Last modified: 2006-09-30 by antónio martins
Keywords: tehuelche | patagonian | aónikenk | arrowhead (blue) | antieco (julio) |
Links: FOTW homepage |
search |
disclaimer and copyright |
write us |
mirrors
What is the nature of such an alliance? Perhaps a political and
cultural gathering, akin to those of Quechua and
Aymara, commonly opposing the dominant, spanish-descent culture?
According to ethnolinguistic
maps of Ethnologue.org, the Tehuelche live mainly in northeast
Santa Cruz province (AR), south of
Chubut and quite far away from the main
Mapuche populated areas, which are concentred
in Chile’s regions VII,
VIII, IX,
X and XI and in the
argentine province Neuquén. Still according to
Ethnologue.org, Mapuche and Tehuelche belong to distinct language
families (resp. Araucanian and Chon).
António Martins, 14 Jul 2004
Although Chubut and Neuquen do not have a common
border, they are very close. So the Mapuche from
Neuquen are close to northern Chubut. In the western
part of Chubut there are both Mapuche and Tehuelche.
Francisco Gregoric, 16 Jul 2004
The native Tehuelche in Chile they have flag own comunicated by the
Organización de Comunidades Mapuche-Tehuelche 11 de
Octubre. I suspect that the name is for the previous day that the spanish
arrived to America.
Jaume Ollé, 11 Aug 1998
At the Endepa on line
almanach there is another reference to the adoption date of this flag:
«September 7th: creation of the Mapuche-Tehuelche flag in
Chubut», Chubut being in argentine Patagonia. (Also
mentioned in
ScorpionShops
website.
António Martins, 14 Jul 2004
In Flag Report [frp] was published
in 1999 an statement of the Organización de comunidades
mapuche-tehuelche (Coordinadora Mapuche-Tehuelche), that give the
meaning of the flag: the blue is for the upper “land”
with the forces of the air, wind, sun…; white mean snow, that is benefical
for the agriculture (after a winter wit snow, a summer with green pastures);
the yellow is for tehuelche land. The arrow is because this people remain in
war until that obatin justice. This arrow will be expelled from the flag when
full rights are recognized to the Tehuelche.
Jaume Ollé, 22 Jul 2004
Julio Antieco, one of the leaders of the native American communities had
the idea to have a flag to represent his people. The design was an idea from
him. In real flags the length of the arrowhead is shorter.
Francisco Gregoric, 16 Jul 2004
The chart [tra01b] includes a
Mapuche-Tehuelche flag (thus captioned) which is a
strikingly modern looking triband of blue, white and golden with a blue
arrowhead on the middle stripe. It is credited «from a drawing
provided by Miguel Castillo-Bascary». (It is hard not to wonder
about any common trait between this flag and the
1810-1814 flag of Chile.)
António Martins, 14 Jul 2004
The triband blue-white-yellow with an arrowhead is the Bandera de las
comunidades indígenas de la Provincia del Chubut (flag of the
indigenous communities of the Province of Chubut). Although the
idea of this flag was a “private one”
of the groups, nowadays this flag is an official flag in the (Argentine)
Province of Chubut. It is regulated by a provincial
law (no.4072 - 1995).
Francisco Gregoric, 16 Jul 2004
In Flag Report [frp] was published
in 1999 an statement of the Organización de comunidades
mapuche-tehuelche (Coordinadora Mapuche-Tehuelche), that this
arrow will be expelled from the flag when full rights are recognized to the
Tehuelche.
Jaume Ollé, 22 Jul 2004
The design is certainly the same as the first
Chilean flag used before 1814. The reason why it is used by native
American groups is that apparently the design would have been used by some
native American tribes in late 19 Century. In those times the tribes used to
move freely from one side of the Andes to the other. It is possible that in
that moment, someone from Chile gave them the idea to use that historical
Chilean flag.
Francisco Gregoric, 16 Jul 2004
An interesting interview with an elder Mapuche lady includes flag references (my translation from Spanish):
We Tehuelche have a flag, which is white. There are reports about that flag in a cheiftain parlament in Genoa, Chubut, in 1869. Musters, an English explorer who was present, mentions it. In that parlament gathered the chieftains Casimiro, Orkeke, Hinchel and my grandfather Juan, according to Musters, in his book Life among the Patagonians; in that meeting it was decided that they would not ally with Calfucurá to attack Bahía Blanca.
As for the Tehuelche flag, we suppose that the motive of its adoption was that, been keen travellers, »the Tehuelche« found that a white flag granted them free pass and »thus« adopted it as their emblem; it is after all a symbol of peace and unity. We use it »hoisted« under the Argentine »national« flag.
António Martins, 14 Jul 2004 and 14 Nov 2004
This last paragraph seems to be a product of modern day wishful thinking:
Not only the described reaction to the truce flag contradicts the
reality of its usage (then and now, there and
everywhere), as also the adoption circumstances as described seems to
have a flaw of circular reasoning.
António Martins, 14 Nov 2004
An interesting interview with an elder Mapuche lady includes flag references (my translation from Spanish):
The Tehuelche (Patagonian) cheiftain Casimiro took with him everywhere the Argentine flag, it presided the parlament sessions. »« The great Tehuelche chief Inacayal had a»n Argentine« national flag waving by the side of his pavillion, »« recieved as a gift from Perito Moreno to »the chief’s« son Utrac.
António Martins, 15 Jul 2004 and 14 Nov 2004
Anything below this line was not added by the editor of this page.