The Mapuche are an indigenous tribe located in southern-central Chile. The Mapuche people believe in a concept to be part of nature, part of life. They say the best caretakers of the environment, of our earth, are the indigenous people. They have strong beliefs and respect for their lands because they believe to have received everything they need from nature. The Mapuche struggle and continue to this day to fight for there land and to save their culture. During the era of the Spanish conquest, the Spaniards did not invade their territory they left them with three free regions. They successfully achieved peace, territorial treaties, and frontier agreements during this era. It wasn't until 50 years later a new invasion of colonizers were brought and installed into their territory by Chile, the new settlers were Germans, French, and Italians. The land that they rite fully owned was being redistributed and taken away from the Mapuche, much of their land being overtaken by large forest industries, native forest being destroyed and burned. They also face problems living along the coastal area where they use the sea for economic and religious uses, without even taking the Mapuche into account laws were being placed to privatize the sea. The Mapuche are being repressed, punished, marginalized, and discriminated it is stopping them from being able to evolve and grow. Lack of space provided for the Mapuche to continue to live and grow as a culture is causing for some to move to the city, Santiago where they begin to adapt to that culture and lifestyle out there they feel pressured to consume and be consumers of that lifestyle, causing some to trail away from there roots and what it means to be a Mapuche. Many of the Mapuche who now live in the city wish to go back to there native lands but do not see it as a reality. They fear if they do not get back the majority of their ancestral land they to will have to move to the cities and their culture, so closely bonded to the soil, will die out. The Mapuche continue to fight for the survival of there people, but most importantly for their land that the Chilean government took away from their ancestors in the 19th century.
The Dakota Access Pipeline is a pipeline made to transport barrels of crude oil across four states, from North Dakota to Illinois then where it can be shipped to refineries. Having this pipeline would be more cost-effective and a more efficient way transporting oil rather than shipping by trains. The indigenous people of the land, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe began to protest. They have several spiritual camps set near the Missouri river, they argue this project would contaminate drinking water and damage sacred burial sites. Environmental activist say the pipeline would perpetuate fossil fuel production. During parts of construction, parts of their sacred land were trespassed and destroyed, many protest and violent riots have gone on to try and stop the continuing of this pipeline. A large number of protestors have joined, resulting in much violence, dog attacks, police and military weapons, water cannons. Much of this has grabbed the media attention, Trump later approved for the pipeline to be completed, many of the protestors began to decrease in numbers and or were later evicted.
These two tribes show many similarities to each other in how the government is disregarding there culture and rights to their sacred territory and land. Both tribes hold the right to fight for there land that is being stolen and destroyed. They continue to fight for there culture and territory, they have all rights to their lands but the government continues to disregard them and their land and uses it for there own benefits. Both tribes continue to struggle and fight against the government to protect their tribes.
