mapuche

The Mapuche are an indigenous people of South America, primarily inhabiting the south-central part of Chile and the southwestern region of Argentina. They refer to themselves as Mapuche, meaning people of the land, and their traditional territory is known as Wallmapu. Their language, Mapudungun, is part of the Araucanian language family; many Mapuche are bilingual in Spanish, and there are ongoing efforts to preserve and promote Mapudungun through education and media.

Traditionally, Mapuche society is organized around local kin groups led by lonkos (clan chiefs) and maintained by spiritual leaders called machis. Cultural life includes weaving, wood and metal crafts, and distinctive dress and silverwork. Important rituals such as the Nguillatún ceremony reflect community ties, land, and spiritual beliefs. The economy has historically combined agriculture, horticulture, and animal husbandry, with crops like potatoes and maize playing central roles.

Contact with Spanish colonizers from the 16th century led to protracted conflict known as the Arauco War, and, in the 19th century, Chilean and Argentinian governments pursued expansive settlement policies that displaced many Mapuche from their ancestral lands. In both countries, the late 19th and 20th centuries saw assimilation pressures, followed by a revival of Mapuche identity and political organization in response to land and autonomy issues. In contemporary times, Mapuche movements advocate for land rights, self-determination, and the protection of cultural heritage. The issue remains central in southern Chile and parts of Argentine Patagonia, where land use, forestry, and resource extraction intersect with indigenous rights and state policy.

Estimates of the Mapuche population vary; they form one of the largest indigenous groups in Chile and Argentina, with communities spread across both countries.