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| Lof Mapuche | |
|---|---|
| Name | Lof Mapuche |
| Native name | Lof |
| Settlement type | Community |
| Subdivision type | Region |
| Subdivision name | Araucanía Region |
Lof Mapuche is a foundational socio-territorial unit of the Mapuche people in south-central Chile and parts of Argentina, organizing kinship, residence, and political action within historical Araucanía and contemporary Araucanía Region. Rooted in precolonial patterns and shaped by contact with the Spanish Empire, Chilean Republic, and Argentine Republic, the lof functions as a locus for communal land use, ceremonial practice, and collective decision-making. Its persistence informs contemporary disputes over property, indigenous rights, and cultural revitalization across contexts such as Temuco, Angol, Cautín Province, and Malleco Province.
The term "lof" derives from Mapudungun and denotes a patrilineal or extended kin-based community analogous to a tribe or clan within Mapuche society, historically distinguished from the larger territorial unit called the aillarehue and the military-political formation the rehue. Scholars contrast lof with concepts used by the Spanish Empire during the colonial period and later by the Chilean Republic; ethnographers working with communities in Valdivia and Llanquihue have debated glosses in works associated with Diego Barros Arana and Manuel de Salas. Linguists cite Mapudungun sources and studies by Rolf Foerster and Adolfo Concha in tracing semantic shifts connected to land tenure recognized under the Ley Indígena and interpretations advanced during constitutional debates in Santiago.
A lof organizes around extended families and lineages led by elders and authorities such as the lonko and spiritual leaders like the machi. Decision-making within a lof often occurs in assemblies comparable to those recorded in accounts of the Parliament of Quilín and other colonial-era negotiations with representatives from Governorate of Chile institutions. Inter-lof relations are mediated through alliances, marriage links, and confederations that historically coordinated military resistance against incursions by the Spanish Empire and later by the Chilean Army in the Occupación de la Araucanía. Contemporary lof governance engages with institutions including the Corporación Nacional de Desarrollo Indígena, municipal councils in Temuco and Angol, and international bodies like the United Nations via mechanisms such as ILO Convention 169.
Territoriality of a lof is defined by ancestral use, seasonal grazing, and sacred sites including rehue and nguillatún locations, often overlapping with modern property regimes established after the Pacification of Araucanía and legal instruments like the Ley de Tierras and later agrarian reforms under leaders such as Pedro Aguirre Cerda. Land conflicts implicate actors like private landowners, forestry companies including Arauco, state agencies such as the Instituto de Desarrollo Agropecuario and NGOs with interests in conservation exemplified by CONAF projects. Disputes have catalyzed legal cases brought to courts in Santiago and provincial tribunals in Temuco and have intersected with international norms advanced via Inter-American Commission on Human Rights petitions.
Cultural life within a lof centers on ceremonies led by the machi—healing rituals, seasonal nguillatún, and rites marked at sites linked to Mapuche cosmology like the coihue forests and riverine settings such as the Bío Bío River. Artistic expressions include traditional weaving with motifs recorded in ethnographies by Andrés Pezoa, musical practices featuring instruments similar to the kultrun and trutruka, and oral literature preserved in collections associated with scholars like Margaret O. Gordon. Educational and transmission practices occur within family networks and community centers that collaborate with universities in Temuco (e.g., Universidad de La Frontera) and cultural institutions such as the Museo Regional de la Araucanía.
Lof formations played central roles in resistances against the Spanish Empire during the Arauco War and later coordinated opposition during the Occupation of Araucanía and the incorporation processes under the Chilean Republic. Leaders associated with lof mobilization include figures linked to the Parliament of Negrete and episodes like the War of Arauco. In the twentieth century, lof communities participated in peasant movements, agrarian reform debates involving actors such as the Partido Radical and the Unidad Popular era, and later mobilizations during the Pinochet dictatorship that implicated human rights organizations like the Vicariate of Solidarity.
Modern lof confront challenges tied to forestry expansion by corporations such as CMPC and Arauco, environmental degradation affecting watersheds like the Toltén River, and legal contention over titles adjudicated through instruments crafted under administrations of presidents including Salvador Allende and Michelle Bachelet. Revitalization initiatives include language recovery programs linked to CONADI, cultural patrimony projects with the Museo Mapuche de Cañete, and political advocacy through organizations like the Consejo de Todas las Tierras and parties such as the Comunidad Mapuche Autonóma. Transnational solidarity involves networks interacting with the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and academic collaborations with institutions including Universidad de Chile and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
Historically notable lof and leaders associated with lof-led mobilization include figures tied to the legacy of Caupolicán and Lautaro in indigenous historiography, 19th-century lonkos active during the Pacification of Araucanía, and contemporary leaders involved in legal and political advocacy appearing in national media outlets and court records in Santiago. Organizations and autonomous lof collectives have engaged with political parties such as Movimiento de Izquierda Revolucionaria allies, NGOs like Amnesty International in human rights campaigns, and cultural forums at venues like the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural.
Category:Mapuche Category:Indigenous peoples of Chile Category:Indigenous peoples of Argentina