Por 350 años, el Mapuche ha luchado contra el principio español en los siglos 16. Muchos líderes mapuches han tenido éxito en la protección de su soberanía, pero, al final, los conquistadores españoles y los gobiernos modernos de Argentina y Chile han robado sus tierras y les obligó a trasladarse a las reservas o misiones. En estos lugares, muchos sufren de enfermedades, la desnutrición, el analfabetismo, el alcoholismo y las malas condiciones de vivienda.

En busca de una vida mejor, más de la mitad de la población Mapuche en Chile decidió trasladarse a las grandes ciudades para trabajar. Por desgracia, muchos se han distanciado de su cultura debido al movimiento y seguir viviendo en la pobreza debido a los puestos de trabajo de baja remuneración severamente a su disposición.

  Mientras tanto, para los que se quedan en los pueblos rurales, la amenaza de las empresas madereras se cierne siempre. Los bosques nativos en tierras ancestrales Mapuche están siendo destruidos para dejar espacio para los árboles de eucalipto y pino que luego serán utilizados para la madera y el papel. Los árboles de eucalipto y pino necesitan más agua de árboles nativos, que drena aún más el entorno de agua, lo que hace aún menos habitable.

http://www.economist.com/node/14816728

The Mapuche, one of the largest indigenous groups in South America, has lived in Chile and Argentina for centuries. In prehispanic times, they were living in nomadic and settled communities, sustaining themselves through hunting, gathering, and farming. Additionally, they were expert warriors and were one of the few groups to resist control by the Inca. However, following the arrival of the Spanish that brought violence and disease, the Mapuche began a fight that continues until this day. 

 For 350 years, the Mapuche has fought against the Spanish beginning in the 16th centuries. Many Mapuche leaders have succeeded at protecting their sovereignty, but, in the end, the spanish conquistadores and the modern governments of Argentina and Chile have stolen their lands and forced them to move to reservations or missions. At these locations, many suffer from illnesses, malnutrition, illiteracy, alcoholism, and poor housing. 

In search of a better life, more than half of the Mapuche population in Chile decided to move to large cities to work. Unfortunately, many have become estranged to their culture due to the move and continue to live in poverty due to the severely low-paying jobs available to them.

 Meanwhile, for those who stay in rural towns, the threat of logging companies is always looming. Native forests in Mapuche ancestral lands are being destroyed to make room for eucalyptus and pine trees that will then be used for wood and paper. The eucalyptus and pine trees need more water than native tress, which further drains the environment of water, making it even less inhabitable. 

 However, the Mapuche nation does not remain passive or without hope. In spite of brutal police repression, many activist groups protested—and continue to do so—against their unjust treatment and marginalization by the government. In Chile, Antiterrorist Laws created under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet have led to the imprisonment and mortal endangerment of many activists today. Though the government promises to resolve these issues through the construction of hospitals and schools, and by honoring Mapuche claims to their lands, the Mapuche refuse to stop fighting for justice. 

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/363612/Mapuche

http://www.unpo.org/members/7895

http://www.thenation.com/article/169304/attacks-chiles-indigenous-peoples-thwart-efforts-land-reparations#

http://www.economist.com/node/14816728