Rosa Catrileo Arias

Rosa Catrileo Arias (born 1981) is a Mapuche lawyer and politician who serves as a member of the Chilean Constitutional Convention. As an attorney, she has primarily focused on protecting indigenous land rights in the Mapuche conflict.

Biography Rosa Catrileo was born in Temuco, Araucanía Region to a Mapuche family. Her father was a teacher who taught in rural Mapuche communities, and Catrileo has stated that she grew up in an entirely Mapuche community. In a 2021 interview, Catrileo explained that attending a high school in which she was one of the few Mapuche students had a major impact on the development of her identity: "There were children there who were not Mapuche, teachers who were not Mapuche. My family on my mother's side is not Mapuche either, so then one begins to realize that the first surname, which is Catrileo, carries a mark, a difference . There with my brothers we began to realize this belonging to a different people, to a different culture..."Catrileo received her degree in law as well as a diploma in the discipline of human rights from Temuco Catholic University (UCT). Additionally, Catrileo has received a master's degree in law from the University of Chile.

Constitutional Convention In 2021, Catrileo was elected to one of the reserved seats for the Mapuche people on the Constitutional Convention of Chile. Catrileo was elected with 4.78% of votes cast among the Mapuche electorate, making her one of seven Mapuche representatives in the body. Catrileo has spoken against party politics, stating that she refuses to be under the "tutelage" of a political party or faction, and that she is solely committed to advancing the rights of the Mapuche people. During the election for President of the Constitutional Convention, Catrileo supported fellow Mapuche activist Elisa Loncón, who was ultimately elected.

Political views As a member of the Constitutional Convention, Catrileo has pushed for constitutional reforms that would safeguard indigenous culture, especially in the realm of language rights. While noting that the teaching of the Mapudungun language is not formally prohibited in schools, she argues that the continued suppression of the language, including in public schools where instruction is minimal, amounts to "Castilianization". Catrileo argued that: "If plurinationality is the mere recognition that there are indigenous peoples, it does not serve us much"Catrileo favors the repatriation of traditional indigenous lands that were confiscated by the Chilean state.

Personal life Catrileo has stated that she can not speak the Mapudungun language, but can understand it and grew up around older family members who solely conversed in the language. Catrileo's partner and father of her three children, Julio Matrileo, was convicted under the State Internal Security Law, which she has stated was an act of political repression.