Foundation
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Ko Aswál
International Encounter with the Kawésqar Culture
Francisco González Alvarez
President of Pueblo Kawésqar Foundation
Inaugural Adress Ko Aswál, July 2023 in Zürich
We, the Kawésqar, are an Indigenous people who have inhabited the southernmost regions of the American continent for thousands of years, in what is now known as southern Chile, Patagonia. For millennia, we were sea nomads, navigating the channels and living in harmony with nature, guided by the stars and our canoes. But time has transformed our existence. In the past century, we have adapted to a modern society, learning new languages and ways of life, though we have never abandoned our essence, our deep roots.
Today, we are more than five hundred descendants, guardians of an ancestral heritage that resists disappearing. Through our families, we continue weaving the connection between our past and present, seeking not only recognition but also to actively participate in the construction of a future where our voices and culture continue to have a place.
2023 is not the first time the Kawésqar have been in Switzerland. In 1882, some of our ancestors arrived on this same land, but under painful and humiliating conditions, as part of the so-called human zoos. Those dark times invite us to reflect not only on the mistakes of the past but also on how we want future generations, a hundred years from now, to remember us. This shared history, bitter as it may be, connects us. It reminds us that beyond our borders and differences, there is a common humanity we must reclaim.
We have come to Zurich not only to remember that past but to heal. To open a space for dialogue and reunion, where we can recognize our differences, yes, but also our similarities. We are called to restore, with respect and humility, the bond between our peoples, not only looking back but also looking forward. Because the real challenge lies in how, together, we can build a better world for everyone—a world where our cultures not only survive but thrive in harmony with the earth we inhabit.
We are deeply grateful to Director Mareile Flitsch and the entire team at the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich for opening their doors to us and allowing this Encounter with Kawésqar Culture. We also extend our thanks to the Embassy of Chile in Switzerland, His Excellency Ambassador Frank Tressler, and the entire consular team for their presence and support at this significant event. This is a moment that transcends borders and time—a moment to reconnect and, hopefully, begin weaving a new shared future.
May this gathering be the start of a joint path where, through mutual understanding, we can build a fairer society, where all voices are heard, and where the past, no matter how difficult, inspires us to forge a future of respect, recognition, and reconciliation.
Frank Tressler Zamorano
Chilean Ambassador to Switzerland
Mareile Flitsch, Prof. Dr.
Director of Ethnographic Museum UZH
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Galería
International Encounter with the Kawésqar Culture
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Partners
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of the Foundation
Partners
of the Foundation
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In January 2023, the Kawésqar People's Foundation began to prepare the meeting, which will be held for the first time outside the country and will mainly involve the leading participation of 11 Kawésqar cultivators from different generations, who will attend in two groups or delegations in July and August.
Participation of delegations
At the same time, the team from the Kawésqar People Foundation designed the exhibition space that the museum will create, which will open to the public in Switzerland in the summer of 2023 at the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich. It can currently be visited in its digital version.
Exhibition room Ko Aswál
In the presence of the authorities of the Ethnographic Museum, the Vice-Rector for Research of the University of Zurich, the Chilean Embassy in Switzerland and the delegation of Kawésqar cultivators who travelled from the south of Chile, the International Meeting of Kawésqar Culture officially began.
Opening Ceremony
