VOA慢速英语-一位马普切妇女领导智利新宪法的制定

Members of Chile's constitutional delegation¹ have chosen a woman from the indigenous² Mapuche people to lead efforts to create the new constitution. The choice marks a big turning point for a people that were ignored during the making of the country's present constitution.

The Mapuche are the largest group of indigenous people in Chile.

Elisa Loncon is a political independent, a university professor and an activist³ for Mapuche educational and language rights. She was chosen by 96 of the 155 men and women -- including 17 indigenous people -- that make up the new constitutional body. The group will replace Chile's current constitution, which was approved under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

Loncon was celebrated⁴ by members of the group after accepting the position on Sunday. She said, "I salute⁵ the people of Chile from the north to Patagonia, from the sea to the mountains, to the islands, all those who are watching us today."

Loncon added that she was thankful for the support of "coalitions⁶ that placed their trust and their dreams in the hands of the Mapuche nation." They voted for "a Mapuche person, a woman, to change the history of this country," she said.

Electing Loncon represented a high point in a day that included a suspension of the delegates' swearing in ceremony. The delay happened after protests took place outside and inside Santiago's former congress building, where the event was being held.

During Loncon's election, demonstrators from all political sides demanded that police not be involved in the ceremony. The protesters were met by heavily armed police at blockades.

As demands came from delegates for the special forces police to leave, the head electoral court official agreed to suspend the event until midday.

The incident demonstrated the intense issues for creating a new constitution as the country faces deep divisions. In 2019, there were massive protests over inequality that worsened after police responded with violence.

The constitutional body was chosen by a popular vote in May and is made up mainly of independent and leftist candidates. Some candidates had roots in the protest movement. A smaller share of more conservative candidates received backing from the current center-right government.

The delegates have promised to work on issues including water and property rights, central bank independence and labor⁷ policies. This has led to worry among business investors⁸ about possible big changes to the free market system for the world's top copper⁹ producer.

Before the ceremony began, Aymara and Mapuche delegates held spiritual ceremonies in the streets that included song and dance. Not recognized in the current constitution, these indigenous communities are hoping the new document will include cultural, political and social rights.

The delegation has up to a year to agree to a common rulebook, establish committees and write a new document.

Words in This Story

indigenous – adj. of the earliest known inhabitants of a place, especially a place that was colonized¹⁰ by a now-dominant group

salute – v. to publicly praise someone or something

swear in – v. to have a ceremony in which a new leader makes a promise to do their work properly and with honesty and loyalty¹¹

committee – n. a group of people who are chosen to do a particular job or to make decisions about something

1 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

2 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

3 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

4 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

5 salute   

vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮

参考例句：

• Merchant ships salute each other by dipping the flag.商船互相点旗致敬。
• The Japanese women salute the people with formal bows in welcome.这些日本妇女以正式的鞠躬向人们施礼以示欢迎。

6 coalitions   

结合体，同盟( coalition的名词复数 )； （两党或多党）联合政府

参考例句：

• History testifies to the ineptitude of coalitions in waging war. 历史昭示我们，多数国家联合作战，其进行甚为困难。
• All the coalitions in history have disintegrated sooner or later. 历史上任何联盟迟早都垮台了。

7 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

8 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

9 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

10 colonized   

开拓殖民地，移民于殖民地( colonize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The area was colonized by the Vikings. 这一地区曾沦为维京人的殖民地。
• The British and French colonized the Americas. 英国人和法国人共同在美洲建立殖民地。

11 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。