El Ciudadano
Original article: Comunidades Kawésqar denuncian a fundación por arrogarse nombre y representatividad: “Operan para intereses de la industria salmonera”
Kawésqar Communities Reject False Representatives: Accuse Foundation of Favoring Salmon Industry
The Kawésqar communities have issued a strong public statement rejecting any form of unilateral representation claimed by the Kawésqar Foundation, which they accuse of assuming a non-existent role within their traditional structure. The statement reveals that this foundation consists of the same individuals from the already-questioned Ancón Sin Salida community, which is under investigation by the Comptroller General of the Republic.
The communities warn that these groups— including a self-proclaimed ‘Kawésqar Confederation’— operate in favor of the salmon industry, undermining their territorial and cultural rights. They demand that authorities, universities, and CONADI do not recognize these individuals as legitimate representatives.
Below is the full statement.
Public Denunciation
The undersigned communities come to denounce the Kawésqar Foundation for assuming representation of the people. We reject any representation in the name of the Kawésqar people, as there is no authorized representative in our traditional organization who can speak for all communities. Each community, according to its own organization and familial groups, has its own spokespersons and representatives.
We also denounce that the Kawésqar Foundation is composed of the same individuals from the Ancón Sin Salida community, which has previously been accused of claiming representation of the Kawésqar people through a supposed ‘counselor’ figure that does not exist in our traditional structure. An investigation was prompted by the Comptroller General of the Republic, which ordered authorities to refrain from recognizing these individuals as representatives of the people. Similarly, this organization has been publicly denounced in a local media outlet for profiting by using the name of the Kawésqar people.
Now they emerge under a new title, which we became aware of through a letter sent to the Presidential Delegate on May 11, 2026, and an article published on May 17, 2026, where they sign as the ‘Kawésqar Confederation,’ which groups other communities but where the representative remains the same person leading the Ancón Sin Salida Community.
This entity operates openly in favor of the salmon industry, whose interests have been systematically promoted at the expense of our rights. They have actively worked to discredit our traditional land use in ECMPO applications, in the management plan process of the Kawésqar National Park, and in marine protection initiatives, favoring the industry’s interests within the Kawésqar National Reserve.
We believe it is essential to uphold the rule of law and for authorities to refrain from recognizing or receiving these individuals as representatives of the Kawésqar people, given their extensive history of questioned actions. We also alert universities and institutions currently engaged in restitution processes of our ancestors’ remains and other cultural elements, as they seem to be misled by these organizations, whose purpose appears to be concentrating power and legitimacy at the expense of territorial destruction and the delegitimization of the Kawésqar people.
Moreover, we urge the regional CONADI to cease endorsement of these organizations, as it is aware of the reality of the Kawésqar people and how their representations are structured. This has already occurred, for example, in the representative selection process for the Osaka Fair 2025, alongside ProChile, regarding which there is a submission filed with the Comptroller General of the Republic requesting a review of these actions. No government entity can assume the authority to designate representatives of an indigenous people, as such power has not been conferred upon them by the communities.
In conclusion, we maintain that the Kawésqar Foundation, the Ancón Sin Salida Community, and the Kawésqar Confederation effectively correspond to the same group of individuals operating under different names. In our opinion, these organizations have acted as open promoters of the salmon industry’s interests, which seeks to expand into our ancestral territory, further deepening the fracture and division within the Kawésqar people.
Kawésqar At’ap Community
Kawésqar Residents in Rio Primero Community
Kawésqar Aswal Lajep Community
Kawésqar Nomadic Family Groups of the Sea
Ecmpo Kawésqar Tawokser
Ecmpo Kawésqar Last Hope
Kawésqar Communities Reject False Representatives: Accuse Foundation of Favoring Salmon Industry
The Kawésqar communities have issued a strong public statement rejecting any form of unilateral representation claimed by the Kawésqar Foundation, which they accuse of assuming a non-existent role within their traditional structure. The statement reveals that this foundation consists of the same individuals from the already-questioned Ancón Sin Salida community, which is under investigation by the Comptroller General of the Republic.
The communities warn that these groups— including a self-proclaimed ‘Kawésqar Confederation’— operate in favor of the salmon industry, undermining their territorial and cultural rights. They demand that authorities, universities, and CONADI do not recognize these individuals as legitimate representatives.
Below is the full statement.
Public Denunciation
The undersigned communities come to denounce the Kawésqar Foundation for assuming representation of the people. We reject any representation in the name of the Kawésqar people, as there is no authorized representative in our traditional organization who can speak for all communities. Each community, according to its own organization and familial groups, has its own spokespersons and representatives.
We also denounce that the Kawésqar Foundation is composed of the same individuals from the Ancón Sin Salida community, which has previously been accused of claiming representation of the Kawésqar people through a supposed ‘counselor’ figure that does not exist in our traditional structure. An investigation was prompted by the Comptroller General of the Republic, which ordered authorities to refrain from recognizing these individuals as representatives of the people. Similarly, this organization has been publicly denounced in a local media outlet for profiting by using the name of the Kawésqar people.
Now they emerge under a new title, which we became aware of through a letter sent to the Presidential Delegate on May 11, 2026, and an article published on May 17, 2026, where they sign as the ‘Kawésqar Confederation,’ which groups other communities but where the representative remains the same person leading the Ancón Sin Salida Community.
This entity operates openly in favor of the salmon industry, whose interests have been systematically promoted at the expense of our rights. They have actively worked to discredit our traditional land use in ECMPO applications, in the management plan process of the Kawésqar National Park, and in marine protection initiatives, favoring the industry’s interests within the Kawésqar National Reserve.
We believe it is essential to uphold the rule of law and for authorities to refrain from recognizing or receiving these individuals as representatives of the Kawésqar people, given their extensive history of questioned actions. We also alert universities and institutions currently engaged in restitution processes of our ancestors’ remains and other cultural elements, as they seem to be misled by these organizations, whose purpose appears to be concentrating power and legitimacy at the expense of territorial destruction and the delegitimization of the Kawésqar people.
Moreover, we urge the regional CONADI to cease endorsement of these organizations, as it is aware of the reality of the Kawésqar people and how their representations are structured. This has already occurred, for example, in the representative selection process for the Osaka Fair 2025, alongside ProChile, regarding which there is a submission filed with the Comptroller General of the Republic requesting a review of these actions. No government entity can assume the authority to designate representatives of an indigenous people, as such power has not been conferred upon them by the communities.
In conclusion, we maintain that the Kawésqar Foundation, the Ancón Sin Salida Community, and the Kawésqar Confederation effectively correspond to the same group of individuals operating under different names. In our opinion, these organizations have acted as open promoters of the salmon industry’s interests, which seeks to expand into our ancestral territory, further deepening the fracture and division within the Kawésqar people.
Kawésqar At’ap Community
Kawésqar Residents in Rio Primero Community
Kawésqar Aswal Lajep Community
Kawésqar Nomadic Family Groups of the Sea
Ecmpo Kawésqar Tawokser
Ecmpo Kawésqar Last Hope
La entrada Kawésqar Communities Accuse Foundation of Pretending to Represent Them: «They Work for Salmon Industry Interests» se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.
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