Wallmapu is a name for the traditional territory of 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 of southern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...

. The term was coined in the early 1990s by

Indigenist Indigenism can refer to several different ideologies that seek to promote the interests of indigenous peoples. The term is used differently by various scholars and activists, and can be used purely descriptively or carry political connotations. D ...

groups but gained traction in the 2000s as the

Mapuche conflict The Mapuche conflict ( es, conflicto mapuche) involves indigenous Mapuche communities located in Araucanía and nearby regions of Chile and Argentina. It is often referred to as a conflict between the Mapuche and the Chilean government or state. ...

in Araucanía intensified. Some view the Wallmapu as being composed of two main parts Ngulumapu in the west and

Puelmapu Puelmapu is the traditional Mapuche territory located east of the Andes. It covers much of Patagonia and the Pampas. Since the Conquest of the Desert (1878–1885) Puelmapu is ''de facto'' part of Argentina. It is a theater of the Mapuche conflict ...

in the east, with the southern part of Ngulumapu being known as

Futahuillimapu Futahuillimapu or Fütawillimapu is a traditional territory of the Huilliche people. Futahuillimapu spans the land between Bueno River and Reloncaví Sound. Futahuillimapu means "great land of the south." Back in the 18th century when this territ ...

.The brighter side of the indigenous renaissance (Part 1)
2006. Flag of the Mapuches

The use of the name "Wallmapu" by Chilean minister Izkia Siches in March 2022 sparked protests from Argentine politicians and authorities in the provinces of Chubut and Río Negro. Juan Martin a legislator of the Province of Río Negro stated: "When Chilean officials talk about 'Wallmapu' they are legitimizing a territorial claim that affects our national sovereignty". Siches later apologized and explained she had only been referring to Chilean territory. The Argentine diplomat group Grupo Honorio declared that they were "worried that Chilean officials would be backing separatist aspirations, that could potentially violate the integrity of the

territory A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or a ...

of Argentina and the Boundary Treaty of 1881". Siches also received criticism in Chile with deputy Miguel Becker responding "that Wallmapu is not the name of

Araucanía Region The Araucanía ( ), La Araucanía Region ( es, Región de La Araucanía ) is one of Chile's 16 first-order administrative divisions, and comprises two provinces: Malleco in the north and Cautín in the south. Its capital and largest city is Te ...

, it is Araucanía Region". The

President of the Senate of Chile The president of the Senate of Chile is the presiding officer of the Senate of Chile. The position comes after the Ministers of State in the line of succession of the President of Chile in case of temporary incapacitation or vacancy, according to ...

Álvaro Elizalde Álvaro Antonio Elizalde Soto (born 15 October 1969) is a Chilean politician and lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an a ...

came out in defense of Siches in April 3 calling the whole controversy "a somewhat artificial polemic". On May 19, 2022 a conference on the topic "The threat of Wallmapu" ( es, La amenaza de Wallmapu) was held in the city of

Neuquén Neuquén (; arn, Nehuenken) is the capital city of the Argentine province of Neuquén and of the Confluencia Department, located in the east of the province. It occupies a strip of land west of the confluence of the Limay and Neuquén river ...

, Argentina.

References

{{Mapuche Geography of Argentina Geography of Chile Mapuche regions Historical regions Huilliche 1990s neologisms

See also

References