Chilean Land War (C) by Tim Green

Chilean Land War Response

atlantataylorcampagna1 — 2020-12-10 19:20:50 UTC

The land dispute at hand is full of complexities and I am approaching this issue as an outsider with limited knowledge and awareness. However, given the information in the documentary, I conclude that the land in question belongs to the Mapuche. The area was occupied by the group for hundreds of years before the corrupted Chilean government sold it out from under them to Swiss farmers. One man explains, "This land belongs to our ancestors, so really it’s ours by right." (5:34-5:42) The state has continued to abuse its power and left the Mapuche with limited resources and no agency to protect themselves, which traps them in the cycle of poverty; "Authority over the land in question is controlled by the settlers." (13:06-13:09) After years of unjust treatment, some of the Mapuche resort to violence in the form of burning crops and threatening the Swiss families to publicize the issue and force acknowledgment. Given the illegitimacy of the sale and the maltreatment endured by the Mapuche, either compensation or returning of the land is necessary.

Chilean Land War Response

camilovasquez2 — 2020-12-13 02:30:01 UTC

I believe that the land belongs to the Mapuche people. They had their land unjustly taken from them by the Chilean government when the government was trying to hire outside farmers to come run the lands. "First it was over water rights and then land. Juan's studies limit the amount of time he has to work on the farm. His family is extremely poor and the 10 hectares of land yield too little to really survive on" (5:09-5:21). The Mupache people live in poverty while the settlers live lavish lives. There is conflict among the Mupache about how to handle the dispute. Unfortunately they have to resort to political violence because the government is corrupt and biased against them. "The 9 people indicted had the knowledge and ability to make successful land claims against the state. Authority over the land in question is controlled by the settlers and the Luchsingers are a prominent example. That's why they wanted these people in jail" (12:50 - 13:13). The Mapuche people are unable to gain any traction by fighting with the law because the government uses anti-terrorsim legislation from the time of the Pinochet dictatorship. "The anti-terrorism legislation was used by Pinochet to arrest protesters campaigning for social rights and now this very same law is being applied in the conflict with the Mapuche" (15:13-15:26). This legally protects the government and allows them to be biased towards the settlers. The reality is that most of the people in these high power positions including the government come from settler families themselves so they only see their own viewpoint. I believe that a potential solution would have a couple of steps. First, the Mapuche would get much more support and funding from the government. A group would be set up in which exactly half of the members were Mapuche and half weren't. This group would take land disputes on a case by case basis and resolve the issues as they saw fit. I also remember in the film that the younger generation wasn't interested in continuing the farms, especially with the conflicts at hand. So I believe that after a set period of time, the Mapuche would be given full ownership of the land and the settlers would be paid a lump sum for that land by the government. I know that this solution has many problems that could affect it but the reality is that there is no perfect solution so I just see this solution more acceptable because it favors the Mapuche people.

Chilean Land War Response

marigutierrez — 2020-12-13 16:49:00 UTC

I believe that the land belongs to the Mapuche people because it was stolen from them when they were first colonized. In the movie is says that there was a deal made with the Chilean government that granted basically all of the usable land plots to the Swiss immigrants. Most times in history when this has happened it wasn't necessarily a "deal" it was forced by the opposing much stronger colonizers. Although I believe the land belongs to the Mapuche I don't think killing people or committing arson on the Swiss families lively hoods is a good solution. Especially when it just leads to the people involved going to jail and nothing else happening. Although this tactic does gain media attention it sheds a bad light on the Mapuche people and demonizes them in the media. But I am not sure how else they would go about it because the Chilean government uses "anti-terrorism" law that is basically in violation of human rights but that makes it impossible for the Mapuche is win in cases involved with these land disputes. This law is in violation of human rights and the Mapuche can do basically nothing about it. From what I understood from the film is seems like the younger generations of the Swiss and Mapuche are going to take on these sometimes violent land disputes. They could probably work out some type of land grant system of legislation with the Chilean government that brings more Mapuche families above the poverty line. In general there is no simple solution to such a complex problem and it will take years and years to repair the damages already made by the unequal distribution of land.

Chilean Land War Response

taylorquintana — 2020-12-13 16:53:40 UTC

It is very hard and unfair for me, a complte ousider and American who lives on stolen land, to make a substantial claim about who the land belongs to, However, after learning about colonization and seeing the documentary I believe the land belongs to the Mapuche people. The dangerous affairs between the two peoples only creates more tension. Juan Tralcal makes the assertation that the land is their right due to their ancestrial belonging. The wealth desparity between the two groups shows the very concequences of colonization. The swiss descendants are the benneficiary to these settlements while the Mapuche peopel are suffering the concequences. It is easy to see why the Mapuche people believe violence is th eonly way to show the settlers. The Mapuche people directly state that violence is the only valid way to show resistance. The descendant of the swiss should make some sort of reparations. While they have done nothing in the act of colonization, they are playing an integral role in perpetuating their settlements. The Mapuche are being pushed out as they do ot represent all levels of society in Chile thus they have very little governmental power. This places obligation of teh settler descendants to reaffirm affairs with the Mapuche people. I also think teh continuation of boycotts could result in action from the Swiss.

Chilean Land War Response

2020-12-13 19:22:25 UTC

I think that the land belongs to the Mapuche people. A lot of them live in poverty, and a lot of their livelihoods rely on the land. “The fight over the land is a fight for their future. And one conducted with little mercy,” (5:27-5:32). But, I also don’t think that they can just take it back from the European settlers as some of those families have been living there for over 140 years. I think that the violence against the settlers is not the answer, “This land belongs to our ancestors, so really it’s ours by right. But, I am against threatening other families and resorting to violence,” (5:35-5:52). I think that the anger should be aimed at the government, as they were the ones who took the Mapuche people’s land. The settlers did buy the land from the chilean government, but they aren't the ones who originally took it.“It was the state that brought the settlers here. The state started the war with the pacification of araucania, forcing us to live in small areas” (18:45-18:55). I think that if a solution is going to be found, it has to be through the Chilean government, as there are the ones who started this mess. It’s possible that the government could sponsor some kind of buy back program, where they would buy the settlers land and give it to the Mapuche people, as some of the settlers did say they would be willing to give up their land. I think that this would probably be the least confrontational way to solve this dispute.

Chilean Land War response

2020-12-13 20:19:32 UTC

I think that the struggle concerning whose land this is and who should get it at this point is very difficult to resolve. Yes the land has roots belonging to the Mapuche and it did belong to them in the past. But, then the Chilean government came and took this from them and invited the Swiss settlers to come and purchase the land (6:29-6:41). I think that the Mapuche have the right to be angry at the poverty that the state has left them with, but I do not think it should be taken out on the families who came to escape their own poverty and now feel that this place is their home. I feel as though the land belongs to both groups, but that the Mapuche have been disproportionately affected by the states lack of aid for them. Ultimately, it is up to the Chilean government to resolve this dispute instead of perpetuating the conflict between these two groups. Just as stated by many in the film, this is something that the state has done to these groups. It is something that both the Mapuche and Swiss can agree upon. The Swiss do not deserve to fear for their lives and future (1:53-3:31 and 10:00-11:47), just like the Mapuche do not deserve to live in a cycle of poverty where they grow apart from their culture. I think that the government can help resolve this by equally distributing the land among the Swiss and Mapuche.

Chilean Land War Response

2020-12-13 22:18:29 UTC

I understand both the Mapuche and the Swiss however, the Chilean government has done virtually nothing to aid and appease the Mapuche therefore I believe it belongs to them. I understand their frustrations and attacks on the Swiss although violence will not solve anything like Juan Tracal mentioned (5:35-5:52). This issue cannot be simply solved and overall the government needs to recognize the poverty of the Mapuche cause by the land grant. Although the Swiss started buying more land, they have the generational wealth because of colonization and settler land grant. Yet the Mapuche were moved onto reservations(18:45-18:58). The Swiss do not necessarily understand the Indigenous respect to the land rather than using it for profit and this also creates a discrepancy and stereotype that further disadvantages the Mapuche people because they are then become labeled as lazy (29:32-31:50). I believe the best solution would be for the Chilean government to create a land grant for the Mapuche people and create organizations that can help them come out of poverty as reparations for the past.

Chilean Land War response

2020-12-14 02:15:25 UTC

I believe that the land belongs to the Mapuche people because it was stolen from them when the germans, italians and swiss colonized their territory. But when they talk about how the Chilean government invited the “ germans, italians and swiss” but the government came and took this from them and invited the Swiss settlers to come and purchase the land (6:25-6:45ish) It infuriates me because it somewhat proves the land is stolen but the laws in Chile allow that. There aren't laws protecting the Mapuche and their homeland. Now there is old money and generations of families who now live there comfortably while members of the Mapuche have to work long hours performing hard labor to barely make enough for their families. Although I do believe the land belongs to the Mapuche people, I do not believe that killing and harming Swiss families/ property is the correct way to solve this and, although I might never understand the frustration and circumstances Mapuche people are in, this isn't the way to solve the problem because it make the Mapuche people a bad spotlight. Because of how much control the chilean government has of their citizens and territory, the Mapuche people would have to go through a long and tie duos lawsuit of some sort (I think idk if thats what it called when you try to get a land grant or a body of land for a tribe) But I believe a resolution is needed throughout the government because they are the ones who started the problem in the first place and I believe it would be a lot more beneficial for the Mapuche people.

Chilean Land War response

2020-12-14 03:30:05 UTC

I think that it is a very complicated situation. The land was stolen from the Mapuche people, but it was stolen by the Chilean government, not the people who own the land now. I think that the Chilean government should be the ones who pay. I think that they should buy the land from it's colonized owners and give it to the Mapuche, because the land is their ancestor's land, and this way the owners will get fair compensation since they did this legally. I also think that the violent attacks are a complicated issue. Since the government will not help them, the Mapuche have to try help themselves, however I don't think that violence is a good way to do this. They could try organizing large strikes, or protests. I understand that this would be hard to do since many of them need the money for food, but I also don't think that violence should be their solution.

Chilean Land War

stephaniegonzales2 — 2020-12-14 04:10:06 UTC

I think the land belongs to the Mapuche people because the land belonged to them before they were colonized. In the video they interview a person that lives on the land and he states, ""This land belongs to our ancestors, so really it’s ours by right." (5:34-5:42). This shows that they owned this land for generations, the interview also goes into talking about how they don't believe violent retaliation is right, but that is the treatment they received. There was unrest about the poverty in the country and this was when other countries such as Italy and Germany were invited to settle on the land, this was established without agreement from the Mapuche. In the documentary it states, "It was the state that brought the settlers here. The state started the war with the pacification of araucania, forcing us to live in small areas” (18:45-18:55). When their land was taken away and they were restricted to certain areas to live certain fabrications were being created by the settlers and made the Mapuche be seen as weak, or that they weren't contributing(30:00-34:14). The Mapuche have been mistreated time after time, and their place in Chile prior to being colonized has not been recognized in any form. I think a possible solution going forward could be the establishment of sovereignty for the Mapuche people. This would need the Chileans governments compliance but it would allow them right to their land that they've been living on for generations.

Chilean Land War response

2020-12-14 06:53:15 UTC

I think the land belongs to the Mapuche people. They are the native people of the land before anyone made claims for the land. Given that the only option to get the land back is really violence, it becomes a very complex argument. As the man whose ancestor's owned the land was talking about, the land rightfully belongs to the Mapuche people because they were there before anyone else, but violence as a way to take it back is wrong (5:33-6:15). Despite the fact that Chilean government invited the Italians, Swiss, and Germans, the Mapuche people weren't protected in the process. There are the few variants of laws, I believe, that really only make it so that they "can't take their land back legally" (26:22). The government not progressively helping the Mapuche people by doing this is very destructive to the culture. The land is part of the Mapuche identity, and is imperative that they get their land back as it is more meaningful to them and was theirs in the first place. They don't deserve to forcefully have a major part of their culture away. A man in the documentary said, "We lost all our rights. The right to education, the right to medical care, the right to dignity, and it won't stop until we rediscover our Mapuche roots." (34:53-34:58). These roots are based in the land of their ancestors, and it is really just not okay that they have to be fighting a losing battle for their people against the Chilean government and the German, Swiss, and Italians that live there and think otherwise.

Chilean Land War Response

jordynmontano — 2020-12-14 19:21:24 UTC

First I would like to recognize the fact that I am an outsider looking into this situation, while also living on stolen land. That being said, after gaining more knowledge from the documentary I can see both the points of the Mapuche and the Swiss and from that can conclude that the land belongs to the Mapuche people. I have come to this belief or conclusion because the Chilean government has done nothing to aid the Mapuche. This land belongs to our ancestors so really it's ours by right but I am against threatening our families and resorting to violence but a lot of Mapuche disapprove of that But destroying the machinery that is wrecking our land this is a reaction to state violence. (5:37-6:14) The Mapuche people do not want to cause violence but rather bring attention to the fact that their ancestors' land is being disrespected and what the government is doing cuts out a huge part of their culture and relationship with the land. the Mapuche feel criminalized by state it discriminates against them they feel marginalized and want their own autonomous society away from the main (39:13-39:21) The Rapamaquehue Festival is a time for the Mapuche people to come together in their liberation struggle, these discussions give room for not only open conversation and communication about the oppression the Mapuche people face but also creates a call to action.

Chilean Land War Response

autumnochs — 2020-12-18 20:41:38 UTC

I understand that I am an outsider and will never fully grasp the complexities of either side. However, from the limited knowledge that I do have, I believe the land belongs to the Mapuche people. As Juan Tracal says in the video, the land belonged to their ancestors, so therefore it is rightfully theirs(5:34-5:42). While the land does belong to them, he personally does not believe that violence will solve anything. He also acknowledges that not all Mapuche people will agree with this (5:45-6:10). While I a not really in the place to speak for these people, I can, to some extent, understand the sentiments of people who either agree or disagree. I think that the best way for the Mapuche people to regain their land is peacefully, through protests or other nonviolent ways.