The Native Peoples Technical Assistance Office and Office of Societal Impact co-sponsored the March 28th seminar “Mapuzgun: Indigenous land reclamation and language revitalization in the Wall Mapu (Chile).” Mapuche activists Silvia Calfuqueo and Carolina Kürrüf have been speaking at universities and with communities from Oregon to Arizona about their efforts to restore sovereignty to the Mapuche people. Documentary filmmaker Kelly Baur organized the tour and shared her films focusing on the Mapuche struggle. “It was an eye-opening experience, listening to members of the Mapuche culture talking to us about the struggles that their community has been facing for decades and expressing what this means to them on a social and spiritual level,” said Miguel Corrales Valencia, a student in the College of Medicine. A documentary viewing and discussion with the activists helped the audience to understand that these social movements are meant to reclaim land, language, spiritual practices, and sovereignty to keep the Mapuche culture alive.
