Political Violence Against the Mapuche in Chile, 1850-1929
Journal of Historical Archaeology & Anthropological Sciences Review Article Open Access Political violence against the Mapuche in Chile, 1850-1929 Abstract Volume 3 Issue 6 - 2018 This article offers a comparative and historical perspective on political violence exercised against the Mapuche people of the Araucanía region in Chile. We consider Jorge Iván Vergara,1 Héctor Mellado2 two historical periods: the occupation (1850-1883), and the land-granting or radicación 1Academic Researcher, University of Concepción, Chile period (1884-1929). For each, we identify and compare the forms of violence and 2Mapuche Historian, Project assistant, University of Concepción, those responsible: namely, the Chilean State and para-state agents. During the Chile occupation, the conquest of territory predominated, primarily exercised by soldiers or the civil guard. In the land-granting period, political violence included eviction and Correspondence: Jorge Iván Vergara, Academic Researcher, the seizure of lands and resources, with the police and settlers being the main actors. University of Concepción, Chile, In both cases, political and judicial authorities shared responsibility. Violence against Email the Mapuche did not end in 1929, but continued at different levels and in different forms. Delineating the historical context of the violence, however, allows for a better Received: August 11, 2018 | Published: December 12, 2018 understanding of the relationship between the Chilean State and the Mapuche today. Keywords: Chile, Mapuche, Araucanía, political violence, radicación Introduction of Mapuche territory. Later, Villalobos nuances this position, stating: “although the 1880-1881 uprising was at moments tough, it wasn’t a Violence exercised by state and para-state agents against the daunting rebellion, but mostly made of fancy words, talks, fears and 1 Mapuche Indians of the Araucanía, the main indigenous group threats”.3 in Chile, has a long history.
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