Lidia Cristina González Calderón (born 1967) is a Yaghan (or ''Yámana'') politician in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. González is a former city council member in

Cabo de Hornos Cape Horn ( es, Cabo de Hornos, ) is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island. Although not the most southerly point of South America (which are the Diego Ramírez ...

and previously served at the helm of the National Corporation for Indigenous Development (CONADI) in

Antártica Chilena Province Antártica Chilena Province ( es, Provincia Antártica Chilena) is the southernmost and one of four provinces in Chile's southernmost region, Magallanes and Antártica Chilena Region (XII). The capital is Puerto Williams. The province comprises t ...

. In 2021, González was

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...

to represent the Yaghan nation in the

Chilean Constitutional Convention The Constitutional Convention () was the constituent body of the Republic of Chile in charge of drafting a new Political Constitution of the Republic after the approval of the national plebiscite held in October 2020. Its creation and regulatio ...

, which grants the indigenous nation a reserved seat. González is the daughter of

Cristina Calderón Cristina Calderón Harban (24 May 1928 – 16 February 2022) was a Chilean ethnographer, craftswoman, writer and cultural activist who was the last living full-blooded Yaghan person after the death of her 84-year-old sister Úrsula in 2005. By ...

, who was the last living full-blooded Yaghan person from 2005 until her death in 2022.

Early life and background

González was born in 1967 in

Puerto Montt Puerto Montt (Mapuche: Meli Pulli) is a port city and commune in southern Chile, located at the northern end of the Reloncaví Sound in the Llanquihue Province, Los Lagos Region, 1,055 km to the south of the capital, Santiago. The commune spa ...

Los Lagos Region Los Lagos Region ( es, Región de Los Lagos , ''Region of the Lakes'') is one of Chile's 16 regions, which are first order administrative divisions, and comprises four provinces: Chiloé, Llanquihue, Osorno and Palena. The region contains ...

and Teodosio González, the youngest of ten daughters. She moved with her parents to Cabo de Hornos as a child, and attended a

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

to receive her education. Calderón has stated she suffered discrimination for her

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

background from an early age, and as an adult would be inspired to learn traditional Yaghan

basketry Basket weaving (also basketry or basket making) is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into three-dimensional artifacts, such as baskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets ...

. In 1996, González formed the "Ukika Family Ethnic Garden" in

Puerto Williams Puerto Williams (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Port Williams") is the city, port and naval base on Navarino Island in Chile. It faces the Beagle Channel. It is the Capital city, capital of Antártica Chilena Province, the Chilean Antarctic Prov ...

Magallanes Region The Magallanes Region (), officially the Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region ( es, Región de Magallanes y de la Antártica Chilena), is one of Chile's 16 first order administrative divisions. It is the southernmost, largest, and second lea ...

Political career

In 2008, González mounted a candidacy to serve as a city councilmember in

. González ran as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

with the support of the centre-left

Concertación The Concertación, officially the Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia ( en, Coalition of Parties for Democracy), was a coalition of center-left political parties in Chile, founded in 1988. Presidential candidates under its banner won ...

alliance, and was elected with 7.62% of votes cast. Following her election, González became the first member of the Yaghan nation to hold elected office in Chile. In 2012, González stood for reelection and was returned to office after receiving 4.95% of votes cast. Beginning in 2012, González would work in the Office for the Promotion and Information of Indigenous Rights, and would later run the National Corporation for Indigenous Development (CONADI) in her home region. In 2019, González participated in a series of protests on

Navarino Island Navarino Island () is a Chilean island located between Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, to the north, and Cape Horn, to the south. The island forms part of the Commune of Cabo de Hornos, the southernmost commune in Chile and in the world, belong ...

against the proposed arrival of

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

companies seeking to fish in surrounding waters. Following months of protest, the campaign to prevent further

commercial fishing Commercial fishing is the activity of catching fish and other seafood for commercial profit, mostly from wild fisheries. It provides a large quantity of food to many countries around the world, but those who practice it as an industry must often ...

in the area was successful.

Constitutional Convention

In 2021, González was elected to the Constitutional Convention as the representative of the Yaghan nation, for which the body has reserved a seat. González was the sole candidate in the race, and was elected with 91.04% of the votes cast.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Lidia Members of the Chilean Constitutional Convention Yaghan Chilean city councillors Chilean people of Yaghan descent Independent politicians in Chile People from Puerto Montt 1967 births Living people