" Every indigenous community, wherever they are located, has a cosmology which is related to Mother Earth and a relationship between individuals and people, as well as an economy. If we cut a tree, for example, we would always plant another one, and some indigenous cultures would hunt certain animals only for eating, not to accumulate wealth. They hunt to share. In indigenous communities the ones
who share the most are the most appreciated, the most important. In Western modern societies, the value of a person is based on how much they have. The indigenous people hold on to their memory of the past, which they identify with the present. But in the Western world the way of life has become like a huge, big machine that has led millions and millions of people into a labyrinth from where there is no way to get out. The consequences of following this life system, this model of development, can be seen in the suffering of the indigenous people. There is the contamination of the waters which results from the exploitation of oil; the construction and building of dams to generate electricity; the cutting of the forests; the extinction and disappearance of different animals and species. In this sense, we indigenous people are confronting people so they can understand that these models of life that have been imposed through religion and economics cannot in any way help develop humanity. From our point of view, the heart of humanity has been lost and the indigenous communities who have maintained the memory [of a more spiritual and sustainable past] are an alternative to this [present way of] life, and our people are united with all the different ‘life alternatives’ around the world. It is not through religion, but through faith and life that all these different people [who uphold an alternative way of living] are united. The one who understands his culture can understand his past. In this sense we know our past history, how we have been invaded, and how the different religious, economic and military systems have been imposed. The problems we face in the indigenous communities are a result of all this imposition. To give an example, for us it is very important to respect the elders, the children, the women, and Mother Earth. But a foreign educational system unrelated to our traditional way of life has been imposed on us and has effectively destroyed the community in the name of so-called progress. Sometimes we find ourselves between two worlds: the imposed one and the ancestral one that we are now trying to revive. Another example of how our traditional way of life has been eroded is the use of pesticides on the lands. These changes are not changes that have developed from the community, but they have been imposed on us from outside. And this exact same problem possibly exists everywhere in the world. But those who have the memory of their past and who have strong roots in their cultures, we know where we are going. The solutions are not only in future progress, but also in recovering our old culture." Freddy Treuquil - an artist and longstanding prominent member of the indigenous Mapuche community in Chile. He is the inspiration behind the IYACA project.
