How many Mapuches are in Chile?
The Mapuche today Some 1.5 million Mapuche live in Chile with an additional 200,000 living in Argentina. The Mapuche, like many indigenous groups around the world, are in constant demand for the return of their ancestral land.
Where did the Mapuche people come from?
The Mapuche are considered the direct descendants of the ancient pre-Hispanic cultures of Pitrén (100 – 1100 CE) and El Vergel (1100 – 1450 CE) that inhabited the lands between the Bío Bío Rover and Reloncaví Sound.
Are all Chileans Mapuche?
The Mapuche make up about 12% of Chile's population and are by far its largest indigenous group.
What language do Mapuche speak?
Araucanian languageMapuche (/məˈputʃi/, Mapuche & Spanish: [maˈputʃe], or Mapudungun; from mapu 'land' and dungun 'speak, speech') is an Araucanian language related to Huilliche spoken in south-central Chile and west central Argentina by the Mapuche people (from mapu 'land' and che 'people').
Are Mapuche tall?
Results: Among males, the mean height was 166.6+/-7.3 cm and among females, the figure was 153.6+/-5.9 cm. Mapuche subjects were significantly shorter: -3.2 cm (95% Confidence Interval (CI) -4.0 to -2.3) among females and -4.8 cm (CI -6.0 to -3.6) among males (non adjusted models).
What do the Mapuche believe?
The religious beliefs of the Mapuche are primarily based on spirit worship of ancestors (mythical or real), and spirits, and elements of nature. These spirits do not correspond to “deities”, as is commonly understood in the Western world.
What are the Mapuche fighting for?
Mapuche activists demand greater autonomy, recognition of rights, and the return of historical lands.
What happened to the Mapuches?
Between 1861 and 1883 the Republic of Chile conducted a series of campaigns that ended Mapuche independence causing the death of thousands of Mapuche through combat, pillaging, starvation and smallpox epidemics. Argentina conducted similar campaigns on the eastern side of the Andes in the 1870s.
What are indigenous Chileans called?
There are 10 different indigenous groups in Chile. The largest one is Mapuche, followed by the Aymara, the Diaguita, the Lickanantay, and the Quechua peoples. Chile is the only country in Latin America that does not recognise the indigenous peoples in its constitution.
What does Mapuche mean in Spanish?
The Mapuche are an indigenous people living in south-central Chile and Argentina along the Andes Mountain range, with the Bio-Bio River as a northern border. The name “Mapuche” is composed of two parts: “Mapu”, which means land; and “che”, which means people.
What is the Mapuche culture?
The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of Southern Chile and Argentina, including Patagonia. When the Spanish arrived in the 18th century, they lived in fertile valleys as hunter gatherers, maintaining a culture which is said to have prevailed since 500 BC.
How do you pronounce Mapuche?
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When did the Mapuche originate?
As an archaeological culture, the Mapuche people of southern Chile and Argentina have a long history which dates back to 600–500 BC. The Mapuche society underwent great transformations after Spanish contact in the mid–16th century.
Who are the Mapuche natives?
Mapuche, the most numerous group of Indians in South America. They numbered more than 1,400,000 at the turn of the 21st century. Most inhabit the Central Valley of Chile, south of the Biobío River. A smaller group lives in Neuquén provincia, west-central Argentina.
Where did Chile people come from?
The Chileans are ethnically a mixture of Europeans and Indians. The first miscegenation occurred during the 16th and 17th centuries between the Indigenous tribes, including the Atacameños, Diaguitas, Picunches, Araucanians (Mapuches), Huilliches, Pehuenches, and Cuncos, and the conquistadores from Spain.
Who were the first inhabitants of Chile?
About 10,000 years ago, migrating Native Americans settled in the fertile valleys and coastal areas of what is present-day Chile. Pre-Hispanic Chile was home to over a dozen different Amerindian societies.
What did the Mapuche do?
The Mapuche cultivated corn (maize), beans, squash, potatoes, chili peppers, and other vegetables and fished, hunted, and kept guinea pigs for meat. They kept llamas as pack animals and as a source of wool. A man’s wealth was reckoned in terms of the size of his llama herd.
When did Mapuche lose their land?
In the early 1980s, the Chilean government transferred ownership of reservation land to individual Mapuche, who now stand to lose their property and their means of livelihood if they are unable to repay debts.
What did the Mapuche people eat?
The Mapuche cultivated corn (maize), beans, squash, potatoes, chili peppers, and other vegetables and fished, hunted, and kept guinea pig s for meat. They kept llamas as pack animals and as a source of wool.
When did Mapuche land become a reservation?
In the 1800s, after Chile became independent of Spain, the Chilean government settled the Mapuche on reservations. For more than 100 years, the Mapuche held and farmed the reservation land collectively, and individual Mapuche could not lose their land to creditors. In the early 1980s, the Chilean government transferred ownership of reservation land to individual Mapuche, who now stand to lose their property and their means of livelihood if they are unable to repay debts. Since the Mapuche have never practiced a highly intensive or productive form of agriculture, they are often forced to go into debt for agricultural supplies and crop seeds.
Where do shamans place their objects?
The shaman places various objects inside the body of the kultrún, such as small rocks, feathers, or healing herbs,…. witchcraft: Witchcraft in Africa and the world. …also be found among the Mapuche, an indigenous people of Chile.
Did Mapuche practice agriculture?
Since the Mapuche have never practiced a highly intensive or productive form of agriculture, they are often forced to go into debt for agricultural supplies and crop seeds. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Subscribe Now.
Where do Mapuche live?
The Mapuche (people of the land in Mapudungun) have historically inhabited the valleys of Central and Southern Chile and Southern Argentina. During colonial times, the Spaniards knew the Mapuche as Araucanos (Araucanians in English), term that is now considered pejorative. The Mapuche are a diverse ethnicity composed of various groups that share a common social, religious, and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Each group has a distinctive name regarding the region they live in. It is believed that Mapuches first inhabited the valleys between the Itata and Toltén Rivers in Chile. In the early 15th century, Mapuches fought the Inca invaders from Peru, stopping the expansion of the Inca Empire toward the south. After the arrival of the Spaniards, Mapuches began expanding eastward into the Andes and pampas forming, with the native people, the Pehuenche (people of the Pehuén, the Araucaria's fruit).
What were Mapuches known for?
Even though the Picunche (people of the north), who lived in the farming areas of Chile's Central Valley between the Aconcagua and Bío Bío rivers, were relatively peaceful, were easily overcome by the Incas, and then subdued and assimilated by the Spaniards in the 17th century, Mapuches established a reputation as fierce warriors who bravely defended their lands and their way of life. The Huilliche (people of the south) continued to resist the Spaniards in the so-called War of Arauco, answering to no central authority and choosing leaders only for the specific purpose of waging their wars of resistance. One of the main geographical boundaries was the Bío-Bío River, which Mapuches used as a natural barrier to Spanish incursion for 300 years.
Why do Mapuche organizations burn property?
Following their historical warrior skills, Mapuche organizations have occupied part of the land they claim and burnt private property in it, in order to assert their legitimate ownership over ancestral territory. The state has often resorted to repression and incarceration of Mapuches. The majority of them have been labeled as terrorists and charged under the Anti-Terrorist Law that was designed during the dictatorship to repress the opposition. This has motivated Mapuche organizations to demand justice through the United Nations.
What language do Mapuche speak?
Even though the majority of Mapuches speak Spanish, they continue to communicate with each other in Mapudungun, their ancestral language, which also survives in many place names: quen means "place," as in the town of Vichuquen, while che means "people," and mapu means "land." Mapuche, therefore, translates as "people of the land." In times of war Mapuches used to choose a leader who was called toqui, while in peacetime their leader was called ulmen. Choosing people to perform certain tasks because of their abilities was the Mapuche's principal strength. For instance, messengers, called huerquenes, were chosen because of their excellent memory.
Why was the ability to develop endurance highly prized by the Mapuche?
This "indifference" noted by Europeans is revealing: it is quite possible that the traditional cultural standards of the Mapuche and the adverse circumstances of their more recent history demanded a stoic outlook, and that the ability to develop endurance was highly prized by the Mapuche themselves because it was, in part, a necessary survival tactic as well as a virtue. Their seeming indifference has been a victory of character over circumstance, rather than a curious lack of sensitivity.
Where are the Mapuche crafts fairs held?
There are several important craft fairs in Chile that display Mapuche arts and crafts. One of these is the annual cultural fair in the town of Villarica on the Chilean mainland.
Can a stranger come with another Mapuche?
The formality of a greeting is well-regulated, but a stranger can only come into a traditional Mapuche environment with the utmost care: strangers who come with another Mapuche may be welcomed with elaborate feasting and great hospitality, but those who come alone could just as easily be met with hostility and silence.
What are the Mapuche?
By the 16th century, the Mapuche were a sedentary people based on extended family units with local chiefs and no centralized authority, only coming together for social and religious events (Smeets, 2008). During the Spanish colonization period, they reorganized their way of life, becoming nomadic, to resist them (Britannica, 2020) In fact, they were the only Indigenous people to have their sovereignty recognized by the Spanish Crown (Ray et al, 2007). Despite this recognition, the Spanish continued to attempt to annex them for three centuries and the Mapuche had to use their bravery, resilience and defiance to fight against them. (Smeets, 2008 & Ray et al, 2007).
What is the relationship between Mapuche and the Earth?
The Mapuche have a close relationship with the earth, a fact signaled by the translation of the word Mapucheitself, meaning people of the land in Mapudungun (Ray et al, 2007). The gathering of wild plants for consumption is popular among rural Mapuche.
Who wrote Mapuche grammar?
Smeets, I. (2008). A Grammar of Mapuche (1st ed.). Walter de Gruyter.
What was the goal of Pinochet's regime in Chile?
Many hardships befell the Mapuche during the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in Chile. In order to eradicate national poverty , the government’s strategy was to pressure poor families, which includes a large percentage of the Mapuche population, to put their children up for international adoption. The climate of violence that existed and nurtured during this period in Chilean history by the regime, known for ordering the deaths of his opponents, stopped women from resisting (Nelsen, 2021).
Where is the Mapuche Nation located?
INTRODUCTION. The Mapuche nation is situated in what is known as the Southern Cone of South America, in the area now occupied by the Argentine and Chilean states. In Chile the Mapuche live mainly in the provinces of Bio-Bio, Arauco, Malleco, Cautin, Valdivia, Osorno, Llanquihue and Chiloe.
What are the territories of Mapuche?
The Mapuche nation is situated in its historical ancestral territory, the Wall-Mapu: Wall; universe, Mapu; land/territory. Mapuche territorial entities are arranged along geographical lines in the following way: Puel mapu: the eastern lands (Pampa and Patagonia of Argentina), the territorial space of the Puelche. Pikun-mapu: the northern lands, the territorial space of the pikunche. Willi mapu: the southern lands, the territorial space of the williche. Pewen mapu: the land of the pewen (araucaria imbricata), the territorial space of the pewenche. Lafken mapu: the land of the sea, the territorial space of the lafkenche. Nag mapu: the land of the plains, the territorial space of the nagche. Wente mapu: the land of the valleys, the territorial space of the wenteche. In line with their territorial origin the Mapuche define themselves as: Puelche: people of the east; Pikunche; people of the north; Williche: people of the south; Pewenche: people of the pewen; Lafkenche: people of the sea, Nagche: people of the plains; or Wenteche: people of the valleys.
How many Mapuche were killed?
Between 1860-1885, as a result of a joint military campaign in the Southern Cone, known as the "Pacification of Araucania" in Chile, and the "Conquest of the Desert" in Argentina, around 100,000 Mapuche were cruelly massacred.
What are the names of the Mapuche people?
In line with their territorial origin the Mapuche define themselves as: Puelche: people of the east; Pikunche; people of the north; Williche: people of the south; Pewenche: people of the pewen; Lafkenche: people of the sea, Nagche: people of the plains; or Went eche: people of the valleys.
What treaty did the Mapuche sign?
The signing of the treaty of Killin, in addition to the 28 subsequent treaties signed with the Mapuche nation during two centuries of diplomatic relations, makes the Mapuche stand out in the history of the indigenous peoples of South America.
How many regions are there in Mapuche?
The traditional political structure of the Mapuche people is reproduced within the structure of the Mapuche territorial entity. It is organised into four geographical regions or Meli wixan-mapu. Each wixan-mapu is made up of aylla rewe (eight districts) which, in turn, are made up of communities known as lof.
When did the Mapuche nation get autonomy?
On the 6th January 1641 the Mapuche nation and the Spanish Empire concluded and signed the treaty of Killin, in which the Spanish Crown recognised the territorial autonomy of the Mapuche nation.
Where is Mapuche located?
The name Mapuche encompasses several different indigenous groups inhabiting southern Chile and Argentina, each sharing the Mapudungun language, along with many customs and traditions. The heartland of the Mapuche rests between the Itata and Toltén rivers, in Chile’s south-central zone.
What were the Mapuche known for?
In addition to their textile production, the Mapuche were also known for their metalwork and in the mid-18th century, many Mapuche started to produce silver finery. Mapuche Chueca Alonso Ovalle - Public Domain.
What happened to the Mapuche people?
During this occupation, famine and disease hit the Mapuche people hard and the population dropped sharply. Many Mapuche were forced off their land. As adapting to Chilean society became a matter of life and death, the Mapuche were forced to incorporate themselves into this young South American nation. Instagram.
What is Mapuche culture?
Cultural practices. In the native language Mapudungun, ‘Mapuche’ translates to ‘people of the earth’. As their name would suggest, many Mapuche practices and beliefs are deeply connected to the natural world and the Mapuche’s ancestral land. Healing ceremonies and the use of Mapuche herbal medicine, for example, are two common cultural practices. ...
Why are Mapuche important?
As the Mapuche continue their struggle to preserve cultural traditions, it’s important to recognise and respect this indigenous group for their customs, history and resistance.
What is Mapuche medicine?
The tradition of Mapuche medicine is one of the most visible aspects of the culture present in Chile today, used as both primary and alternative treatment to western medicine. The Mapuche also have a rich tradition of textiles, a practice that existed far before the Spanish conquest.
How did Mapuche die?
Although many Mapuche died from violence and disease, their attacks on Spanish forts and cities in southern Chile had some success.
Where did the Mapuche people live?
The Araucanian Mapuche inhabited the valleys between the Itata and Toltén rivers. South of there, the Huilliche and the Cunco lived as far south as the Chiloé Archipelago. In the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, Mapuche groups migrated eastward into the Andes and pampas, fusing, and establishing relationships with the Poya and Pehuenche. At about the same time, ethnic groups of the pampa regions, the Puelche, Ranquel, and northern Aonikenk, contacted Mapuche groups. The Tehuelche adopted the Mapuche language and some of their culture, in what came to be called Araucanization, during which Patagonia came under effective Mapuche suzerainty. Mapuche in the Spanish-ruled areas, especially the Picunche, mingled with Spanish during the colonial period, forming a mestizo population that lost its indigenous identity.
Where did the Mapuche come from?
Archaeological finds show that Mapuche culture existed in Chile and Argentina as early as 600 to 500 BC. Genetically the Mapuche differs from the adjacent indigenous peoples of Patagonia. The Mapuche traditional economy is based on agriculture; their traditional social organization consists of extended families, under the direction of a lonko or chief.
What did the Mapuche do in times of war?
In times of war, the Mapuche would unite in larger groupings and elect a Toki (meaning "ax" or "ax-bearer") to lead them. Mapuche material culture is known for its textiles and silverwork. Groups of the Inca Empire reached the Maule River and had a battle with the Mapuche between the Maule and the Itata Rivers. The southern border of the Inca Empire is believed by most modern scholars to have been situated between Santiago and the Maipo River, or somewhere between Santiago and the Maule River.
How did Mapuche escape the Incas?
The Mapuche escaped Inca rule. Through their contact with Incan invaders, Mapuches would have for the first time met people with the state organization. Their contact with the Incas gave them a collective awareness distinguishing between them and the invaders and uniting them into loose geo-political units despite their lack of state organization. When the first Spaniards invaded Chile the largest indigenous population concentration was in the area spanning from Itata River to Chiloé Island, the Mapuche heartland. The Mapuche population between Itata River and Reloncaví Sound was estimated at 705,000–900,000 in the mid-sixteenth century by historian José Bengoa.
Introduction
Location and Homeland
- Mapuches have historically inhabited a small region in Southern Chile and Argentina. After Mapuches in Chile were defeated and incorporated into the national project, they were forced to settle in reducciones, a land-tenancy scheme similar to North American reservation systems, many of them in the Araucanía Region, in the vicinity of towns such as ...
Language
- Even though the majority of Mapuches speak Spanish, they continue to communicate with each other in Mapudungun, their ancestral language, which also survives in many place names: quen means "place," as in the town of Vichuquen, while che means "people," and mapu means "land." Mapuche, therefore, translates as "people of the land." In times of war Mapuches used to choos…
Folklore
- The greatest hero in Mapuche folklore is the toqui called Lautaro, who was chosen to do battle against the Spanish invaders. While a captive of the Spaniards, Lautaro acquired important advantages with which to fight the invaders. He was trained as Pedro de Valdivia's page and learned Spanish and military strategies. After escaping from the enemy's camps, he developed o…
Religion
- Mapuches believe in the forces of creation (Ngenechen) and destruction (Wakufu)and the ultimate balance between them. When the Spaniards arrived they were perceived as an expression of Wakufu because of the zeal with which they finally drove the Mapuche from their lands and forced them to pay tribute to the Spanish crown, and the impoverishment and threat t…
Major Holidays
- Mapuches who live in cities and have joined the urban poor celebrate the major Chilean national holidays together with the rest of the population. In contrast, Mapuches who live in reservations have maintained some of their own celebrations, which do not have a strictly secular character, since the Mapuche do not divide the material from the spiritual. One of the best-known festivals …
Rites of Passage
- Traditional Mapuche family celebrations are large, since each chieftain can have many wives and many children, and gatherings for major occasions such as a birth or a wedding will also include brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. All major life events, such as birth, puberty, marriage, and death, are marked in special ceremonies among the Mapuche. Important …
Interpersonal Relations
- The formality of a greeting is well-regulated, but a stranger can only come into a traditional Mapuche environment with the utmost care: strangers who come with another Mapuche may be welcomed with elaborate feasting and great hospitality, but those who come alone could just as easily be met with hostility and silence. There is a formal structuregoverning Mapuche society, …
Living Conditions
- The Mapuche have tried to preserve and defend their way of life for centuries, but their less-than-happy encounters with the Spaniards and their descendants have left them in a condition of poverty. Some Mapuche continue to live in a fairly traditional style, but many have migrated as poor workers to towns where they share the lot of other urban workers as pobladoresin shantyto…
Family Life
- The Mapuche that still live in reducciones have tried to maintain traditional family group structures, which include the extended family unit and a clan-like structure with a chief. The various Mapuche chiefs get together in the traditional way to arrive at important decisions by a process of lengthy discussion and consensus. This collective spirit traditionally ensured that lan…