiations through individual Mapuche organizations (such as the Consejo) and the filling of political offices at the local level.

Networks

Permanent, national network-like relationships are not to be found among the Chilean indigenous peoples. As a rule, project-related contacts with national and international organizations are established if necessary. This can be observed at the national level in cooperation with other social movements. In the fight against the dictatorship, the Mapuche joined forces with other anti-dictatorial social movements. In some regions there is also close cooperation with representatives of the peasant movement due to the subsistence farming operated by the Mapuche . Such contacts also exist with the supranational NGO Manos Unidas (www.manosunidas.org) and with international organizations such as UNICEF . This takes over the patronage and the financing of indigenous congresses such as the Mapuche parliament, which was founded in 2003 as part of a Mapuche congress near Concepción.

Identity and Opposition Principles

The indigenous movement in Chile is predominantly composed homogeneously. As a rule, the relatives are indigenous people who exclusively represent their own interests. It should be noted that the identity principles vary depending on the tribe and region. One of the characteristics of the Mapuche people that creates their identity is, for example, their connection to the earth. In her opinion, it not only gives people a place to live, but also provides space for the rituals that are important to them. The Mapuche's sense of responsibility towards the earth arises from these thoughts. They feel obliged to work (farming) and to create a productive space from whose income they can live.

The capitalist development of southern Chile in 1883 meant a profound break with their way of life in many ways: The Mapuche were made into sedentary subsistence farmers who lived in small comunidades and now increasingly had to justify themselves to state institutions and define their identity.

The displeasure of the indigenous movement in Chile is directed against companies such as the energy group ENDESA , whose expansion plans pose a threat to the areas of the indigenous peoples (e.g. due to the dam project on the Bío-Bío river), but also against the exploitation of forests by cellulose companies and the Construction of new coastal roads, highways and polluting oil pipelines. The institutions of the Chilean state, which through the constitution of certain laws support the expansion of economically profitable corporations, degrade the status of the indigenous peoples and, in some cases, order the imprisonment of their spiritual and social leaders (lonkos) represent a core problem.

Results

The most important milestone in the struggle for the goals of the indigenous peoples was the "Ley Indigena" law of 1993. This point in time marks the so-called "Nuevo Indigenismo" ("New Indigenism"). However, the measures set out in it have only been partially implemented to date. From the Mapuche's point of view, the Nueva Imperial agreement failed. The establishment of indigenous radio and television stations and the construction of autonomous indigenous schools are among the positive achievements. Another problem is that the Chilean constitution differs significantly from the other South American constitutions, as it does not give the indigenous peoples a special position. That is why the Mapuche parliament is fighting for constitutional recognition of the Mapuche people by the Chilean government and the country's political parties. In addition, the signing of the ILO 169 convention should be required of the Chilean state. Instead, any attempt at social resistance by indigenous peoples is criminalized and results in legal proceedings in which the accused must answer on the basis of the "anti-terror law". The application of this law has resulted in high costs, many injuries and numerous arrests. Another problem arises in the context of the territorial disputes. The negative attitude of the corporations and the government towards the indigenous people means that alternative projects put forward by the indigenous people to protect the environment are ignored and no agreement can be reached.

Web links

Instituto de Estudios Indigenas Universidad de la Frontera:

Dossiers of the Society for Threatened Peoples :

literature

  • Rolf Foerster : Introducción a la Religiosidad Mapuche . Santiago de Chile 1993
  • Rainer Lucht: We want to preserve our identity. Mapuche organization and its position in today's Chile. Hamburg 1999
  • Olaf Kaltmeier: Marichiweu! We'll win ten times! A reconstruction of the Mapuche movement in Chile from the dialectic of rule and resistance since the Conquista. Edition ITP-Kompass, Münster 2004
  • Olaf Kaltmeier: With the nation against the state? The Identity Politics of the Mapuche Movement in Chile. In: Oncoming Traffic - Social Movements in Global Capitalism. iz3w special issue 2001 pages: 26–28
  • Olaf Kaltmeier: Movements in space. Identity, territorialities and resistance of the Mapuche in Chile . In: Kaltmeier, Olaf; Kastner, Jens; Tuider, Elisabeth : Neoliberalism - Autonomy - Resistance Social Movements in Latin America. 2004
  • Markus Rudolf: There are still people who fight . The people (Che) of the country (Mapu) in southern Chile continue to fight for their land. Latin America News No. 366, December 2004