Mailen

Mailen is a name of Mapuche culture, in its language called Mapudungún (the language of the earth).

Mailen means princess, but it is not the same concept that is handled in occidental.

For the Mapuches, princess is synonymous with a powerful, noble and intelligent woman.

The Mapuches or people of the earth, live in southern Argentina and Chile, in the territory they call Araucanía, since before the Spanish conquest.

They are inhabitants and not owners of the land. They take care of it, protect it and are part of it. They are the guardians.

However, there are those who say they should not be there. There are those who believe they have the right to comment on their culture and customs. There are those who say they have to go.

Today, this original culture, like so many others, is being silently but brutally eliminated.

This project is in honor of them.

It’s my little grain of sand, from my little place, from my little heart.

I hope you like it as much as I do!