No Revolutionaries or Anti capitalists, Just Mapuche

By: Mauricio Nilian

While Europe was embroiled in feudal wars over territory, cut off from the world by the Muslim conquests that spanned from Africa to Asia, the ancient Mapuche society in this part of the world thrived under a model of abundance, balance, and general harmony as an ancestral nation. This was in a continent inhabited by countless ancestral nations, with the Aztecs and Incas establishing two forms of government more akin to European models than those of other existing nations. These societies built pyramidal organizational structures with institutions designed for territorial expansion.

The arrival of Columbus in 1492 marked the imposition of another model of organization—social, economic, political, and religious—that devastated entire peoples and integrated these pyramidal structures into their feudal systems, even granting power to local leaders. Yet, as it spread inward across the continent, areas of autonomy and freedom persisted. One of the most notable in the history of conquest is the War of Arauco, where the Spaniards chronicled many tales during 300 years of conflict with the Mapuche.

The Wallmapu, or Mapuche nation, which stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific, witnessed the end of the Hispanic feudal era. It is evident in the continued struggle to maintain its borders, as the successors of Hispanicism, now proclaimed “independent,” engaged in internal power struggles. Within just half a century of independence, they resolved to form a pact between the Chilean and Argentinian states for the definitive invasion of Mapuche territory, this time backed by England, which oversaw the independence of the former Spanish colonies. A notable aspect of the last 500 years of Western history is the existence of a nation that, armed only with primitive tools, not only maintained its independence from the global market for nearly four centuries but also halted the expansion of the Inka Empire a century before Columbus’s arrival.

Revolutionary and anti-capitalists?

We are beings that transcend the frailties of Western ideologies, existing beyond the discursive and casuistic logic of the Winka [foreigner]. Being Mapuche, both now and historically, is to embody a complex and diverse identity, with totemic elements that signify a composition of transient matter and enduring spirit, marking our passage through the present. Life and death are not confined to the narrowness with which the white man perceives his existence and demise. For this reason, our national emblem is not a mere token of schoolbook patriotism or a product of the systematic indoctrination from Western “national” education systems. The essence of being land and territory is an enduring aspect of life at every stage.

The Tuwün signifies a determined energetic-spiritual connection, the wellspring of the Mapuche’s perpetual life, transcending the simplistic notions of “nation” or “country.” In Mapuche discourse, the concepts of nation and country serve only to impart meaning, not to confine. Thus, in our Mapudungun language, nation-country is not restricted to a legal framework or identifying colours. The Mapuche Nation, Wallmapu, is imbued with scent, color, significance, and astral and cosmic influence; it is an attachment to a realm where power is established, not merely material but also spiritual transcendence. Hence, it is both a Nation/Country and simultaneously not. Paraphrasing the white man’s talk of nationalism, we might say we are “Tuwünists.” From a common-sense perspective, nations suffering genocide, invasion, or holocaust tend to migrate.

The Mapuche, however, remains steadfast in his territory, bending but unbroken, pausing for deep breaths, unwavering from his core, and ever vigilant to the universe’s movements. Wallmapu stands as an axis of power and significance. One can live or survive, but the Mapuche endures and thrives within the power of Wallmapu. Survival under invasion is possible, but it requires resilience and defiance. This reflects the experience of a century of occupation and territorial coexistence. Yet, it is our heritage and rightful claim that liberates us, despite the claims of those who feel entitled to ownership today. Convincing the winka that ownership is untenable in a land that rejects such concepts will be challenging. The land demands respect; it is a living entity, and the Mapuche are integral to its vast existence.

The territory that summons us is vibrant and commanding, repeatedly marked by earthquakes, volcanoes, tides, Kay kay filu, and Tren tren filu. None are dormant; their unmatched power calls for our humility and gratitude. The territory remains unbound, welcoming uninvited guests, yet it remains free. As the axis rebalances, the Mapuche reconnect with their essence. In a dialectic of meaning, spanning vast chronological spaces, the territory undergoes grand cycles of breakthroughs and transformations beyond human control. The Mapu’s rhythm isn’t dictated by winka time. Our cosmic readings suggest that to this land, the winka concept is non-existent, an alien model unrooted in nature and the universal laws.

Thus, the universe’s evolutions and revolutions don’t acknowledge the fleeting epochs of European dominance; its decline isn’t a revolutionary victory but a failure to endure. As a German philosopher noted, capitalism harbors the seeds of its own demise. The Mapuche, striving for harmonious existence within the territory, are neither REVOLUTIONARY nor counter-revolutionary; their aims diverge from ethnocentric ideologies. Mapuche governance is rooted in parlamento [negotiation – accords], where human agreements extend the dialogue with earth’s forces, embodying ‘freedom’ in honouring LIFE in all its forms, tangible and ethereal. The strength of Wallmapu lies in respecting territorial and local autonomies, bound by a shared ideology and language, with speech as a token of honour. Concepts like absolutism, totalitarianism, and dictatorship are foreign to the Mapuche community. Consequently, their resistance is directed against any form of freedom deprivation. From our perspective, there isn’t an evolution into a new stage of development, which could be termed as re-evolution, but rather a return to the state of freedom that existed prior to the invasion. Achieving this objective would characterize us as non-revolutionary and involutionary.

From this, we can infer that we are not ANTICAPITALISTS. This is not because we align with the supposed benefits of “progress,” but rather because we choose not to entangle ourselves with anarchists and socialists who unite at the barricades to overthrow a system of domination, only to then dispute the succession of a new model. Therefore, we do not harbor false revolutionary expectations. Our role in history transcends foreign ideologies; we do not reject being agents of change, yet we are neither a political party nor do we establish parties, churches, or unions. Our place in the history of the planet is boundless, and our aim is not to impose our ways on the world. Instead, we humbly aspire to inspire all peoples to reclaim their essence, for humanity to return to its roots, and to heed the voices of nature, where truth resides.

Author: Mauricio Nilian (original Mapuche)

• _Founding member of UPO (Original Popular University) Puelmapu – Mendoza-Argentina
• _Director of the Free Department of Native Peoples at Congress University
• _Integrated of Intercultural Educators Mapuche del Puelmapu (Argentina)

English translation: Claudio Ekdahl

Taken from original post in Spanish by Ricardo Inalef