Field Notes Chile: Land, Power and the Mapuche Struggle
April 21, 2026
We work to support Indigenous Mapuche communities in Chile fighting to recover their stolen ancestral lands while being subjected to extreme repression by the state.
In southern Chile, the Mapuche people continue a centuries-long struggle to defend their land and rights. In this episode of Field Notes, photographer and GJEP co-founder Orin Langelle shares images and reflections from Mapuche territory, where peaceful landscapes conceal deeper conflicts over land, Indigenous rights, and industrial forestry. Through photographs taken in the region, this short documentary offers a glimpse into the ongoing fight for land, dignity, and self-determination.
Field Notes — Dispatches from the frontlines of land, justice, and resistance is a series of visual dispatches drawn from Langelle’s decades documenting environmental justice movements, Indigenous land struggles, and social resistance around the world. Learn more about Orin Langelle’s work: https://langellephoto.org
Photo Essay: View GJEP Co-Founder and photographer Orin Langelle’s Photo Essay: The Mapuche Struggle to Reclaim Their Land
Resumen Articles: To read articles documenting the Mapuche struggle from the Resumen media outlet in Chile visit: https://resumen.cl/
Additional Readings: To read about Coordinadora Arauco Malleco: Recovering pre-colonial autonomy in Wallmapu, visit: https://icmagazine.org/
Video: Chile’s Secret War: Its First Nations are Fighting for Their Ancestral Lands Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Youtube Page
