Casamiquela: Araucanians are Chilean and Cannot Claim Lands in Argentina

Rodolfo Casamiquela: The historian who assured that “The Mapuches do not have rights to Argentine lands”

10/22/2017
Informa de Patrulla

Rodolfo Casamiquela was a paleontologist, archaeologist, Doctor of Science, researcher, teacher, historian and writer. He left around twenty books and 400 research papers. He dedicated his life to the study of the origins of Patagonia. He was born in Ingeniero Jacobacci (province of Río Negro) in 1932  and died in Cipolletti in 2008. He was the author of numerous publications on the origins of human settlement in Patagonia and promoted the recognition of the Tehuelche ethnic group as a native people of the northern part of the Patagonia region.

The historian Rodolfo Casamiquela was harsh with the Mapuches, who "scratched" him several times. He says that "they have no real interest in safeguarding indigenous culture, but are rather 'piqueteros'." He spoke of fighting to rescue the language of the Tehuelche people from oblivion. And that worried him much more than the insults he receives when he wants to talk about the story. "If they define themselves as Mapuches, they are Chileans and if they are Chileans they have no right to the land of Argentina," said Casamiquela.

He graduated as a National Mining Expert, while continuing his training in Patagonian topics in the library of the Ethnographic Museum. A scholarship took him to Belgium and, upon his return, he decided to pursue a career in Paleontology at the University of La Plata. He worked for Conicet until the military coup of 1966. He decided to settle in Chile, where he graduated with a doctorate in Biology at the end of the 60s. He returned to Río Negro, where he created the Río Negro Scientific Research Center, based in Viedma.

In 1978, Casamiquela created the Ameghino Foundation in Viedma to promote regional research and the study of agriculture, geology, mining, fishing and biology. His research works include iconological and ethnological studies of Patagonia, rock art and Tehuelche grammar,

In 1965 he received the first National Prize for Anthropology and the third for Biology from the Undersecretary of Culture of the Nation. He served as a professor at different universities and academic institutions in Chile and Argentina. He was an emeritus professor at the National University of Southern Patagonia and nominated for an honorary doctorate.

“Casamiquela had different episodes where he was harshly criticized for investigations in which he maintained that the Tehuelches were the true original settlers of Chubut and northern Patagonia. His studies led him to affirm that the Mapuches crossed the border and invaded the Tehuelches in the 17th century, a people whom he considered practically extinct.

“This position earned him severe criticism from aboriginalists from Argentina and Chile, who on several occasions prevented the researcher from completing his dissertations in universities and institutions. The root of the discussion is that Casamiquela considered the Mapuches, Chileans, when it comes to “pre-existing” peoples that inhabited the mountain range before the political geographical delimitations that we currently know. However, it was a basis that served judicially to evict several indigenous communities. Beyond the controversies over this extreme position, his contributions to the knowledge of Patagonia acquire special relevance; which is expressed in a work of great extension and depth.”



His opinion expressed almost 10 years after his death

-What led you to study about this?

– My concern for indigenous things began when I was 14 years old. I went to study in Buenos Aires and one day, in the National Library, I started reading Mapuche, without knowing that in my town (Ingeniero Jacobacci) half of the kids my age spoke that language, because then they hid their origin. Not even the teachers knew. So, when I returned, it was a pleasant surprise to discover that the laborers who baled the wool in a commercial house where my father worked were of indigenous origin. I had a fantastic summer with them, because I began to write down the first things about their language. At the age of 16, always accompanied by the indigenous people, he was already building the first museum referring to his history.

-What have you been able to learn about them?

– I have met hundreds of indigenous people and all the Tehuelche speakers in Patagonia. I studied and learned that first came the Paleolithic Tehuelche world, very ancient. The ancestors of their ancestors date back to 10,000 or 12,000 years ago and evolved in Patagonia. Long after the arrival of the Spanish, around 1600, the horse allowed the Tehuelches to dominate the entire Pampas and Neuquén area. At that same time Mapuchization began. There are differences between them.



The Patagonian giants are not a fantasy, but rather the Tehuelches, who reached almost two meters in height and weighed 150 kilos, with dark complexions and Asian eyes, who lived by hunting and dressed in skins. The Araucanos or Mapuches, however, are a race of medium height, cultivators of Andean culture, who had houses made of wood and straw and worked wonderfully with weaving and silversmithing; They had a superior cultural trajectory, which the Tehuelches imitated.

-What was happening with the language?

– With the arrival of religion and name days, a transformation takes place in it. Then, the Tehuelche men, especially the caciques, in northern Patagonia, began to be bilingual. But the women continued speaking Tehuelche, some families even switched from Tehuelche to Spanish, without going through Mapuche. There was a religious syncretism and the Tehuelche became Mapuchized. But the Mapuche as a people were on the other side of the Cordillera.

-Do the descendants preserve the indigenous language?

– Today there are living descendants of great Tehuelche chiefs. There are only a few families, the others are descendants of Mapuches. The Ñanco, for example, are descendants of Sacamata, one of the most serious chiefs of northern Patagonia, born between 1870 and 1880. One of my teachers was the one who saved the Tehuelche language, since he was the last one who spoke it. His name was José María Cual (which in Tehuelche means neck). He died in 1960, aged 90. When I met him, I was a boy and he was blind. For many years we dedicated ourselves to the Tehuelche language and for this I want to pay the greatest tribute to this people, descendants of the oldest inhabitants of all of America.

-How?

– One day I swore to pay tribute to this unique town, saving everything I could from its history. Unfortunately I'm alone in all this. Descendants do not study their ancestors, because that means reading white people and there is a kind of rejection, a denial that is like cheating in life's solitaire. You can't move forward. So I am a plum teacher, that is, a scientist, who tells the story as it is told by science, anthropology. I do not make demagogic concessions. Therefore, if I say that there were no Mapuche here in 1865 and that they only arrived in 1890, I am saying what history is, I am not inventing it. Only others don't say it or say it differently. So I'm the bad guy.

-Is that why they give you escraches?

– Yes. But these people are not indigenous in the cultural sense, they are in the piquetero sense. They are politicians.

-What are they questioning you about?

– There are no questions. That's a pretext. You have to think about what they are looking for. If they define themselves as Mapuches they are Chileans and if they are Chileans they have no right to the land of Argentina. This is the key. So, as I explain that they are Chileans, I am the enemy. Any Chilean knows that the Mapuches are Chileans. Leaders know it too. But not youth. 99 percent of those who define themselves as Mapuche are of Tehuelche origin. But there have been many confusions due to language or surname. This is how identity is lost.

-Why would they have the need to feel like Mapuches if they are not?

– Because the word Mapuche is very attractive. It means people of the earth. If it is used as a symbol it is correct. I am also people of the earth. In 1960, as a tribute, the First Congress of the Araucanian Area of ​​Argentina proposed that the Araucanians be called Mapuche as in Chile.

-What would be the answer if someone asked who the originators were?

– It would be necessary to see with respect to what. Upon the arrival of the Spanish it is one thing. The constitution of the Argentine State is another. Because in 1816 there were no Mapuches in Argentina. The first settled in the center of La Pampa in 1820 and in 1890, south of Limay Negro, the first settlers of Chilean origin were the Mapuches and the Chilotes. You have to distinguish this whole thing very subtly.

-Why do you mention the loss of identity?

– That is the most terrible thing. The grandchildren of my teachers, who knew what they were, today are all Mapuche. That is, the grandfather is pure Tehuelche, but the grandson is Mapuche. Then Patagonia lost its identity. This is a land of floods, because people arrive from other places every day. So, the teachers are not from here and it is very difficult to recreate that wonderful identity that - until 30 years ago - was the word, the open house, the hospitality, the security and the indigenous base, now faded by all this confusion that there is with the Mapuches. But until a few years ago the story was clear.

-What happens with the Tehuelche language?

– It is a dead language. He died in 1960. And there are no people interested in learning it. I did it because I was aware that my teacher, José María Cual, was one of the last to speak it. He communicated with me in Spanish and we could make translations from Mapuche to Tehuelche, review them for several years and pass them clean. He was aware that he was the only one left to speak that language. But he died before seeing the grammar. Today culture is lost. The descendants, for the most part, do not maintain the language. Even the names that are here, in the shops, are false. The vocabulary is wrong and that is my suffering. This worries me much more than the escraches. Indigenous people have to improve and professionalize themselves without losing their language of origin. In Argentina, the indigenous language has one generation left and no one cares about recovering it.

-What do you feel every time you say you are alone in this?

– You feel helplessness, because it is difficult to reach teaching and those who have political decision over it. When I go to teach at schools, the kids and teachers are amazed. At the end of the talks, the boys who have indigenous surnames who were shy come forward and feel good, because they are descendants of the great chiefs. The same thing happens when they know what the meanings of their names are in Mapuche, because the Tehuelches have no meanings. All of this can be done, but who bells the cat.

Source: El Chubut Newspaper – Azkintuwe Noticia

Roca and the "Day of the Race"

Columbus Day

By Rolando Hanglin | LA NACION





We Argentines have a defect that is, at the same time, our cardinal virtue. We are, in large part, grandchildren of gringos. Therefore, we ignore almost everything regarding the history of our country. We are part of the human tide that came down from the ships between 1880 and 1920, when the corpses of thousands of victims were not yet well covered by the pious earth. Indians and Christians, hostages and captives, chieftain (caciques) and soldiers (milicos), all of them who fell in the great Indian-Christian war, between 1820 and 1890.

 

Being, then, half gringos, we could know little about the raids, the forts, Roca and Villegas, Pincén and Calfucurá. To us, the Indians were guys with feathers that appeared in cowboy movies! Always losing the battle.

We are, in large part, grandchildren of gringos. Therefore, we ignore almost everything regarding the history of our country.

That is why we are surprised that, today, the supposed descendants of those Indians, today called "Mapuches", claim properties in places like Bariloche, Aluminé, La Angostura and even Toay, La Pampa.



Let's go in parts.

Actually, the term "Mapuche" was invented by the North American ethnologist Edmond E. Smith in 1850, and later spread in different countries of America. The meaning is clear: mapu: land; che: people. In the same way, myself, a fan of the Patagonian language (mapu-dungún) I have baptized my weekend country house "Epu-Trehua" (the two dogs) and a little chalet I have in Chapadmalal, "Antu-Catán " (house of the sun) without claiming any historical roots.

Reading the works of Lucio V. Mansilla, Estanislao Zeballos, Manuel Prado and other authors from the time of the forts, we never find the word "Mapuche". No such tribe or nation was ever spoken of. The literature of 1820-1880 does speak of the Pampas, the Serranos, the Araucanians or Chileans, the Vorogas, the Tehuelches, the Tubichaminís. But the word Mapuche never appears. History and anthropology agree that Argentine territory, from San Luis to the south, was occupied by the northern Tehuelches (pampas, aoniken), the southern Tehuelches (pampas, guenaken) and the Tehuelches who had crossed over to the island, known as onas. These countrymen were part of a community of hunter-gatherers. They did not farm the land or uphold the concept of private property or national boundaries. Just that of "living space", which moved settlements in those immense extensions, always looking for abundant hunting of guanacos, deer, piches, ostriches. They occupied, then, without occupying it, an immense country. It is believed that these Tehuelches (or their ancestors) stamped the rock walls of the Cueva de las Manos 8000 years ago. Casamiquela affirms that when Carmen de Patagones was founded, the Tehuelches began to traffic rhea feathers and guanaco skins. They did the same in Punta Arenas, in 1850, and in 1865 with the Welsh colony, in the Chubut valley. It was an activity of economic significance far superior to what it may seem today. All the testimonies agree that the Tehuelche people were peaceful and dispersed.



Hence, it's quite unusual to witness the emergence, even in 2012, of communes, movements, or unions identifying as "Mapuche" that assert claims over territories in Chubut, Río Negro, Neuquén, and Santa Cruz. Where do these groups originate? Are they indigenous peoples of our nation, to whom the Republic owes redress for its past injustices in usurping their lands and undermining their means of sustenance?

The Mapuche is Chilean and entered the sphere of the Argentine pampas in 1820, expelled by the internal wars in Chile.

We are going to leave the answer to Mr. Rodolfo Casamiquela, ethnologist and anthropologist who died in 2008, but not without writing 24 books and 200 monographs on the subject. Casamiquela, born in Jacobacci, considered himself the last man capable of correctly pronouncing the northern Tehuelche language (that is, "pampa") and his verdict was overwhelming: "The Mapuches are Chileans."

Other concepts: "Today only the Mapuche is spoken of. The Tehuelches suppressed themselves or forgot their own history, despite the fact that today there are many descendants, such as the Chagallo, Yanquetruz, Sayhueque, Foyel, Catriel, Chiquichano, Chelqueta, Chingolé, Chalao, Chacamata, Cual. These families are the Tehuelches that remain, that is, the so-called pampas. They were a lineage of enormous potential power, which gradually became Araucanized or Mapuchized based on their language. The Mapuche is Chilean and enters the sphere of the Argentine pampas in 1820, expelled by the internal wars of Chile. Many Chilean Indian chiefs sided with the King of Spain and, in the context of a war to the death, crossed the mountain range to save their lives. Here they were received by some relatives and , little by little, authorized by Brigadier Juan Manuel de Rosas to settle in the provinces of the Río de la Plata.

One wonders if the Tehuelches, a native people of Pampa and Patagonia, were exterminated by the Chilean Araucanians, or by the Argentine military forces, or by someone.

Casamiquela: "The issue is the language. To negotiate with Spanish, the so-called parliaments were held, that is, oratory and diplomacy assemblies where each chief (ulmén) with his little capitains (capitanejos) or little chieftain (caciquillos), and the representatives of the White or huinca (derived from the Incas, who also tried to subdue the Araucanians with little luck) competed in speeches and rhetorical figures to "adjust peace". In this diplomatic field, the Mapuche language was far superior to Tehuelche. Precise, clear, beautiful, simple, rude, Mapudungun is a very valuable language. With it religion penetrates, then the Mapuche predominates over the Tehuelche".



Our conclusion is that the Chilean Mapuches did not annihilate the Argentine Tehuelches; instead, they formed separate federations where Mapuche military leadership consistently held sway. As corroborated by meticulous historical travelers like the Englishman Musters, the Tehuelches were often characterized as "nomads, wanderers, free spirits, and undisciplined."

Professor Casamiquela asserts, "The Mapuche presence in Argentina lacks deep historical roots. They have been here for around a century." In this respect, they are akin to the Italians, Irish, or Croats. Casamiquela further explains, "When Professor Erice, the author of the most comprehensive Mapuche dictionary, arrived in our country, he found no speakers of that language in Viedma. Here in Jacobacci, there were the Linares, descendants of a captive bearing that surname who married the daughter of a Tehuelche chieftain, based near the Juncal lagoon, but they were Tehuelches. Creoles with surnames like Entrage or Castelo also belong to the Tehuelche heritage. In summary, the claims that the Mapuches make today regarding land rights... they simply do not have a historical basis. This is history, not conjecture. Currently, political dynamics are in play. Consequently, Chilean Mapuches declare themselves as Argentines and begin asserting a long-standing presence in our country. Historians are not primarily concerned with this aspect. What a politician or lawyer may argue... that is another matter altogether."



The tall and pensive Tehuelches were subjected to colonization and undoubtedly deceived by both Argentine settlers and Chilean Araucanians. Historically, the name Patagonia conjures images of a land inhabited by men with exceptionally large feet and towering stature.

Casamiquela explains, "The Spaniards, who were of shorter stature, often looked down at the Tehuelches as they stood atop the dunes. In 1896, a Frenchman named Delavaux conducted an excavation along Route 40 in southern Chubut, unearthing a Tehuelche burial site and measuring the skeleton of the interred individual, which reached a height of 1.99 meters. Another excavation, this time in Península Valdez, confirmed individuals reaching a height of two meters. They are indeed the tallest ethnic group in the world."

While they were of considerable stature, the Tehuelches were also known for their vices, free-spirited customs, docility, and kindness. They formed amicable relations with the Welsh settlers in Chubut and, in general, did not cause trouble. They allowed themselves to be influenced first by the Chilean Araucanians and later by the Argentine Republic.

One of the last heroic figures of the Tehuelche or Pampa lineage was undoubtedly Chief Pincén, whose name was remembered as Vicente, Juan, or Francisco Pincén, depending on the region. The surname is correctly pronounced as Pisen, Piseñ, or Pincel, always emphasizing the accent on the "i."



There are four pictures of Pincén. In these images, we see him with his characteristic fluke, colt boots, a short spear, his testicles hanging around his neck, his bare torso, long hair held in place by a headband, and he appears strikingly similar to Alberto Olmedo! He could also bear a resemblance to Don Alberto Rodríguez Saá, though the latter, more robust in build, still possesses the stature and charisma of his Ranquelino forebears.

Some individuals reject Columbus Day because it seems to categorize humanity on the same plane as creatures like golden retrievers or Hereford cows. The truth is, all humans belong to the same species, but there exist significant ethnic variations; a Swede is not the same as a Senegalese.

The tall and introspective Tehuelches were subjected to colonization and, undoubtedly, taken advantage of by Argentine settlers and Chilean Araucanians, who primarily ventured into our pampas to steal cattle and capture fair-haired women. Along the way, unfortunate confrontations with Argentinians, including violent encounters, were inevitable. It was an unfortunate reality.

However, that's a different story. For now, we conclude this humble note with a traditional Patagonian greeting, one that is still used today when travelers cross paths: "Mari-mari." This phrase literally translates to "ten-ten." Wishing you good fortune, and sometimes, to convey a warmer farewell in passing, it is articulated more fully: "Mari-mari peñí." In other words, "Goodbye, brother."

NOTE: The sources for this article come from the website "Los Matuastos- Periodismo" (Sunday September, the 9th 2012) and "Pincén, vida y leyenda" wrote by Juan José Estévez, and published in 2011.

Argentine Aborigines: The Selk'nam People

Selk'nam aborigines, Tierra del Fuego, 1920s

Chon - Yagán and the forgotten Kawéskar from the Puerto Edén area. These images show us what they were, something of their genes runs through our blood. The Selk'nam were also known as the Onawo or Ona.

Patagonia: Araucanian tribes exterminated Aonikenk original nation

So-called Mapuches exterminated original Aonikenk in Patagonia

Actual Río Negro




"Roca did not lead a private campaign in 1879. He assumed the role of commander-in-chief of the National Army to carry out a mission entrusted to him by Avellaneda, the president of the Argentine Nation, who had been democratically elected by the people. This campaign aimed to integrate and effectively incorporate into the Argentine geography nearly half of the territories that historically belonged to Argentina but were under the control of the Araucanian raid, characterized by the theft of cattle, women, and the provocation of fires.

The Araucanians, now known as Mapuches, arrived in Argentina around 1830, long after the Argentine Nation had already gained its independence and sovereignty. Hence, they were considered invaders. The initial group of invaders, led by Yanquetruz, consisted of approximately 100 indigenous people who settled in Neuquén and later expanded to the south and north.

The true genocide occurred when the Araucanians annihilated the Guenaken, also known as Tehuelches, who were the authentic aborigines of Northern Patagonia.

As of now, as Argentines, they possess all the rights that other Argentines have, but they cannot manipulate history to lay claim to lands that never rightfully belonged to them.

1. In 1879, Cafulcurá's troops were formidable, evident from their initial victories against the National Army. 
2. Both sides were equipped with Remington rifles. The Araucanians obtained these rifles from Chile, where the English traded them in exchange for Argentine cattle stolen during raids. In response, General Villegas led a National Army column with the aim of closing and controlling the Andean passes through which the Remington rifles reached the Araucanians.
3. Traditionally, the Araucanian Indians were known for their warlike nature. In the early stages of Spanish conquest, they devastated several significant cities in Chile, and it took the Chileans centuries to reclaim these territories.
4. Around the year 1250, the Araucanians expanded northwards and destroyed the Tiahuanaco Empire, which was larger and more advanced than the subsequent Inca Empire that emerged around 1280.
5. The current use of the term "Mapuche" and the deceptive practices employed by some to distort history are aimed at disintegrating and weakening national identity, with ulterior motives that do not serve the greater good."

Araucanians and Tehuelches

The notion of Mapuches is a fabrication that originated from the British Foreign Office.

Neither Rosas nor Roca mentioned them during the Desert Campaign, and they are absent from historical accounts, including the famous expedition to the Ranqueles Indians. Moreover, the official history, as well as the history museums of provinces such as Neuquén, Santa Cruz, Chubut, Río Negro, Mendoza, and San Juan, make no reference to them.

When did these so-called Mapuches emerge? Their flag bears resemblance to the post-apartheid South African flag, as they previously associated themselves with Mandela, and now they attempt to claim a heritage that is not their own. The true native inhabitants of these lands are the Tehuelches and Araucanos.

Let it be clear that Roca's expedition was primarily aimed at defending Argentina's sovereignty over Patagonia against Chile, not solely directed at the indigenous people, as some claim. At that time, approximately 90% of Chile's population was of indigenous origin, which holds significant historical importance. In essence, our country was protecting Patagonia from Chilean caciques who sought to claim it as their own.

According to the Salvat Encyclopedia — Dictionary — Edited in Barcelona — 1972:

MAPUCHE: Adjective - Referring to something or someone from Arauco - A province in Chile.
Masculine - The language of the Araucanians.

TEHUELCHE: Adjective and noun - Describing individuals from an Amerindian hunting tribe that, along with other groups, formed part of the so-called "Culture of the Pampas" in Argentina and Uruguay. They were largely decimated by Spanish conquerors and the Araucanians, and only a few groups remain in Tierra del Fuego.

Today, all of us born on this native soil are Argentines, and there is no room for false claims of indigenous ancestry or non-existent original peoples. Prior to the 16th century, Hispanic blood had already been present throughout Argentine territory, and the Tehuelche ethnic groups inhabited Patagonia.

The invention of the "Mapuche" identity only emerged in the 19th century. I emphasize that today we are all Argentines, and no one has the right to lay claim to ethnic groups or peoples other than those that belong to Argentina. Any such attempt would be tantamount to supporting the efforts of English, American, and Israeli interests to dismantle and weaken our beloved homeland.

The propagation of the Mapuche ideology, driven by Marxists who have turned indigenism into a state matter, must be challenged at its core. Regrettably, not only venal politicians and journalists paid by the system contribute to disseminating this infamous falsehood, but some have also been misled, not always out of innocence.

Even bishops and priests, adhering to Third World positions, promote these untruths without question, perpetuating these fallacies.

They have gone to the unimaginable extent of misleading Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI, asserting that the revered Saint Ceferino was Mapuche rather than Tehuelche. It is difficult to believe that the Patagonian bishops were unaware of the deceitful nature of this maneuver, considering their elevated positions within the hierarchy and presumably, their knowledge of the general history of their homeland.

Let us fully utilize the incredible medium of technology to rectify the misconceptions of many Argentines on critical matters like the one at hand."

Source: Courtesy - Eduardo A. Castro

Author: Fredy Carbano