Struggling for convivencia

by Rebecca West

An image from a protest held against police violence against the Mapuche in Santiago held October 23, 2009.

Picture source: http://www.ourwar.org/wp-content/woo_custom/184-Marcha_Mapuche_Centro.jpg

A protester holds the Mapuche flag.

Picture source: http://www.ourwar.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Mitin-contra-la-represion-a-los-mapuche-3.jpg

Equal rights for indigenous people has been an issue that has garnered massive support and attention in Latin America and many advances have been made thanks to the Medellín Conference of Latin American Bishops (1968), the Barbados Conference of the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (1971), and movements spearheaded by the Catholic Church, anthropologists, and other concerned individuals. However, serious inequalities still exist in Chile. Even with their impressive policies of democratization that have been implemented since the end of Pinochet’s regime, repression still exists in the communities of the Mapuche people in the south of Chile.

The Chilean government preaches the ideal of convivencia, people living together in peace, but they have yet to make that a reality for the Mapuche. In the 1990s issues began to spring up when the government’s economic goals began to infringe on indigenous rights. Investors who sought to take part in exporting timber and hydroelectric projects clashed with Mapuche groups who were trying to (re)claim their rights to the land. A vocal movement of Mapuches called for better treatment and compensation for injustices remaining from the Pinochet era that inspired former President Aylwin to implement pro-indigenous policies. These encouraged respect for Mapuche land (including restitution and protection) and established a Special Commission of Indigenous Peoples to create a new Indigenous Law, which was passed in 1993. However, this legislation was clearly not strong (or strongly enforced enough) and the Mapuches continue to struggle against the Chilean government.

From the late 1990s onward the Mapuches have been active protestors against continuing work in their forests that has resulted in loss of indigenous land and water. Protests were generally non-violent, but President Lagos returned to outdated antiterrorism laws left over from Pinochet’s regime to criminalize what should be a political issue. Police violence has escalated in recent years, culminating in 2008 when a young student activist was shot and killed amidst other protests against torture and mistreatment by the police. As pictured above, police violence against the Mapuche and those advocating for their rights continues to rage on today.

From a personal standpoint, indigenous rights are an issue that needs to be taken up more seriously and actively by the Chilean government. Guidelines for equality for indigenous peoples are clearly outlined by many different groups over a long period of time. The most important of these are the protection and promotion of indigenous culture and land, as well as respect for and understanding of indigenous beliefs and practices. For a country that fought so hard for freedom from decades of dictatorship and violations of the most basic human rights, there should be equal empathy for the Mapuche, who in some ways still live in an environment that is as repressive as the Pinochet days. I believe that Chile has taken some very important steps toward establishing an environment of convivencia with the Mapuche people but there is clearly not enough support for this issue in Chile today. This issue is not just a Chilean one, however, and I believe that in Latin America and the rest of the world, activists need to fight for equality for everyone and hold true to our ideals of respect and freedom.

Sources cited:

1. Cleary, Edward. Mobilizing for Human Rights in Latin America. N.p.: Kumarian Press, 2007. 51-59

2. Stern, Steven J. Reckoning with Pinochet: The Memory Question in Democratic Chile, 1989-2006. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2010. 206-346. The Memory Box of Pinochet's Chile. Ser. 3. Print