Indigenous Peoples’ Day Speech By Paula Matta Marroquin Mapuche
Küme tünngün, pu lamngen — greetings, my relatives.
Today, on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, I stand before you not just as a refugee, but as an Indigenous person whose roots run deep in the lands of Chile — lands my ancestors cared for long before borders or nations existed.
My journey from my homeland to this one has been one of both loss and resilience. I left behind mountains that remember my people’s songs, rivers that still whisper our stories. But I carry them with me — in my language, in my spirit, and in my fight to be seen and heard.
Being a refugee means you are forced to leave home.
Being Indigenous means your home never leaves you.
Wherever I go, I bring the memory of my people’s strength — the same strength that kept us alive through colonization, erasure, and exile. Even far from home, I remain connected to my ancestors, because being Indigenous is not just about geography. It is about relationship — with the earth, with our elders, with each other.
On this day, I honor not only my people in Chile, but all Indigenous nations across the world who continue to rise — who speak their languages despite centuries of silencing, who defend the land despite violence, who teach their children to be proud of who they are.
And I also want to remind us of our responsibility — to protect our refugee families and children. Those who have been displaced, who have lost their homes, who carry their hopes and traditions across borders. They deserve safety, dignity, and a future where their cultures can continue to grow and flourish. Protecting them is protecting the heartbeat of humanity itself.
Indigenous Peoples’ Day is not just a day of recognition — it is a day of care, connection, and action. A day to remember that our struggles are linked, and that healing comes through community.
Today, I celebrate the beauty of my culture, the wisdom of my ancestors, and the solidarity of all who walk this path of remembrance and resistance.
From the land of my birth to the land where I now stand — I am still Indigenous.
And as long as I breathe, I will honor my ancestors by speaking their truth and standing for those who cannot.
Mari mari, kom pu che — thank you, all my relations
Bruce Spingstein – TikTok