Outside of Institutional Support, Inside of the Internet

Jerome Rothenberg has posted a few sample poems from Outsider Poets: A Mini-Anthology in Progress, on his blog. The poems are by Leonel Lienlaf, Jaime Huenún, and Elicura Chihualifaf, three Mapuche poets. Translator Rodrigo Rojas explains:

The Mapuche are a native nation of South America that by their own reckoning has lived from the beginning of time in the central valley of Chile and in the grasslands across the Andes, in Argentina. Their language, Mapudungun, has been studied since the Spanish and other Catholic Missions were established in the region and admired only by a few dedicated scholars throughout the centuries. From their very first contact with the Spaniards in the 1540’s they have been fighting for the survival of their culture.

…

From the time of the Chiapas uprising in Mexico, the Mapuche poets gained more readers and political support from parties and associations. While the indigenous poets write about the destruction of forests, their language and their culture, the main goal of the political parties that support them is to capitalize on the discontent of people in order to show that the newly gained Chilean democracy and the liberalization of markets will not solve the problems of the third world.

The poems appear in both their original language and in English translation. We’re enjoying Rothenberg’s samples from this mini-anthology, and are curious as to what form it will finally take.