Abstract

ABSTRACT: Aspects of he physical coercion of indigenous people in northern Chile by state agents (police, local authorities, public officials, members of the army) are apparent when compared to the Mapuche resistance and defense of the land between the end of the nineteenth century and the end of the military dictatorship (1990). In both cases, violence commonly surfaced due to tension and conflicts between individuals (between landowners and speculators of lands with indigenous dwellers, between families and indigenous communities, and between indigenous and non-indigenous peasants). However, the Andean regions of northern Chileare marginal highlands where the presence of the State has been mostly weak, in contrast to Araucanía during the early period of state formation (and of the formation of an agrarian region). At the same time, border control (with Bolivia, Argentina, and Peru) and the imposition-dispute over the nationality of the population in regions annexed by the War of the Pacific are also relevant. This article presents cases of violence against indigenous people of the Andean region exerted by public officials (police, members of the armed forces, and civil servants). Sometimes this violence occurs over previous local conflicts; at other times it is the result of state agents’ unrestrained action (abuse of power, repression). Occasionally it is a combination of both situations. In the cases presented, those who impose violence and death on indigenous peoples regard them as strange and primitive while the indigenous people see violence against them as arbitrary, and feel helpless.