The Dawson Island has been a place with a lot
of history the last century. Located in the Magallanes region, Patagonia of
Chile, this land has seen blood and repression since the discovery of our
continent, specifically the colonization of this country.
The most known thing about this place, worldwide,
is the Selk’nam people and how they disappear. Like the others natives of our
large land, the people who came, from Spain mostly, killed them or tried to convert
their religion to a Christian one. Now, the result is the loss of their
language and the people, leaving Tierra del Fuego desolate of the original
culture and life that used to be.
By other side, this already abandoned place,
was used for political prisoners and torture. The night of September 11th
of 1973, was the beginning of a huge political, cultural and economic changes
for the country and people. Eight hundred people was moved in a couple years to
Dawson Island as political prisoners, and since then, the island has been
closed for visiting, with no more than nature after the military left that
place.
Today, this island represent an important
geographic place for our history, without reach to the common people, from
Chile and visitors. Now, the people of the region is trying to recover that
place, looking for the rescue of the memory, memory of the native people who
owned the south of Chile, and the memory of all the people who suffered there
as political prisoner. This memory is slowly dying, affecting in how we live
today, how we live our culture, our geography and history, affecting our future
as a Country, that’s why it can’t be forgotten, to not repeat the same story.
i think that is very important can go to the island to see and remember what happen there, and maybe the government could built a museum to explain what happen there.
ResponderEliminarI agree with you when you say that selknam's culture can't be forgotten and how this culture affects our country. And of course, we can't forget the mistakes that Chile made in the past so we can learn about it. Nice work amanda.
ResponderEliminarThanks Amanda, great piece.
ResponderEliminarYou have made a really complete but precise resume of the movie, with a critical point of view. I'm completely agree with your last sentence when you say that this cannot be repeated.
ResponderEliminarI totally agree with you, we can't forgot the history, so it does not happen again. We must preserve culture, nice blog
ResponderEliminar