This site provides a brief overview of the ongoing Mapuche Resistance in Chile. It was created to amplify Mapuche voices by raising awareness of the Resistance and the many resulting challenges faced by Mapuche communities today.
I am a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Victoria who is passionate about Indigenous social and ecological justice. I am currently researching the ongoing conflict between the Mapuche Indigenous Peoples, who are fighting for their rights to land and autonomy, and the state of Chile, which continues to violently repress Mapuche resistance forces. I have created this site because I firmly believe that knowledge is power and that educating the public about a political cause is the most effective way to inspire mass action and lasting change.
Throughout this site, I use the term “Mapuche Resistance” when referring to what is more widely known as the “Mapuche Conflict.” In my view, the word ‘conflict’ does not reflect the uneven power dynamic between the oppressed Mapuche people and the oppressive Chilean state. I believe that ‘resistance’—defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “organized opposition to an invading, occupying, or ruling power”—more accurately represents the actions taken by the Mapuche as responses to oppression. In simpler terms, ‘conflict’ suggests ‘fighting,’ while ‘resistance’ implies ‘fighting back.’
Header image source: Esteban Ignacio, 2012 via Flickr.