There are multiple Mapuche flag designs used as emblems of the Mapuche Indigenous people and the Mapuche communities and Indigenist political organizations in Chile and Argentina.[1]
Chile[]
In March 1991, the Chilean Mapuche Indigenist political organisation AukiƱ Wallmapu Ngulam, also known as Council of All Lands, made a call to make the flag of the Mapuche people. About 500 designs were submitted, of which one was selected for the Mapuche people. The flag is called Wenufoye (Mapudungun for The Heaven's Winter's Bark).[1]
The flag consists of a horizontal tricolor of blue, green, and red, with two ngĆ¼mins (black stripes with twelve white diamonds each) on the top and bottom. In the center is a yellow and red cultrun with a circular design of the Mapuche cosmovision: the Meli Witran Mapu (the four cardinal points), and also the sun, the moon, and the stars.
Symbolism[]
- Yellow (chod or choz): renewal, symbol of the sun.
- Blue (kallfĆ¼): life, order, wealth and the universe. In Mapudungun, is also an adjective that could be translated as "sacred" or "spiritual".
- White (lĆ¼q): the cleansing, healing and longevity symbol of wisdom and prosperity.
- Red (kelĆ¼): strength and power, symbol of history.
- Green (karĆ¼): the earth or nature, wisdom, fertility and healing power, symbol of the machi (Mapuche shaman).
- Cultrun (kultrung or kultrug), a "Mapuche drum": This is a percussion instrument for ceremonial and social use. It has a flat surface in which is represented the Earth's surface. It is a symbol of the knowledge of the world.
- Gemil (ngĆ¼min) Stepped cross or star, similar to the Chakana or Inca Cross, or rhombus with twisting border: represents the art of the handcrafting, the science and knowledge; symbol of the writing system.[1]
Apart from the Wenufoye, there are five other flags representing the different territories:[1]
Argentina[]
In Argentina, there is a tricolor flag representing the Mapuche and Tehuelche peoples together. The Tehuelche are an indigenous people of eastern Patagonia, part of whom has undergone Araucanization. The flag is mainly used in the province of Chubut, while the Tehuelche in Santa Cruz, where Araucanization has not reached, use a different flag.[1]
The flag consists of a horizontal tricolor of blue, white, and yellow, with a blue arrowhead in the middle.
Symbolism[]
The blue and yellow symbolize the sky and the sun. White is the color of the sacred horse, a spirit in Araucanian mythology. The arrow symbolizes war, this symbol is to be removed when the fight to regain dignity is over.[1]
The history of the flag began in 1987, when Julio Antieco began negotiations with Mapuche communities to create a flag representing the Mapuche-Tehuelche people. On November 6, 1991, during the first provincial meeting of chiefs and aboriginal communities in Trevelin, the new symbol was recognized. Through Law No. 4072, published on April 5, 1995, the Chubut Province recognized it as the "symbol and emblem of the aboriginal communities of the province."[1]
Historical flags[]
It is not certain when the Mapuche began using flags as a symbol, and it is unlikely that any flags existed before Spanish contact. The known early mention of the colours of blue, white, and red used by Mapuche warriors comes from Canto XXI of the epic poem La Araucana, written by Alonso de Ercilla in 1569. These colors were reused by the Patriots during the War of Independence and are still used on the flag of Chile. The first flag consisted of a white eight-pointed star on a blue background and was first mentioned in 1839, but already then it was referred to as an old symbol. This star was a symbol for the planet Venus, known as GuƱelve. One theory is that the GuƱelve flag may have also influenced the Chilean flag. The white star currently placed in the canton of the Chilean flag was introduced by Bernardo O'Higgins, a member of the Lautaro Lodge.
One of the versions of the GuƱelve flag, sometimes confused with the historical flag, was painted on a fresco "Young Lautaro" by Pedro Subercaseaux in 1946.[1]
Kingdom of AraucanĆa and Patagonia[]
- Main article: Kingdom of AraucanĆa and Patagonia
In 1860, the Frenchman OrĆ©lie Antoine de Tounens arrived in Araucania and, with the support of several Mapuche loncos, began to organize the kingdom with himself as the constitutional king. De Tounens claimed to use a tricolor flag of blue-white-green, although sources also mention a green-blue-white arrangement. The Kingdom was unable to resist the Chilean forces during the Occupation of AraucanĆa. De Tounens himself was deported to France and the flag was forgotten in America, but a group of French citizens inspired by his story founded the "Court in Exile" which still functions as a micronation and still uses the flag.[1]