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The International day of Indigenous Woman

The indigenous women took part en masse both in the fights for their land and in the defense of their ethnic group.
5 September is the International day of the indigenous women, in which the cruel death of Bartolina Sissa is commemorated in La Paz, Bolivia. Cacicas, mother t'allas, comandantas, amazons, combat jacket, virreinas... are the names that received these indigenous heroines, warriors in the liberation of their people in the Spanish conquest, and from the foreign dominion. Some of the most known women are: Anacaona, Gregoria Apaza, Bartolina Sisa, Kurusa Key, Micaela Bastidas, Huillac Ñusca, Angata, Janequeo Guacolda, Fresia, Tegualda, Lorenza Abimañay, Señapanta Rose, Ochoa Daisy, Baltazara Chiza, Pantoja Daisy, Gaitana, Ague, Ayunga and many other women who do not appear in books nor in chronicles. All of them fought to recover the ancestral rights of the indigenous people.

The beginning
Anacaona, Cacique de Jaragua (Chief of Jaragua) would be one of the first in the Latin-American continent. After a reconciliation period that avoided a massacre of her people, Anacaona rebelled and was captured in a cell and hanged by the Spaniards in La Española island.
In Colombia, the cacicas Gaitana, Ague and Ayunga were front line in the resistance to the Spaniards. However, there were some women that collaborated with the conquerors such as the Malinche of Hernán Cortés.

Mapuche women: XVIth
Janequeo was a Lonko woman of Mapuche-Pewenche origin. She was Lonko Hueputan´s wife. She won the military strategist's support of our nation because of her military preparation and qualities of leader. With the support of her lof (community) and her brother Guechuntureo, she was nominated in charge of the regional troops. In a difficult period during the war, she attack the Puchunqui fortress. In 1587, after several battles she defeated the invading troops with the participation of Mapuche-Puelche groups (Argentinean side). In La Araucana (the first great epic poem about America), Ercilla mentioned the existence of brave Mapuche women such as: Guacolda and Fresia. According the author, in middle of the XVIth century, Fresia dashed their baby to the ground in shame when her husband (Caupolicán) was captured by the Spaniards.

La Tirana: a Kolla princess
Huillac Ñusca, was a Kolla princess that fought to the Spaniards. She had the name "La Tirana" because of her mistreatments to prisoners. She rebelled against the Spaniards, but felt in love with Vasco de Almeida (her prisoner) and plead with her people for him. After her father´s death, La Tirana would become leader of a groups of Incas that would be brought to Chile for working in the silver Mines at Huantajaya.

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