About the Project

The Biobío Legacy: Mapuche-Pehuenche Organizing and Resistance
Project Grant

This project will continue the work of preserving records related to the movement against the construction of hydroelectric dams in Chile’s Biobío river by digitizing audio, photographic and original print materials organized by an earlier MEAP planning grant. The collection was produced mostly between 1990 and 2012 and includes audio of meetings, a bilingual radio program (Spanish-Mapudungun), black & white and color photographs, and original documents of Mapuche-Pehuenche organizations. The photographs, in particular, offer unique perspectives on this history, capturing the landscape before and after interventions as well as meetings, protests and portraits. Additional material was produced by the Grupo de Acción por el Biobío (GABB), an environmental NGO that worked hand in hand with the Pehuenche organizations. The grant also involves continuing a dialogue with local Pehuenche leaders, academic institutions and NGOs, to explore future outreach and partnerships.

> Learn more about the Biobío Legacy Planning Grant project (opens in a new tab)

> Explore the inventory of the Biobío collection(opens in a new tab)

Project Lead

Cristian Opaso, ONG Camino de Tierra

Host Institution

ONG Camino de Tierra

More Information

  • The Biobio Legacy: Mapuche-Pehuenche Organizing and Resistance in Chile

    Throughout the 1990’s to the early 2000’s, the indigenous Mapuche-Pehuenche community of Chile organized against plans to build hydroelectric dams in the historical BioBio River. Photographs, audio recordings, and organization documents capture the local efforts against the construction to preserve a treasured landmark.

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