Members of three Mapuche communities published a statement protesting the exploitation of grounds they consider sacred by the Arauco forestry industry, the public message they wrote sheds light on the motivations and visions of the people involved in the conflict.
[PROTEST]
The message reads:
"Marri marri pu peñi pu lamuen kom pu che" (A traditional Mapuche greeting meaning "Greetings, brothers, sisters, and all people")To our Mapuche people and nation, to conscious society, and to the national and international public:
Today, January 2, 2025, the communities in resistance from the Quiapo territory in the Arauco commune demand that Forestal Arauco (a forestry company) and its extractivist machinery cease operations in Txen Txen Diñihuenu. This wilkül (sacred mountain) holds profound cultural and spiritual significance, being a space inhabited by ngen (guardian spirits). It represents a fundamental pillar of the itrovil mogen (balance of life), which we have safeguarded and protected since ancestral times.
We reaffirm our customary right to protect life and exercise territorial control in the face of the systematic violence perpetrated by private corporations and supported by the State. In this sacred territory lies our kuivikechegen (family) in the eltun (cemetery), along with other spaces essential to our worldview and cultural practices, such as the rewe, guillatuwe, cancha paliwe, menocos, trayenko, trawunko, and kollantuwe. This land is home to an invaluable diversity of lawen (medicinal herbs) and endangered endemic species, including the ñanco and cachanlawen. The preservation of these elements is vital for the continuity of Mapuche mogen—our spiritual identity and culture as Mapuche people.
We denounce the militarization of Wallmapu and the repression carried out by police forces, which continue to violate our rights and attack our communities, perpetuating the cycle of dispossession and mistreatment of our people.
We stand in solidarity with all pu peñi and pu lamuen resisting in other territories of Wallmapu, who face the criminalization of our legitimate struggle for dignity and freedom—especially those imprisoned for defending the Mapuche cause and demanding justice and autonomy for our nation.
We will continue to defend our territory, our culture, and our way of life to ensure a dignified future for our people and the generations to come.
¡WEUWAIÑ TAIÑ WEICHAN! ("Our struggle continues" or "We will continue fighting" in Mapudungun)Communities in Resistance, Quiapo Territory, Arauco Commune:
Community Kudauwfe Peñi
Community Quiñimil Pirul
Reima Pirul Cartes
This message comes a day after an incendiary attack against trucks that belonged to Forestal Arauco were burned by members of Weichan Auka Mapu raising the tensions in the region, and the tone employed shows little to no sign of a de-escalation of the Mapuche conflict.
Forestry works being guarded by Chilean police “Carabineros”.
Sources:
Nuevo Poder. "Banda Weichán Auka Mapu se atribuye quema de 5 vehículos en Los Álamos." Nuevo Poder, january 1, 2025. Accessed January 9, 2025. https://www.nuevopoder.cl/banda-weichan-auka-mapu-se-atribuye-quema-de-5-vehiculos-en-los-alamos/.
Radio Kurruf. "[Comunicado] Comunidades de Quiapo exigen que forestal Arauco cese trabajos en espacio sagrado Txen Txen Diñihuenu." Radio Kurruf, January 2, 2025. Accessed January 9 de 2025. https://radiokurruf.org/2025/01/02/comunicado-de-quiapo-exigen-que-forestal-arauco-cese-trabajos/.https://radiokurruf.org/2025/01/02/comunicado-de-quiapo-exigen-que-forestal-arauco-cese-trabajos