Joven Daniel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids History |
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|---|---|
| Name | Soverence |
| Commissioned | 1831 |
| Fate | Acquired by the Chilean Navy to serve as transport in the War of the Confederation |
 Chile |
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| Commissioned | 1838 |
| Renamed | Joven Daniel |
| Honours and awards |
War of the Confederation |
| Fate | Wrecked off the coast of Budi Lake, 1849 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Brigantine |
| Tonnage | 180 gross tons |
| Notes | Built in Linn |
The Joven Daniel was a type of sailing ship called a brigantine that belonged to the Chilean Navy. It started service in 1838 and was used to transport supplies and soldiers during the War of the Confederation, a conflict involving Chile and Peru. This ship later became well-known because it crashed and sank off the coast of Araucanía in 1849.
Since the wreck happened in an area not controlled by the Chilean government, authorities found it hard to figure out what happened to any possible survivors. There were many accusations among local Mapuche groups about what happened to the ship's cargo and if anyone survived. The events that followed the shipwreck caused strong negative feelings towards the Mapuche people in Chilean society. Years later, these feelings played a part in Chile's decision to take control of the Mapuche's independent lands, an event known as the Occupation of Araucanía.
Contents
The Shipwreck and What Happened Next
First Reports of the Wreck
In 1849, the Joven Daniel was sailing between Valdivia and Valparaíso when it crashed. It ran aground on the rocky shore near Puancho, close to Budi Lake, between the mouths of the Imperial and Toltén River. Chilean officials learned about the accident in early August when a Mapuche man named Santiago Millaguir reported it.
Millaguir claimed he visited the wreck site six days after the crash. He told the Chileans that any survivors had been killed and the ship's cargo stolen. He also said that surviving children and women were taken away and then harmed. He blamed the people of a local Mapuche leader, or cacique, named Curin for these actions. The Chilean government sent Joaquín Sayago to investigate. While Sayago could not find Curin, he did contact Mapuche tribes south of the wreck, in the Toltén area. These Mapuche groups had some items from the wreck, like paper, cloth, and gold, and were willing to return them. Attempts to find graves of supposed survivors near the beach were not successful. In further talks, Sayago and the capitanes de amigos (officials who worked with indigenous groups) learned that many Mapuche believed no one had survived the wreck. This seemed to contradict the Chilean investigation, which described the wreck site as a beach where survivors could have reached land.
New Information and Meetings
The leader of Valdivia sent Miguel José Cambiazo with a group of soldiers north to arrest Curin and his people. Cambiazo returned to Valdivia with several Mapuche witnesses. These witnesses described how survivors, including children and women, had been harmed. President Manuel Bulnes' political opponents called for military action against the Mapuche. The Mapuches, in turn, prepared for a fight with the Chilean Army.
General José María de la Cruz, who commanded the Chilean Army's southern forces, called Mapuche leaders from the wreck area to a meeting. The Mapuche leaders who attended showed a willingness to cooperate with Chilean interests. They spoke against those accused of theft and harm.
The Trials
Mapuche groups handed over some people accused of taking items from the wreck. These individuals were put on trial in Concepción and Valdivia. During the trials, some defendants said they had not taken anything. Others admitted to taking items but denied harming anyone, stating that no one could have survived the shipwreck. The Mapuches also claimed that all the recovered items had been given to Sayago's assistant. However, the amount they mentioned did not match what Sayago later returned in Valdivia. This raised the possibility that Sayago or someone in his group might have kept some of the items.
In a letter related to the trial, José Antonio Zúñiga, a soldier with Sayago's group, described the coast of Puancho as rocky. This contradicted earlier descriptions of the wreck site as a beach. He also suggested that the accusations of harm among the Mapuche came from arguments over the items taken from the wreck, as many groups quickly gathered there. This idea meant that Chilean authorities might have gotten involved in a conflict between different Mapuche groups.
Catalina Ayinman, whom Miguel José Cambiazo had brought to Valdivia as a witness, was called to testify again in Concepción. This time, she claimed her earlier statements were not true. She said she was in Mehuín, far to the south, when the shipwreck happened. She had been living there because of accusations of Kalku Witchcraft from her husband and her uncle, Curin. In later discussions, Catalina Ayinman openly accused Miguel José Cambiazo of pressuring her and twisting her first statements.
President Bulnes eventually decided against sending a military expedition. He felt it was not important for the eventual conquest of Araucanía.
| Issue | Conclusion |
|---|---|
| Site of wreck | Descriptions varied between a beach and a rocky shore |
| Deaths | Mapuches generally denied any deaths, saying no one survived the wreck. At least one witness who claimed to see deaths later changed her story. |
| Graves | Some said graves existed, but none were found |
| Taking items | Some Mapuche admitted to taking items |
| Fate of items | Some items were recovered; the rest might have been kept by Mapuches or soldiers from Valdivia |
Cultural Impact in Chile
The shipwreck had a big impact on Chilean culture. As details became known in Santiago, they created strong anti-Mapuche feelings. It reinforced unfair ideas that Mapuches were harsh or uncivilized. For the first time, the idea of destroying the Mapuche "race" and culture was discussed publicly in Chile. These strong negative feelings towards the Mapuche people later contributed to Chile's decision to take control of their independent lands.
A passenger on the ship, Elisa Bravo, was seen as a hero in two poems by Rafael Santos in 1856. Her story was soon after featured in paintings by Raymond Monvoisin.
What Historians Say
Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna was the first historian to study these events. He believed Sayago was innocent of theft and Cambiazo was at fault. Historian Diego Barros Arana concluded that no one was harmed and that soldiers from Valdivia had kept some of the items. He believed they hid this with lies. Barros Arana praised how the main government authorities handled the situation. His views were later accepted by other famous historians like Francisco Antonio Encina and Ricardo Ferrando.
Using a Mapuche source, José Bengoa believed that harm did occur. However, the reliability of this source has been questioned because it includes some unbelievable parts. Valdivian historian Gabriel Guarda initially denied any harm or taking away of people. Later, he changed his mind to admit at least the taking away of people. Guarda changed his view after reading a testimony from 1863 by Guillermo Cox, a traveler who claimed to have seen Elisa Bravo.
