Indigenous peoples in Chile or Native Chileans form about 10% of the
total population of
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 eas ...
. According to the 2012 census, 2,000,000 people declare having
indigenous origins. Most Chileans are of partially indigenous descent, and the term and its legal ramifications are typically reserved to those who self-identify with and are accepted within one or more indigenous groups.
The
Mapuche
The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who s ...
, with their traditional lands in
south-central Chile, account for approximately 85% of this number. There are also small populations of
Aymara,
Quechua,
Atacameño,
Kolla,
Diaguita
The Diaguita people are a group of South American indigenous people native to the Chilean Norte Chico and the Argentine Northwest. Western or Chilean Diaguitas lived mainly in the Transverse Valleys which incised in a semi-arid environment. E ...
,
Yaghan Yaghan, Yagán or Yahgan may refer to:
* Yahgan people, an ethnic group of Argentina and Chile
* Yahgan language, their language
* Yaghan (dog), an extinct domesticated fox
See also
* Yagan (disambiguation)
* Yagha, a province of Burkina Faso ...
,
Rapa Nui and
Kawaskhar in other parts of the country,
[Report on Human Rights Practices 2006: Chile]
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (March 6, 2007). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired ...
.'' as well as many other groups such as
Cacahue,
Chango,
Picunche,
Chono,
Tehuelche,
Cunco and
Selknam.
The Indigenous Law
Following the
return to democracy,
Patricio Aylwin's ''
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 ...
'' government established a ''Comisión Especial de Pueblos indígenas'' (Special Commission of Indigenous People), whose report provided the intellectual framework of the "Indigenous Law" (''ley indígena'') or law n° 19 253, promulgated on September 28, 1993 by Aylwin.
The Indigenous Law recognized in particular the
Mapuche
The Mapuche ( (Mapuche & Spanish: )) are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who s ...
people, victims of the
Occupation of the Araucanía
Occupation commonly refers to:
*Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment
* Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces
*Military occupation, t ...
from 1861 to 1883, as an inherent part of the Chilean nation. Other indigenous people officially recognized included
Aymaras,
Atacameña
The Atacama people, also called Atacameño, are indigenous people from the Atacama Desert and altiplano region in the north of Chile and Argentina and southern Bolivia, mainly Antofagasta Region.
According to the Argentinean Census in 2010, 13,93 ...
s,
Collas,
Quechuas
Quechua people (, ; ) or Quichua people, may refer to any of the aboriginal people of South America who speak the Quechua languages, which originated among the Indigenous people of Peru. Although most Quechua speakers are native to Peru, there ...
,
Rapa-Nui (
Polynesian inhabitants of
Easter Island
Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its nearl ...
),
Yámanas,
Kawashkars and
Diaguita
The Diaguita people are a group of South American indigenous people native to the Chilean Norte Chico and the Argentine Northwest. Western or Chilean Diaguitas lived mainly in the Transverse Valleys which incised in a semi-arid environment. E ...
(since 2006). Despite this state proclamation of indigenous rights, conflicts brought by land-occupations and Mapuche's claims lead to state repression and the use of the anti-terrorist law against Mapuche activists, a law voted by the
military ''junta''.
The law established the National Corporation for Indigenous Development (''CONADI''), which included directly elected indigenous representatives, advised and directed government programs to assist the economic development of indigenous people.
[
It also gives indigenous people a voice in decisions affecting their lands, cultures, and traditions and provides for bilingual education (legalizing Mapudungun language) in schools with indigenous populations.
Approximately one-half the self-identified indigenous population remained separated from the rest of society, largely due to historical, cultural, educational, and geographical factors. Both internal factors and governmental policies limited the ability of indigenous people to participate in governmental decisions affecting their lands, cultures, traditions, and the allocation of natural resources. Indigenous people also experienced some societal discrimination and reported incidents in which they were attacked and harassed. A 2003 Ministry of Planning survey reported that indigenous people earned 26% less than nonindigenous citizens for similar work.][
Chile is one of the twenty countries to have signed and ratified the only binding international law concerning indigenous peoples, Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989. It was adopted in 1989 as the ]International Labour Organization
The International Labour Organization (ILO) is a United Nations agency whose mandate is to advance social and economic justice by setting international labour standards. Founded in October 1919 under the League of Nations, it is the first and o ...
Convention 169. Chile ratified the convention in 2008. In November 2009, a court decision in Chile, considered to be a landmark in indigenous rights concerns, made use of the ILO convention 169. The Supreme Court decision on Aymara water rights upholds rulings by both the Pozo Almonte tribunal and the Iquique Court of Appeals, and marks the first judicial application of ILO Convention 169 in Chile.
Social and economical status
In 2005, CONADI regularized the property titles to approximately of land that were restored to 300 Aymara families in the north. However, some observers criticized a lack of transparency in CONADI's land restoration processes and favoritism of the Mapuche over other indigenous groups.[
The Ministry of Education provided a package of financial aid consisting of 1,200 scholarships for indigenous elementary and high school students in the ]Araucania Region Arauco or Araucanía may refer to:
Places
* Araucanía Region, an administrative region of Chile, the heartland of the historic region of Araucania
* Araucanía (historic region), a historical region of Central Chile also called Arauco
* Arauco, ...
during 2005. The government also implemented the Indigenous Scholarship Program that benefited 36,000 low-income indigenous elementary, high school, and college students with good academic performances.[
]
The Mapuche conflict
As of 2009, there were instances of violent confrontations between indigenous Mapuche groups and landowners, logging companies, and local government authorities in the southern part of the country. The actions took the form of protests and, occasionally, instances of rock throwing, land occupations, and burning of crops or buildings. Many of these actions were initiated by the ''Coordinadora Arauco Malleco
Coordinadora Arauco-Malleco (CAM) is a radical, militant indigenous organization engaged in political violence in pursuit of attaining an autonomous Mapuche state in the territory they describe as Wallmapu.
Founded in 1998 in Tranaquepe, Chile, C ...
'' (CAM), an indigenous group that has been accused of terrorist acts.
Three CAM-related Mapuches and a non-indigenous sympathizer remained imprisoned in a 2001 arson case in which antiterrorism penalties were applied. The four initiated a hunger strike in March, demanding the terrorism convictions be voided to allow their release on parole. In April the court acquitted two other individuals of all charges, criminal and terrorist, in the same case. In September the Senate rejected a proposed law to allow the release of the four imprisoned on terrorist charges. Government-sponsored legislation which would clarify the application of the antiterrorism law remained pending at year's end.[
The government did not act on a ]United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...
special rapporteur's 2003 recommendation that there be a judicial review of cases affecting Mapuche leaders. The government had not applied the antiterrorism law in Mapuche-related prosecutions since 2002.[ However, it began again to apply this law in August, 2009, as the Mapuche conflict deepened following several acts of occupation and arson, as well as the killing of a Mapuche activist.][Chile: muerte ahonda crisis con mapuches, http://www.bbc.co.uk/mundo/america_latina/2009/08/090813_2233_mapuches_chile_jg.shtml]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Indigenous Peoples In Chile
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 eas ...