Article Dynamics of indigenous identification and performance in the early twentieth century: The life and performances of Chief Caupolican as Mapuche and immigrant (1876–1968) Francisco Garrido Department of Anthropology, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Santiago, Chile Carol Chan School of Sociology, Universidad Academia de Humanismo Cristiano, Santiago, Chile Abstract Chief Caupolican is Emile Barrangon, an early 20th-century performer in the US who was born in Chile to an indigenous Mapuche father and a French mother. Despite his fame, he has not yet been included in studies on indigenous agency in Native American representations, likely because of his immigrant origins. We situate his indigenous self- identification and media success within the broader context of ongoing pan-indigenous activism in the country and Native Americans’ efforts to engage indigenous represen- tations in the media. The pan-indigenous movement that sought to unify indigenous political claims, regardless of tribal affiliation, enabled and encouraged foreign-born aborigines and persons of mixed ancestry to identify with indigeneity in ways that transcend nation-state borders. By presenting and examining his multi-faceted life, Corresponding author: Francisco Garrido, Department of Anthropology, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Parque Quinta Normal s/n, Santiago, Chile. Email: Francisco.garrido@mnhn.gob.cl Ethnicities 0(0) 1–25 ! The Author(s) 2021 Article reuse guidelines: sagepub.com/journals-permissions DOI: 10.1177/14687968211032733 journals.sagepub.com/home/etn