[PHOTO] On the Mapuche

[rfmcdonald]

On the Mapuche
Originally uploaded by rfmcdpei

Chile is a nation-state with a fairly homogeneous and Europeanized population, a mixture of mestizos and immigrants coming from across Europe and Asia and more recently South America, but the Mapuche of the Araucania region of southern Chile stand out as a distinctive population. Much like other First Nations elsewhere in the hemisphere, the Mapuche contest land claims and sovereignty with their national government. In the area around the University of Toronto, there have been plenty of posters advertising pro-Mapuche (or at least pro-Mapuche activist) events like the protest outside Chile's Toronto consulate advertised here.