Dogs are intelligent, friendly, and loyal animals to humans. News of their heroic actions spreads worldwide, such as protecting children from abduction, attacking venomous snakes to defend their owners, or participating in search and rescue activities. In Chile, there is also such a heroic dog, a dog that has become a global symbol of resistance, Negro Matapaco.
Negro Matapaco (or Black Cop-Killer) is an icon of social resistance in Chile, known since 2011 for leading the front line of combat, consisting of hundreds of Chilean students protesting for free and quality education. The young radicals saw him as a loyal comrade enduring tear gas and water cannons, only attacking or barking at "pacos" (Chilean slang for cops).
The good boy passed away from old age in 2017, but his legacy persists as Chile's population continues to face oppression. In the protests in Chile in 2019, the image of the black dog with a red scarf around his neck reappeared. Expressions of gratitude for the fighting dog Negro Matapacos seem endless, both in Chile and the rest of the world, whether in the form of posters or artistic interventions.
A group of Chileans in the "Colectivo Matapaco" in the United States decorated the legendary Balto statue in New York's Central Park with Negro Matapaco's red scarf and an eye patch to honor those injured in Chile. Earlier, the Hachiko statue in Japan was also adorned with a red scarf.
To conclude this article, here is a DIY paper craft exercise of Negro Matapaco shared by Seba Naranjo. Paper Iconic readers will need 20 sheets of paper to start. The completed size is 43 cm in height and 60 cm in length when printed on A4 paper.
Download and build your own Hero Dog - Negro Matapaco Papercraft (by Seba Naranjo).
Photo: Seba Naranjo, Internet.
