Coordinadora Arauco-Malleco facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Coordinadora Arauco Malleco |
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| Participant in the Mapuche conflict | |
Emblem used by the Organos de Resistencia Territorial (military arm) in sabotage actions awarded by the CAM. The image represents a guemil (symbol of Mapuche iconography) with a Mapuche clava inside it.
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| Active | 1998–present |
| Ideology |
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| Leaders | Héctor Llaitul |
| Area of operations | La Araucania Region and Bio Bio Region |
| Allies | .svg){kind=small} Resistencia Ancestral Mapuche |
| Opponents |
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The Coordinadora Arauco-Malleco (CAM) is a group of Mapuche people in Chile. They work to get back land they believe belongs to them. Their goal is to create an independent Mapuche area called Wallmapu.
CAM was started in 1998 in Tranaquepe, Chile. The group formed because of long-standing problems for the Mapuche people. They faced poverty and unfair treatment for over a century, especially after the Occupation of Araucanía. CAM believes their actions are a way to defend themselves. They see their work as a fight for their nation's freedom. Their ideas mix Mapuche traditions with modern political thoughts.
CAM has taken over land in areas like Tirúa, Contulmo, Cañete, and Temucuicui. They are known for setting fire to logging trucks and farms. These actions usually target property they believe has taken their homeland. Sometimes, these attacks have affected regular people. Most of their actions are done secretly. But sometimes, they lead to fights with the police, like the Fuerzas Especiales of Carabineros de Chile. CAM also helps smaller Mapuche communities. They support them in taking direct action against logging companies and landowners. This is a way to put pressure on these groups.
On May 31, 2022, the Chamber of Deputies of Chile voted on CAM. They asked the Chilean government to call CAM an "illegal terrorist organization."
Contents
History of CAM
Why CAM Started
The land claims made by Coordinadora Arauco-Malleco have a long history. The Mapuche people have often had conflicts with outside groups. This has happened in the Araucanía region for many years.
The Mapuche have always resisted being taken over. First, they fought the Inca. Then, in the 1500s, they fought the Spanish. There was a clear border between Spanish lands and Mapuche lands. But this border was broken after the Battle of Curalaba. Later, Mapuche warriors destroyed seven important Spanish towns in southern Chile. They worked with Huilliche forces. This was similar to how they now act against logging companies and farms.
There was a ten-year war starting in 1655 between the Spanish and the Mapuche. More conflicts happened during the Occupation of Araucanía in the 1870s and 1880s. During this time, many Chileans gained land in Araucanía. Before this occupation, the Mapuche-ruled area was seen as an independent region. This was true under both Spanish and Chilean rule. CAM's actions to take back land in places like Tirúa and Contulmo are an effort to return to how things were before the 1870s.
Recent Events
In 1996, some Mapuche communities created the Lafkenche Territorial Coordinator. In 1998, a conflict happened in Traiguén. After this, a meeting of communities took place. Communities from Arauco and Lumaco joined. The Mapuche Coordinator of Santiago and the Mapuche Organization Meli Wixan Mapu from Santiago also took part. Leaders from Collipulli communities joined too. At this meeting, they decided to have another meeting in Tranaquepe. Only Mapuche communities involved in conflicts attended this one. During this meeting, they decided to form the Coordinadora. They called it the "Mapuche Coordinator of Communities in Conflict Arauco Malleco."
The group's first known action was on December 1, 1997. In the area of Lumaco, three trucks from Forestal Arauco were stopped. The people who stopped them later became known as CAM members. This action changed how Mapuche activists worked. It led to more conflicts with security forces.
According to historian Jorge Pinto Rodríguez, CAM has led the most active Mapuche protests up to 2017. He said they use the idea of the warrior, or weichafe in Mapudungun. Pinto explained that CAM started because the government did not respond to demands. These demands were about the effects of logging, mining, and hydroelectric projects in La Araucanía, or Wallmapu. He said they are against a government they call colonialist and capitalist. CAM appeared during a time of indigenous protests across the continent in the late 1990s.
Important Cases
The Luchsinger-Mackay Case
CAM has been linked to a serious case involving Werner Luchsinger and Vivianne Mackay. This couple were farmers who died in a fire at their home in Vilcún in 2013. Police found machi Celestino Córdova nearby that night. He had bullet wounds. He was later found responsible for the attack. He was judged and sentenced for the deaths. He is still serving his sentence. He is the only person formally charged in this case. CAM says he is innocent and was wrongly blamed. They consider him a political prisoner.
International Connections
Recent information suggests connections between CAM and other groups. Their leaders have been invited to Caracas. Investigations by Colombian authorities also show links. These links are with the government of president Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela and the FARC guerrillas.
See also
In Spanish: Coordinadora Arauco-Malleco para niños
- Weichán Auka Mapu
- Resistencia Ancestral Mapuche
- Wallmapuwen
- KLFA
