Before these languages, however, people in Patagonia spoke the languages of the pueblos originarios, or Indigenous peoples. In the area where I live, there are two main indigenous languages: Mapuzugun, the language of the Mapuche people, and Gününa a yajüch, the language of the Güna a kuna people. In the late 19th century, the Argentine and Chilean militaries violently displaced these communities to create the current countries of Argentina and Chile. People were punished for speaking indigenous languages in school and in the workplace, and many parents stopped teaching the languages to their children to protect them from violence and discrimination. Because of this, many people lost the ability to speak their native languages. Today, young people are learning these languages again to reclaim and reconnect with their family histories.
One way in which young people reconnect to languages like Mapuzugun is through music. Last week, I went to a hip hop concert to see Mapuche rapper Brian Millanahuel perform. Brian writes songs about his Mapuche community of Cushamen and the struggles that this community faces. While Brian raps mostly in Spanish, he has started to include words and phrases in Mapuzugun in his songs. Here, you can watch the music video for his song “Manifiesto.” Here are some of the Mapuzugun words that Brian includes in this song:
Ñuke mapu = mother earth
Lamgen = siblings/fellow Mapuche people
Piuke = heart
Winca = outsider/non-Mapuche person
Iñche mapuche ngen = I am Mapuche
