Mapuches continue to suffer acts of discrimination, educators and students say.
The Universidad Católica Silva Henríquez presented its second day of seminars on Friday, addressing the need for Chile to sustain its indigenous cultures and promote concrete resolutions for the Mapuche people in terms of discrimination, education and respect.
There is a permanent racism in Chile toward the Mapuche people, experts say. (Photo by David Suazo Quintana/Flickr)
“There is a permanent racism in this country toward cultures like the Mapuche people and we need to confront this problem with intercultural change,” anthropologist Enrique Antileo said.
Antileo and many others from the seminar believe there is an underlying discrimination in Chile toward the Mapuche population and are keen for a change.
The Mapuche people, along with other indigenous cultures in Chile, have suffered historically and to this day from marginalization, discrimination and exclusion linked to exploitation of their land and resources, according to Indigenous news.
The Mapuches live in the South and Central parts of Chile and now make up 95 percent of the indigenous people in the country.
Poverty rates for indigenous households at the national level are approximately 10 percent higher than non-indigenous. The rates are particularly high among the Mapuche and Aymara, another indigenous culture, with approximately one-third of all households living below the poverty line, according to Indigenous news.
Due to the poverty many of these people are unable to afford education.
Mapuche native Floriano Calfucoy, 78, said the seminar was a way for young people to discuss how they can make a change.
“Discrimination toward the Mapuche people is camouflaged. There are many Mapuche residents living on the outskirts of Santiago in small shacks full of family members,” Calfucoy said. “The government needs to help these people in terms of funding their education and building proper houses.”
One speaker said the government cannot see the needs of the Mapuche people because they think it’s a culture of the past and not the present. Another added that the government tends to want to control the Mapuche population without giving them an opportunity to speak on the same level.
History professor Claudio Curiqueo said the seminar was a way of planting seeds of change and promoted an idea of a social movement for the Mapuche people to stand up for their rights.
“A great challenge for me is my aspiration for a movement. The protests for HidroAysén had thousands of supporters at the marches, and at ours there are about 50 people,” Curiqueo said. “Intercultural integration cannot fall from the sky. I know it will be a long process, but we have to try.”
By Jade Hobman
Source: The Santiago Times
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