Chile's Indigenous Mapuche At…“War”
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PK-19 THE AMERICAS Peter Keller is a Forest & Society Fellow of the Institute, studying and writing about national ICWA and private parks in Chile and Argentina. Chile’s Indigenous LETTERS Mapuche at…“War” Since 1925 the Institute of By Peter Keller Current World Affairs (the Crane- Rogers Foundation) has provided “Viva La Guerra Nación Mapuche!” long-term fellowships to enable outstanding young professionals —Spray-painted on a bus stop shelter in Nueva Imperial, Chile to live outside the United States and write about international NOVEMBER 2000 areas and issues. An exempt TEMUCO, Chile–Something is out of place. Spray-painted graffiti on bus stops and buildings support a continuing war by the Mapuche Nation. Meanwhile, the operating foundation endowed by drowsy community of Nueva Imperial (pop. 12,000) continues its daily zombie the late Charles R. Crane, the procession — buying bread, going to work, having lunch at home, evening walks Institute is also supported by around the plaza and watching TV soap operas. With such a tranquil setting, contributions from like-minded maybe the war passed through town without stopping. Maybe only a few people individuals and foundations. care. Perhaps it went underground. Moreover, what’s the war for? I am a Winka, and more than likely you are too. Anyone not Mapuche is TRUSTEES considered a Winka. However, one doesn’t have to be Mapuche to understand the Joseph Battat fight for recouping ancestral lands, maintaining cultural traditions and the desire Mary Lynne Bird for autonomy. After well over a year in Chile observing the Mapuche struggle, Steven Butler and having touched upon indigenous themes in several newsletters, I decided to William F. Foote dedicate the month of November to examining the issue more closely. What fol- Kitty Hempstone lows is an account of insights on the state of Mapuche land conflicts, culture and Pramila Jayapal self-governance issues. Peter Bird Martin Ann Mische “Indigenous Communities at the Brink of War.” Dasa Obereigner Paul A. Rahe – El Diario Austral. November 9, 2001. Front-page headline Carol Rose Chandler Rosenberger “Brothers unite to recoup land and the right to bread.” John Spencer Edmund Sutton – More graffiti in Nueva Imperial Dirk J. Vandewalle The Mapuche people are one of eight distinct indigenous communities in 1 HONORARY TRUSTEES Chile. However, they make up 93 percent of Chile’s indigenous population. Ac- David Elliot cording to the last census in 1992, nearly one million Mapuches resided in Chile 2 David Hapgood — a country of 11 million at that time. Mapuche ancestral territory includes land Pat M. Holt from the Biobio River south to the Island of Chiloe. Edwin S. Munger Richard H. Nolte The word Mapuche means “people of the land” in Mapudungun, the Mapu- Albert Ravenholt che language. The Pehuenche, Hilliche, Puelche and Lafquenche indigenous Phillips Talbot groups are all included under the broad term Pueblo Mapuche. ‘Pacification of the Araucanía’ (as Spanish colonizers referred to Mapuches) Institute of Current World Affairs The Crane-Rogers Foundation 1 The other indigenous communities include Aimara, Rapa Nui, Atacameñas, Quechuas, Four West Wheelock Street Collas, Kawashkar and Yámana. La Ley Indígena, No. 19,253, Article 1, 1993. Hanover, New Hampshire 03755 U.S.A. 2 Currently, the population of Chile is around 15 million. In 1992, nearly 80% of the Mapu- che population lived in cities, with 40% of that total based in Santiago. Another census will be conducted in 2002. was a slow process that spanned two and half centuries until 1850. Up to that point, Mapuche communities occupied a vast territory, living within sedentary fishing and agriculture family- clans along the coast and nomadic pastoral fami- lies toward the Andes. As the Conquistadors made attempts to pacify them, Mapuches quickly learned new war tech- niques to defend their land. Mapuches are con- sidered the inventors of mounted infantry with two riders per horse — one at the reins and the other fighting. They held their ground even as a new Chilean Republic developed its constitu- tion in 1822, stating all lands south to Cape Horn were part of Chile. Beginning in 1850, the Chilean government in- vited foreigners to help settle the land south of the Biobio River. Ger- mans were first to arrive, followed by the Swiss, French and British. Over the next 40 years the colo- nists were successful in occupying Mapuche territory and tained legal control of the recovered land. These lands were developing farms and ranches. By the 1900s, colonization not legally constituted as indigenous property, which was in full swing by Chileans and foreigners, incorporat- proved to be a costly move for the Mapuche community ing Mapuche territory into the country’s political economy.3 when a military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet be- gan on September 11, 1973. Demands by Mapuches to recover ancestral lands were largely ignored until the 1960s, when several agrarian-re- Under Pinochet, agrarian reform became contra-reform form laws were enacted. Interestingly enough, the reforms and CORA-held lands were privatized. Led by National were put in place for campesinos (the rural economic lower Forestry Corporation (Conaf) Director Julio Ponce Leruo, class) at the national and regional level that were perma- Pinochet’s son-in-law, lands were auctioned to the highest nent workers on fundos (farms) that dotted the country- bidder. Much of the lands that corresponded to Mapuche side. Nonetheless, indigenous farm workers saw this as a control in the Provinces of Arauco, Malleco and Cautín (po- chance to recover lands usurped over the last century. litical subdivisions within Regions) were auctioned in fa- Agrarian reforms resulted in the expropriation of 710,816 vor of forestry companies such as Mininco, Forestal Arauco hectares within 584 properties.4 However, not all were re- and Crecex — the same companies that are at the center of turned to Mapuche communities; cooperatives received current-day Mapuche land conflicts. In 1974, Decree num- some of the lands. The Chilean agency in charge of the re- ber 701 was enacted, a forestry law that promoted the ex- form process, Corporación de Reforma Agraria (CORA), main- pansion of plantations by subsidizing 75 percent of costs 3 “Estudio sobre Tierras Indígenas de La Araucania: Antecedentes Historico Legislativos (1850-1920).” José Aylwin. 1995. Instituto de Estudios Indígenas, Universidad de la Frontera. 4 “Comunidades Mapuche y Empresas Forestales: Tierras, Bosques y Conflictos.” Raúl Molina Otárola. In Pueblo Mapuche: Desarrollo y Autogestión. 2000. 2 PK-19 for each hectare planted in trees. Much of these auctioned damage or injuries were reported. Mapuche lands were well-suited for fast-growing eucalyp- tus and Monterey pine. Forestry companies quickly used One remedy has been for the government to purchase state subsidies to plant newly acquired lands with these private lands and transfer them to Mapuche communities. non-native trees, creating in effect a monoculture crop des- The current indigenous law, passed in 1993, created a Land tined for use as pulp and lumber in national and interna- and Water Fund to purchase these lands in conflict. Thou- tional markets. sands of hectares have been bought from forestry compa- nies, but the price per hectare continues to rise — doubling In 1979, Mapuches suffered another setback in the form between 1994 and 1997 — lessening the purchasing power of Decree 2568, which divided Mapuche community lands of the Fund. It seems that some sellers are making a profit into small, individual plots. The Decree, supported by the from public funds by raising prices when selling their Catholic Church and the Temuco Bishop, created an envi- property.7 ronment where these small parcels were more susceptible to being sold (to raise capital), often to non-Mapuche buy- Most lands recovered have not come from forestry com- ers. The result, intended or unintended, changed the social panies, but from the National Property Office. Over 55,000 composition of Mapuche communities that had land from hectares have been transferred from the government to landowners to tenants, from rural existences to urban dwell- Mapuche communities. However, some state lands within ers and from providers to receivers. By the end of military ancestral Mapuche territory have been designated national rule in 1989, Mapuche groups re-ignited the fight to take parks or national reserves, such as the Chiloé National Park. back usurped lands, thus beginning a new stage of the Ma- While I am an obvious supporter of national parks, I real- puche “war.” ize they are not always the best answer in certain situa- tions and should not be applied at all in others. One particular group, El Consejo de Todas Las Tierras has been leading in the fight to regain Mapuche lands. “We’ve One day on a hike with Esteban Domihual, a Mapuche been successful in getting back nearly 6,000 hectares from youth from the Mapuche village of Icalma near the Argen- forestry companies,” Consejo activist José Naín told me dur- tine border in Chile’s Ninth Region, I was reminded of this ing a visit to his Temuco office. Surprisingly, when I asked principle. After a 20-minute drive and an hour hike to the him how much land still needed to be recouped; he had no summit of the Andes, only about 1,500 meters above sea answer, and no idea of the number of hectares remaining. level in these parts, we reached the area where he collects pine nuts from Araucaria trees, also known as pehuen. From Currently, Mapuche communities near Lumaco are or- our vantage point we looked down at alpine lakes on the ganizing protests to take over the 566-hectare Fundo El Argentine side of the border and could see distant prairies.