Pillan Mahiuza Community

Pillan Mahiuza Community Statement

Pillan Mahiuza, January 2, 2000

Statement of commitment of the Mapuche communities of the town of Corcovado, province of Chubut, Argentina.

On the second day of the month of January 2000, on the recovered land of our Mapuche territory, known as a police reservation, about 10 km from the town of Corcovado, in the province of Chubut, in the Argentine Republic.

After celebrating the Pichigillipum at dawn, the members of the following communities: Cerro Centinela, Lago Rosario, Mariano Epulef, the original people Quilmes, through their representative Santos Mamani, and human rights organizations, met at a Traun (meeting), to draft the following considerations and resolutions:

Considering the lack of lands suitable and sufficient for the full development of our lives, a situation forcing us into exodus, to leave our homes to go to the city in search of a better quality of life, there only to find poverty, marginalization and death.

Considering that the Argentinian State constitutionally guarantees our right to the land and has signed up to international agreements, such as Convention 169 of the ILO.

Considering that the community of Cerro Centinela is in a high area and does not have summer pastures to enable it to continue a millennial practice of sustainable development which would allow it, in turn, to overcome the problems causing its current situation.

It is hereby resolved: starting from this moment, to support the recovery action that has been carried out for a week now by some of our Mapuche brothers and sisters. To join the action as a community and to demand that the 250 hectares of land now identified as the police reservation be returned to us, to be used by our community for as land for cultivation and grazing our animals.

Considering the will of the Castro brothers and sisters, and also of the werken Moira Millán, to be part of this community, we have resolved to invite them to participate in it, with equality of rights and responsibilities.

Considering the need to strengthen ourselves in the Mapuche-Tehuelche identity of which we are part, which has been beaten out of us and forgotten, we have resolved to carry out activities to fulfill this objective; to restore the value of the cemetery, to perform our Mapuche celebrations, etc.

Considering that the current name of the community, Cerro Centinela, does not identify us as an original Mapuche Lofche, we will change the name to another, one in our own language, the Mapuzungun: Pillan Mahuiza.

Finally, collectively and decisively we take up the fight to demand the legitimate recognition of our right to 250 hectares, taking all the actions necessary to ensure that, with the greatest urgency, the government of the Province of Chubut gives us the title to community property and guarantees its institutional support for our cultural, economic and social development in a pragmatic manner.

Pillan Mahiuza Community

Iliana de Tomaso From: cronopio@teletel.com.ar (de Tomaso Iliana)

Translated by: Leslie Ray Mapuche International Link

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