Chile’s Mapuche people vs the State: A battle for ancestral lands
We travel to Chile to meet some of the Mapuche groups on the offensive to reclaim their culture.
In Chile, the Mapuche communities make up roughly 12 percent of the country’s population.
They have historically been the poorest and most discriminated-against sector of society.
In fact, Chile is one of a few countries in the world whose constitution does not recognise its Indigenous peoples.
The conflict against the state has been simmering for years, but in recent months more radical Mapuche groups have been attacking and torching hundreds of trucks, farms, homes, forest lands owned by lumber companies and even trains.
So, is there a path to peaceful coexistence?
Published On 5 Dec 2020