David Aagesen, Department of Geography, State University of New York, Geneseo, NY 14454. E-mail: aagesen@geneseo.edu. Still Dividing, Still Conquering: Conflict Over the Ralco Dam in Southern Chile.

The Bío-Bío River was the longest free-flowing river in southern Chile until the Pangue Dam was completed in 1997. Construction of a second dam, the Ralco Dam, is currently underway some ten kilometers upstream from the Pangue Dam. The reservoir to be created by the Ralco Dam, which proponents claim is necessary to ensure the efficiency and longevity of the Pangue Dam, will inundate nearly 3400 hectares and require the relocation of 85 indigenous Pehuenche families. The Ralco project has polarized the Pehuenche community in the upper Bío-Bío watershed. On the one hand, many Pehuenche consider Ralco a symbol of progress and embrace the project for its short-term employment opportunities. On the other hand, many Pehuenche view forced resettlement as a gross violation of their constitutional and human rights and have stated publicly that they will die fighting for their land if necessary. This paper outlines the evolution of territorial conflict in the upper Bío-Bío watershed in general, and conflict over the Ralco Dam in particular. It also documents the strategy of "divide and conquer" used by dam builders to fragment and weaken Pehuenche resistance. Material presented in this paper is based on fieldwork conducted in 1993 and a follow-up visit in July 2000. The paper includes a brief discussion of alternatives to the Ralco Dam that could satisfy energy demand in southern Chile without violating indigenous rights to land and resources.

Keyword: Chile, dams, indigenous geography