I grew up on the Chippewa river, in a small town, in Minnesota. The Chippewa Indians are one of the largest Native American groups in North America. Yet, I have to say, I do not believe I have ever met a Chippewa. I am sure I have, I just never knew it.
When I decided to leave Uruguay, headed for Peru in my new pickup truck, I thought maybe I should take the time to see what southern Argentina and Chile was like. I enjoyed a couple days exploring Argentina and then I headed up and over the Southern Andes.
When I crossed into Chile I had to pull my truck over and get out to make sure that what I thought I was seeing, was real. The giant araucaria trees, the rivers, the mountain peaks, the volcanos, the lakes all made me feel like I had just entered Jurassic park. Boy did I feel home.
I pulled out my map and looked for a route into the town of Pucon, a friend of mine had told me it was the Aspen of Chile and said I should check it out. I had two choices the freeway or the back way, my new truck did not take long to tell me which way it wanted to go. As the road got smaller and smaller and we climbed higher and higher I began to wonder if I had made the right choice. As I started my descent down the mountain I saw in the distance what looked like a movie set. A large group of indigenous natives, loin cloths and all, standing in the center of a small village of igloo type, grass covered huts. They looked a bit like eskimos I must say. Kids were running around and the dogs were barking and I realized they were all looking at me. Thus began my 5 year adventure of living in the land of the Mapuche.
The Mapuche have a very interesting history, they are a proud people and many who tried to take the pride from them died trying. The spanish lost so many men fighting theses brave warriors, the conquistadors just moved on to rape and pillage the rest of south and central America, taking the spirit out of most of the indigenous people as they went.
One of my favorite stories about the Mapuche was why they were so good at fighting big bad people. Seems there was a tribe of very large inhabitants living in the south of Chile, the stories vary, some say no adult in this tribe was smaller than 7 feet tall others said they were 12 to 15 feet tall. (I know all this talk of the giants down in antarctica right!) Now it was bad enough theses guys were big but here's the real kicker, it was said they lived out on the glacial ice, naked no less. (I know, 15 foot long haired naked giants, can you imagine.)
Seems these giants would organize raiding parties into the Mapuche strongholds. So the Mapuche most of them being under 5ft tall had to find a way to fight theses guys. When the old man first told me this story I saw the ewoks swinging from the trees. No wonder why the spanish on their horses did not stand a chance, theses little Mapuche warriors were badass.
I know you're thinking, why is Cowboy talking about indians and what's all this got to do with the RV/GCR?
Well I was thinking, here we are, fighting this so called giant, now naked, fully exposed Cabal. Maybe we out use a little Mapuche magic on em and tribe up. Yes it just might be it's time for a little Mapuche butt kicking and I say we send em packin, let em live naked out on the icebergs of antarctica, hows that sound?
Let's just hope the big guys have not underestimated the power of the many when they are protecting thier tribe.
No matter what happens over the next few days, we will survive to repair the damage the Cabal has done to this earth and those that live on it, us.
Standing United with all of you, Cowboy