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Mapuche people (Chile and Argentina)

Last modified: 2005-12-17 by antonio martins
Keywords: mapuche | cultrum | contest | tehuelche | lelfünche | star: 5 points (white) |
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[Flag of Mapuche People]
image by Jaume Ollé, 08 Nov 1996
See also:

Origin of the Mapuche Flag

In 1992, in the V Centenary of the discovery of America, the Mapuche people adopted a national flag that was presented for the first time to the Spanish king in his visit to Chile. The flag is based on the Nagche regional flag, but is quite different in the border, the stripes (only three) and the central emblem.
Jaume Ollé, 08 Nov 1996

This flag, with very minor differences, is listed under number 201 at the chart Flags of Aspirant Peoples [eba94] as: «Mapu [Araucania] (Mapuche Indians) - Chile.».
Ivan Sache, 15 Sep 1999

In the spring of 1991 in Valdivia was celebrated a convention called Meli Witram Mapu of the Mapuche People. The adoption of a national flag was aborted and 500 projects were presented. Five projects were selectioned for the five regions of the Mapuches. The definitive national flag was approved in 1992. The Mapuche unified their traditional government in 1991 in the National Conference of Temuco (18-21 March). The Aukin Wallmapu Ngulam (Council of all the lands) dirige currently the Mapuche People.

The flags share a common symbolism:

  • red: blood derramed in the wars (against Spain, first, and after against Chilean Army and white chilean people)
  • green: Natura, earth
  • skyblue (celeste): sky, hope
  • yellow: sun, light
  • white: the Mountains of the Mapuche Land (snow some months of the year)
Some designs bear a central emblem named Cultrum, that represent the woman, the four directions (N, S. W and E), the perfect round of the Earth and the movement in the space.

Jaume Ollé, 16 Sep 1996

Mapuche historical flag

[Old Mapuche Flag]
image by Mello Luchtemberg, 05 Jul 2004

At http://millamap.tripod.com/pprincipal.htm, is shown flag said to be a Mapuche flag, and which looks like a Bonnie Blue flag or a Somalian one… There is this comment: «According to Mr. Cesar Famin, in his Historia de Chile 1839, the Mapuche flag is made of a white star on a blue field.»
Olivier Touzeau, 09 Oct 2002

Argentine border variant?

[Flag of Mapuche People?]
image by António Martins, 05 Jul 2004

A photo containing a Mapuche flag from the argentine magazine El Arca del Nuevo Siglo, with a caption identifing two mapuche ladies (one from Argentina and a second from Chile) holding «a flag that ransoms back the identity symbols of the great Mapuche nation».
António Martins and Osvaldo Gorgazzi, 01 Oct 2000

Similar to the flag of the mapuche region Lafquenche, though with some differences:

  • the cultrum is red, not black
  • only eight white chakanas on each side
  • there is no empty white space on the top
  • the flag seems quite squarish, some 3:4
António Martins, 05 Jul 2004

Lelfünche Mapuche community in Santiago

[AMUL flag]
image by António Martins, 05 Jul 2004

At http://millamap.tripod.com/pprincipal.htm you can see an urban Mapuche community in Santiago: Asociación de Mapuches Urbanos Lelfünche.
Olivier Touzeau, 09 Oct 2002

Tehuelche

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