By Kristen Green on June 26, 2012.
President Piñera celebrated Indigenous People of Chile Day at La Moneda, along with the first lady. Photo: Gobierno de ChileSANTIAGO – President Sebastian Piñera led a ceremony in Palacio de La Moneda yesterday to celebrate Indigenous People of Chile Day.
Piñera, accompanied by the first lady and various officials, underscored his government’s support for the indigenous people of Chile. The president also included a four-point plan for aiding the development of indigenous communities.
“We want to reach an agreement to establish a legitimate means of consulting with original people and increasing their political participation, so that the rights of indigenous people are better recognized,” Piñera said.
The government’s proposal aims to increase the political participation of indigenous populations, improve their productive capacities and improve educational opportunities for their children.
“We already have multicultural Liceos Bicentenarios, and these include the culture of our indigenous people, but not only their languages,” Piñera stated with regards to his educational initiatives. “They also teach their essences, their identity, their soul, that is part of their essence, the identity and soul of the Chilean people.”
The president also asserted that he would aim to increase national respect and recognition of indigenous people.
“We should not only recognize, but also appreciate and value what the culture of our indigenous people means,” Piñera said. “A renaissance of our indigenous people is occurring because every day, they grow prouder of their identity, every day more conscious of the position they hold in Chilean society. It’s also important to note that, instead of thinking about this as a threat or a problem, we feel like it’s a legitimate source of pride for the Chilean nation.”
As Piñera lauded the indigenous people, Aymaras, Rapa Nuis and other ethnic populations simultaneously continued their celebrations of winter solstice, which began last week. Many celebrations of the Indigenous New Year have already taken place. There were more than 60 celebrations across Chile last weekend.
While the Aymara organized a traditional dance show in the north, Mapuche communities held diverse celebrations around the country as well, specifically in Santiago and in southern regions of the country.
According to Census data from 2009, there are 1,146,922 indigenous people in Chile, or about 6.9 percent of the population. Among these people, the Mapuche ethnicity, which contains 984,316 people, represents 5.9 percent of the total population.
Although most celebrations have already ended, the Cultural Council will hold an event entitled Txawun: entre lluvia y brotes,” on Saturday, June 30 in Temuco to celebrate the Mapuche New Year.
The event will feature a musical performance, food and a theatrical dramatization a traditional Mapuche story.
Source: I Love Chile