Pachamama Conservation 88 Canyon RoadFairfax, CA 94930

The Mapuche are "the people of the earth". "Mapu" means earth and "che" means people in Mapudungum, the language of the Mapuche. For thousands of years the Mapuche have lived in the territory we now call Chile. Traditionally, the Mapuche lived off the land, in harmony with Pachamama (Mother Earth). They 'still' live off the land through agriculture, hunting and gathering. They do this in a way that is sustainable and respectful of Pachamama. The Mapuche are spiritual people and they have great respect for their elders. They are spiritual people but they are also warriors. They maintain their way of life and their identity in spite of so much pressure to assimilate into western culture.

The Mapuche people have been struggling for over 500 years to preserve their way of life. It was not until the early 1800's that they were pushed to live in reservations, urban areas and very poor regions of southern Chile and Argentina. The Mapuche, and other indigenous people of Chile, live in the poorest regions of the country and comprise the poorest sector of the society. They receive very little education and have low literacy rates. This is a major challenge for the Mapuche youth, who seek a better life for the future of their people.

The Mapuche today face other challenges. Their environment, which they depend on to survive, is under attack by multinational timber corporations. The trees on their land are being cut for paper; land is being cleared to grow genetically raised trees; and major dams are being built. With the attack on the Mapuche's environment, their traditional ways and very survival is at stake. In addition, the post -911 world has labeled the Mapuche people (and other indigenous peoples movements) as "terrorists". This has resulted in the imprisonment of many Mapuche leaders, but the struggle for the Mapuche to survive continues.

Project Description

Our proposal is to produce a documentary video on the Mapuche culture of Chile focusing on the testimonies and experiences of the elders and the youth of today. Over the past 6 years Pachamama Conservation has been building relationships with Mapuche elders and youth. The elders hold on to their traditional ways. They have many songs, poems and stories to tell about their culture. The youth also have stories to tell. They have dreams of a better education and strive for a different life. This is a struggle between two worlds. Mapuche youth no longer want to be poor. Some decide to study in the city and never return to their homes and/or families to assimilate into Western culture. Others return to their communities to help their people. The elders would rather die than assimilate into the "Winka" (the traitor) way of life.

The goal of the project is to tell the story of daily struggle for the preservation of the Mapuche culture through the voices of the youth and the elders. It is also our hope that this documentary will help promote bilingual education for the Mapuche youth (since currently there is none). A documentary of this type has never been done before.

This documentary will be done in collaboration with the Mapuche people in the 9th region in the Lago Budi community of southern Chile(see attached map). We plan to travel to Chile and gather footage with the Mapuche in January 2005.

Purpose/Need

Indigenous people around the world are struggling to preserve their land and maintain their way of life. The Mapuche people of Chile are no exception. They are trying to protect the lands of southern Chile from the timber companies and dams. They are trying to protect their children, culture and their dignity.

This documentary will be used to inform Pachamama supporters and others about the traditional ways of the Mapuche people through the voices of the elders. It will also inform them about the feelings and needs of the youth in a changing world. It will be a way for the Mapuche to share their culture with the outside world…to raise consciousness about traditional ways of life. Our hope is that this video will inform and inspire its viewers to support the cultural survival of the Mapuche people. We also hope that this project will help to promote bilingual and further education for the Mapuche people. Currently, there are no high schools for the Mapuche youth. They have to travel to Temuco or Puerto Savedra, for example, from their communities which are very far away. The youth must leave their homes and way of life to attend boarding school.

With additional contacts, funding and support, Pachamama Conservation can channel more resources to the Mapuche youth so that more students can go to school; more young women can learn the traditional weaving techniques and more weavings can be sold; more cultural exchanges (ie…hosting Mapuche poet, Elicura Chihuailafe, on a speaking tour) can take place and many more projects can be developed to support the Mapuche culture in Chile. With more interest and support from the world, the Mapuche will have a reason for hope and will feel proud, instead of shameful, of their culture.

With more support we would also like to conduct media literacy trainings for the youth so that they can continue to document their lives and their struggles and create video documentaries on their own in the future.

Timeline

June 2004
-Draft project proposal

July-September 2004
-Revise proposal
-Final proposal by July 26th and begin sending proposal
-Contact Mapuche elders and youth about the video project
-Research Mapuche culture and history

September-December 2004
-Continue researching Mapuche culture and history
-Plan and write script
-Plan trip and purchase plane tickets
-Purchase needed equipment

January 2005
-Video production (4 weeks minimum)
-Travel to Mapuche communities in Southern Chile (Meet with elders, visit weaving cooperative, Elicura Chihuailaf and youth)
-Participate in the "Encuentro" (a gathering of students) from January 12-15
-Participate in the "Gillatun" ceremony (4 days)

February 2005
-Review video footage and begin editing

March-June 2005
-Video production (minimum 2 months)
-Production of promotion materials
-Submit to Latino Film Festival of the San Francisco Bay Area and other film festivals

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Budget

Travel costs to Chile for 30 days ($4,000 per person) =.........….$ 16,000
(includes RT airfare, food, lodging and transport in Chile)
Mini DV Camera package, includes headphones and batteries
($700 for 1 week rental) =………………………………..…..…....$  2,800
Tripod ($150 for 1 week rental) =………………………..…. ……$    600
Lighting Kit ($200 for 1 week rental) = …………………....… .…$     800
Microphone package ($200 for 1 week rental) =……….....… ....$     800
Mini disc recorder ($150 for 1 week rental =………….......... ......$     600
20 Mini DV tapes =……………………………………….....….....$     150
20 Mini Disc tapes =………………………………………. …......$       40
10 Super 8 film cartridge (+ developing) =………………… ...…$     400
Postproduction editing ($2500/month for 2 months) =…... .........$  5,000

TOTAL BUDGET: ............................................................................$ 27,190
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Who are we?

Pachamama Conservation

Founded in 1999, Pachamama Conservation is a non-profit organization committed to providing alternative economic ways to fulfill the basic needs of the indigenous people of Chile. Through education, job training, and environmental restoration, we seek to contribute to their self-sufficiency, thus enabling them to preserve and reclaim their culture and traditions.

Indigenous people have traditionally lived in harmony with Mother Earth, respecting all existing forms of life. In recent years, however, the destruction of Pachamama (Mother Earth) has reached alarming proportions. The rapid extinction of indigenous cultures, the permanent loss of ancient forests, medicinal plants and wild life, as well as drastic changes in weather patterns, have been a wake-up call to the world to respond.

Our vision is to strengthen indigenous cultures, and empower indigenous people's ability to stand for and represent their own interests. Furthermore, allowing them to blend knowledge and wisdom in order to insure the wellbeing of Pachamama and the global commons. It is of vital importance that they pass on their traditional knowledge of organic farming and the use of medicinal plants and herbs to future generations, thus insuring that their way of life will be sustainable in the next millennium.

Our projects:

1. Support for the Weaving Collective
Explore and enhance weaving skills, and rescue the traditional techniques for wool dying, weaving and the use of organic fibers in the production of ancestral designs. We help them in marketing their products as well as in acquiring other financial support.

2. Student Sponsorship Program
In early 1998 members of Pachamama Conservation joined with Alianza y Solidaridad (Alliance and Solidarity) and created a sister organization in the United States to support Alianza y Solidaridad's efforts to enable young students from Mapuche communities to continue their high school education in boarding schools located outside of Lake Budi, Chile. While Pachamama Conservation creates the emergency fund to support the Sponsorship Program, Alianza y Solidaridad continues to develop the commissions that are an integral part of the organization.

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Biographies

Ana Bravo
Ana is a co-founder of Pachamama Conservation. She is a native Chilean living in Fairfax, California where she practices native healing practices. Because Ana has built relationships with the Mapuche elders and youth, she will be helping to create the script and conducting the interviews while in the Mapuche communities.

Mario Bravo
Mario is a co-founder of Pachamama Conservation. He is a native Chilean living in Fairfax, CA. He is a contractor and a photographer. He has traveled to Mapuche communities on various occasions and has documented their way of life through photography. He will be the photographer for the project.

Ariel Lopez
Ariel is a video activist from Valparaiso, Chile. For the last 10 years, he has been living in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a graduate of the Bay Area Video Collective's video production internship in San Francisco. Since 2000 he has been teaching media literacy trainings with TILT(Teaching Intermediate Literacy Tools) and has produced numerous documentary videos for organizations such as: Amazon Watch, Global Exchange, Art in Action and Youth Enrichment Strategies. He is currently finishing a documentary on the FTAA (Free Trade Agreement of the Americas). He is a 2004 graduate of New College of California. His specialty is Globalization and Latin American Studies. . He will be the technical director of the project.

Leila Salazar-Lopez
Leila is a social justice/environmental activist. She is a native Californian/Chicana living in San Francisco, CA. Since 1995 Leila has been advocating for the rights of indigenous peoples in the Amazon. She has volunteered and worked with native cultures in Ecuador since then. Currently, she organizes the Clean Up Ecuador campaign for Amazon Watch. She has also worked for Global Exchange, Green Corps and has volunteered with Pace e Bene as a nonviolence trainer. She graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara with degrees in Political Science, Environmental Studies and Global Peace and Security. Leila will help with the creation of the script, sound recording and production support while in the Mapuche communities and with post-production in San Francisco