Recalling the 1889 Kawésqar uprising at Dawson Island

On 18 September 1889 the Kawésqar held by force at the Salesian mission on Dawson Island rose up against their captors. One of the missionaries transcribed the speech of the Kawésqar leader, the man they called capitán Antonio, who was killed in the revolt: "We want to be free, we want to be masters of staying here or leaving whenever we please without having to ask anyone for permission. Ours are these lands, the islands and the channels that saw us born; ours they are because our ancestors were also born and lived here, leaving them to us as our inheritance. The coypus and the otters that people the winding rivers and channels, as well as the sea lions, the fish and the whales that swim freely in their wide and restless waters, all of them belong to us, and we want to be able to fish them and use them at our own will, always where and when it pleases or suits us. Yes, these seas and bays and channels with all the beings that move in them are ours, no less than these lands and islands, mountains and plains, forests and grasslands with all their birds and animals; everything is ours and we must make use of it, whether hunting with well-aimed bows and sharp arrows, or with our sinewy nets and strong harpoons. These foreigners who wear long black robes and call themselves missionaries are nothing but intruders who covet our seas and lands, who under the pretext of civilizing us have come from far away to make us their slaves or to drive us out of here, taking over the fields and hills that belonged to, belong to and will belong to our children". In the photograph, a Kawésqar family confined at the Catholic mission, 1890.