On a warm morning, a few dozen people congregate in a park in Santiago, Chile, to eat together and play palín.
The players, who are all ages, are Indigenous Mapuche; palín is like the Mapuche version of field hockey, played with a hard, wooden ball (though in this case, they’re using a tennis ball to be safer).
They say their ancestors have played the game for thousands of years.
Oriana Castro, 55, said that palín has been an enjoyable way to connect with her roots.
“It feels so good to play,” Castro said. “Because we are living our ancestral game. We, Mapuches, are ambassadors of our own culture. And it’s beautiful, because they didn’t teach us this as a child. This is something beautiful that we are experiencing now.”
Chile’s Indigenous Mapuche people have long fought the government over land claims. They’ve faced discrimination and assimilation into Chilean society. But some Mapuche communities are now turning the page. And they’re using an ancestral sport to help protect and revive their culture, customs and language.
Javier Soto Antihual, 35, is the coach and leader of these weekend games in the Santiago neighborhood of Pedro Aguirre Cerda.
He said that there’s a large Mapuche community here. And with the help of the Mapuche organization We Newen, or New Force, they’ve been holding these community games here for several years.
There are some key differences between hockey and palín. Players still try to score on the other team by knocking the pali or ball over the goal line on the other side. But the teams don’t line up on each end of the field; instead, they line up longways. And each player is matched up with someone on the opposing side to be their contrincante, or con. One way to think of it is as man-on-man defense, but it’s much more than that.
Soto Antihual explained that people play against their con, but they’re also connected to him or her.
“So, it means that if you’re playing and your con is tired or weak, you have to help wake them up,” Soto Antihual said. “If they get hurt and can’t play, you have to leave the field, too. So, it creates this rivalry, but also friendship.”
They say this duality of two opposing sides finding equilibrium is an important facet of Mapuche cosmovision.
Claudio Vidal, 36, has been playing for three years.
“We were really losing the Mapuche cosmovision,” he said. “If you spoke about Mapuche religion 30 years, 40 years ago, there was a lot of discrimination, and now, things have really improved. There is an increased awareness and interest in the Mapuche and our ancestral knowledge.”
Ivone Gonzalez is with Radio Werken Kurruf, a radio station dedicated to Mapuche community and culture in southern Chile.
“Today, palin has become a way of revitalizing our culture. And the older players want to help motivate the next generations,” Gonzalez said. “Their children and their grandchildren.”
Gonzalez said that palín is at the heart of Mapuche identity. In the past, it was a means of resolving disputes peacefully, and an integral part of their most-important ceremonies.
Today, she said, Mapuche candidates running for local office often kick off their campaigns with palín. It’s played before community meetings. And it’s got a competitive side, too. With some teams traveling to compete in different cities.
But it is not just a sport.
Guillermina Rojas, 55, wore a shirt with the colors of the Mapuche flag: blue, green, red and yellow. She’s only been playing for two years, but she said it has changed her life.
“It’s like magic,” she said. “It’s hard for me to run. I’m heavyset. But I feel like when I’m on the field, it’s not me who’s running. It’s my ancestors. My Mapuche ancestors.”
As Rojas spoke, tears ran down her cheeks.
She said she plays barefoot, because it’s her connection to Mother Earth. And when she holds the guiño, or wooden stick, she also feels her connection to the natural world.
“Palin is important,” she said. “Because this is the way that we are able to continue our culture. We practice it and it’s not just about sport, it’s about our spirituality. That fills us and gives us the strength to continue.”
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