ABSTRACT

Between 1884 and 1927 the Mapuche of Chile were confi ned to about three thousand reservations. Forty years later this number had been reduced to two thousand. During the 1980s the number of reservations did not exceed 600. Two reasons explain the decline in Mapuche reservations: usurpation of land by landowners and the privatisation of collective property. The latter is the result of a series of legislative actions promoted by the Republic of Chile beginning in 1927. From a historical perspective the legal premises advanced by the Republic of Chile have had as an objective to deny the legitimacy of the juridical basis of collective property. At the same time, the privatisation of collective property implies the abolition of the de facto minority status which the Mapuche have held. This chapter describes the legislative process used by the Republic of Chile, which has resulted in the disappearance of most indigenous reservations.