Two ancestral peoples—the Mapuches in the lush lands of southern Latin America and the Bedouins in the arid expanses of the Arabian Desert—share a common struggle: preserving their identity and autonomy in a world that prioritizes “development” over ancestral rights. 

The Mapuches, whose name means “people of the earth” in their language, now retain just 5% of their ancestral territory, Wallmapu, spanning southern Chile and Argentina. Their resistance spans centuries: first against Incas and Spanish colonizers, and today against multinational forestry companies draining their lands and displacing communities through pine and eucalyptus plantations.

Their fight is not just for resources but for küme mongen (balance with nature), embodied in rituals like the nguillatún to honor Mother Earth (Ñuke Mapu) and symbolized in their flag, the wenufoye. 

The Bedouins, historically nomadic Arab peoples, have inhabited the deserts of the Arabian Peninsula, Sinai, Negev, and North Africa for centuries. In Israel’s Negev Desert, their pastoral routes are vanishing, replaced by luxury housing, military bases, or industrial farms, with 35% of Bedouin communities living in unrecognized villages without water.

Towns like Al-Araqib have been demolished dozens of times as they fight for ancestral rights. For Bedouins, the desert is home, memory, and freedom. It is a struggle not only for land, but for the right to exist as a free people. 

Both peoples share a worldview where the land is sacred—a living entity, not a resource. While the Mapuches reclaim territories through symbolic marches, Bedouins battle in international courts and weave tribal alliances. Yet both face state repression: anti-terrorism laws in Chile and mass demolitions in the Negev. 

“We are not terrorists. We defend water for future generations,” says Ana Llao, a Mapuche leader. Sami Huweiti, a Bedouin from the Negev, adds: “Our home is the open horizon.” 

Their struggle is vital for the planet. Their ancestral wisdom offers keys to sustainability in a world depleted by overexploitation.  This is a universal cause demanding all peoples’ right to live in dignity and a reminder that alternatives to exploitation exist: life without fences, conquest, or dominance, in dialogue with nature. 

As Mapuches replant native forests and Bedouins rebuild demolished villages, their resistance poses an urgent question: Is progress without cultural diversity truly progress?

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