Manuel Aburto Panguilef ( 1887 - 1952 ) was a notable  Mapuche political leader, community developer, writer, founder and president of the Araucana Federation. He was the proponent of creation of “Indigenous Republic” for political autonomy for the people of southern Chile who are mainly indigenous people dominated by Mapuche ethnic group.^[1] He is noted by historian José Bengoa  as the leader of Mapuche cultural movement in the 20^th century due to his Mapuche fundamentalism and traditionalism.^[2]

Background

Manuel Aburto Panguilef was born on 3 March 1887 in Collimalliñ now Loncoche commune to Felipe Aburto Nahuelcura (father) and Rafaela Panguilef Cariman (Mother). Penguilef received education at the Anglican mission school under the instruction of Pastor Carlos Sadlier before moving to Villarica where he worked with an evangelical pastor Alberto Dawson.^[3] His daughter Herminia Colihueque was a feminist, politician and human rights activist and was the first Mapuche woman and one of the first Chilean women to run for elective political offices in 1935 following implementation of women suffrage.^[4][5]

Penguilef began his community leadership in 1910 following the outbreak of violent confrontation between Loncoche residents and the police force in which he assumed a leadership position in quelling the violence. In 1916, he established an organization, Mapuche Society for Mutual Protection for an organized defense of his Mapuche people. In 1917, he launched a political organization called Companía Araucana  and led the organization in a nation-wide tour making presentations promoting Mapuche cultural identity and their needs. He founded the Araucanian Federation also known as Araucanian Congress in 1922 and was life president of the organization. He developed ties with Chilean Workers’ Federation, communist and democratic leaders before demanding reforms in agrarian life of indigenous people. In 1931, Penguilef led Araucana Federation in proposing creation of Indigenous Republic which he said could only be released by conquest of power through a collective struggle by the Chilean indigenous people, workers and peasants.^[6][7]

In 1932, his Araucana Federation joined the Left Federation and supported the return of Arturo Alessandri Palma to power and later supported a coup d'état that established Socialist Federation. For his support of the coup d'état, he was appointed to the board of the new regional government headquartered in Temuco. He was arrested on 14 February 1936 on the allegations of promoting communism among Mapuche people and was sent away to Coldita Island, south of the Quellon commune in the Chiloe Archipelago. He began to withdraw from active political and communal movement in the 1940 until his death in 1952.^[8][9]

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