El Ciudadano
Original article: “La tierra no es una mercancía”: comunidades mapuche de Ercilla y Collipulli denuncian criminalización y rechazan reforma a Ley Indígena
Mapuche Communities of Ercilla and Collipulli Denounce Criminalization and Demand an End to Modifications of the Indigenous Law, Warning of New Territorial Dispossession
The Mapuche communities of Ercilla and Collipulli, alongside traditional authorities and leaders from various territories, have issued a powerful public statement expressing their concern regarding the current situation impacting their collective rights. They highlight that state policies, decisions, and measures threaten the protection of their territories, undermine mechanisms for Indigenous participation, and delay historical solutions to the legitimate demands of their communities.
Key points in their declaration emphasize the ongoing criminalization of those who advocate for territorial defense and strongly oppose the government’s intention to modify the Indigenous Law to permit leasing, mortgaging, or other forms of encumbrance on Indigenous lands. They assert, “For our people, land is not a commodity: it is the material, spiritual, cultural, and communal foundation of our existence,” warning that weakening its legal protection opens the door to new forms of dispossession.
Furthermore, the communities expressed concern regarding the review, halt, or weakening of Indigenous land purchase and restitution processes, as well as any reformulation of Indigenous consultation that does not adhere to standards of good faith and effective participation. They also expressed support for historical political prisoners among the Mapuche and for peñi Yury González, rejecting any form of harassment or unjust persecution against him.
Below is the complete public statement from the communities:
PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE HUENTECHE COMMUNITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS OF ERCILLA AND COLLIPULLI.
The Mapuche communities of Ercilla and Collipulli, along with traditional authorities, leaders, peñi, and lamngen from different territories of Wallmapu, publicly communicate the following:
With concern and a sense of collective responsibility, we observe the current scenario impacting the collective rights of our Mapuche people, expressed in policies, decisions, and measures that threaten the protection of our territories, weaken Indigenous participation mechanisms, and postpone historical solutions to the legitimate demands of our communities.
Kiñe:
We denounce the ongoing criminalization against communities, traditional authorities, werken, leaders, peñi, and lamngen who raise their voices for territorial defense. No media manipulation, public order discourse, or stigmatization campaign can conceal that Mapuche resistance arises from memory, historical dispossession, and the legitimate need to defend life, dignity, itrofill mogen, and the collective existence of our people.
Epu:
We reject the government’s intention to modify the Indigenous Law to allow leasing, mortgaging, or other forms of encumbrance on Indigenous lands. For our people, land is not a commodity: it is the material, spiritual, cultural, and communal foundation of our existence. Weakening its legal protection opens the door to new forms of dispossession, indebtedness, internal division, and loss of rights acquired by the communities.
Küla:
We express our concern over the review, suspension, or weakening of the processes for purchasing and restoring Indigenous lands. Territorial reparation cannot be subject to political calculations or the will of current governments. Communities have waited decades for territorial justice, while the state continues to postpone structural responses and shifts the responsibility to those who have historically been dispossessed.
In addition, various communities from the territories of Ercilla and Collipulli have progressed in creating a program proposal designed from their own territories, which was submitted to the Regional Government of La Araucanía aiming to benefit approximately 1,000 peñi and lamngen from our communities.
This program sought to strengthen productive autonomy, territorial development, and the Mapuche economy. However, to this day, it has not received the necessary political will for support and re-submission to the Regional Government as it should, further demonstrating the lack of real commitment to initiatives emerging from the communities themselves and the continued postponement of proposals aimed at improving the living conditions of our people.
Meli:
We reject any reformulation of Indigenous consultation that does not respect standards of good faith, effective participation, cultural relevance, and informed decision-making by the peoples. No consultation process will be legitimate if it excludes communities, authorities, or leaders based on their political beliefs, territorial defense, or non-compliance with institutional obedience.
Kechu:
We support the peñi and lamngen of the meliwitral mapu, the territories of the four cardinal points, including coastal, lafkenche, and williche communities that defend the marine-territorial area, the Lafkenche Law, and the Marine Coastal Spaces of Indigenous Peoples. Land and sea are not separate for our people: they are both part of the territory, memory, spirituality, and continuity of our collective life.
Kayu:
We express our solidarity and recognition for the historical Mapuche political prisoners of the weichan, who are currently serving long sentences for their participation in processes of reclamation and defense of a political project related to territorial recovery and the collective rights of our people. Regardless of the differences that may exist regarding strategies of struggle, we cannot remain indifferent to the reality faced by numerous peñi who have been deprived of their freedom for years in the context of the historical conflict between the Chilean state and the Mapuche people.
As communities, we maintain that peace cannot be built solely through persecution, criminalization, or imprisonment. As long as the underlying causes of the territorial, political, and cultural conflict affecting Wallmapu are not addressed, scenarios of confrontation will continue to reproduce, preventing progress towards a fair and lasting solution.
Regle:
The communities of Ercilla and Collipulli express our concern regarding the situation affecting peñi Yury González. We reject the attempt to hold him accountable for historical deficiencies in the execution of the Indigenous Territorial Development Program (PDTI), issues of which are known by the communities and stem from structural problems that have persisted for years. We also recognize and appreciate the work developed alongside communities, their ongoing willingness to listen, and their commitment to strengthening Mapuche development.
Therefore, we publicly express our support and demand an end to any form of harassment, persecution, or unjust responsibility against him.
Pura:
We also call on communities, traditional authorities, leaders, and Mapuche organizations to remain vigilant, united, and strong against any practices that seek to divide us, weaken us, or alienate our own brothers and sisters from spaces where decisions affecting our people are made.
The communities do not forget.
The communities are watching.
The communities support those who have walked alongside them with respect, consistency, and territorial commitment.
This statement is signed by the following communities, lof, and territorial organizations from the municipalities of Ercilla and Collipulli:
●Territory of Ercilla
• Lof Huañaco Millao and others
• Comunidad Coñomil Epuleo
• Comunidad Ignacio Queipul 2 – Temucuicui
• Comunidad Ancapi-Ñancucheo
• Comunidad Alex Lemún
• Comunidad We Rain
• Comunidad Collico
• Comunidad Juan Pinoleo
• Comunidad Pichilen
• Comunidad Pitriqueo
• Comunidad León Catrimil – Tricauco
• Comunidad Rucamilla
• Comunidad Huañaco Millao Chacaico
• Comunidad de Estefanía
• Comunidad Cañuta Calfuqueo – Chamichaco
• Lof Requen Pillan
• Agrupación Newen Kurra
• Agrupación Chamichaco
• Comunidad Huañaco Millao Juan Liguen
• Comunidad Rayen Mapu
• Mesa Territorial Mapuche We Trokin che
• Mesa Territorial Wiñoleufü
• Mesa de la mujer Rural de Ercilla.
■Territory of Collipulli
• Comunidad Choin Lafquenche
• Comunidad Lonkomahuida
• Comunidad Catrio Ñancul 2
• Comunidad Rauco
• Comunidad Miguel Huentelen
• Comunidad Guiñico
• Comunidad Pellenco Millaray
• Comunidad Likankura
• Comunidad Juan de Dios Lien
• Comunidad Chequenco Curaco
• Comunidad Colihuica Tori
• Comunidad Miguel Huentelen N° 1
• Comunidad Juan Paillaleo
• Mesa Territorial Regle Wechun
Amulepe Taiñ Newen
Amulepe Taiñ Rakiduam
Amulepe Taiñ Weichan
Marichiweu!!
La entrada Mapuche Communities in Ercilla and Collipulli Speak Out Against Criminalization and Oppose Proposed Indigenous Law Reforms se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.
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