The group was formed by students at Universidad Técnica del Estado at Santiago, Chile in 1967. In 1973 as they were on tour abroad, General Augusto Pinochet launched a coup d'etat and took power. Having heard of the numerous extra-judicial killings of many fellow artists by Chile's army, they took up residence in Italy, resulting in "the longest tour in history" for Inti-Illimani as they lived in de facto exile. They continued their efforts supporting Chilean democracy internationally; magnitizdat copies of their work continued to be widely distributed in Chile. In September 1988, days after they were no longer banned from Chile, they began touring Chile again. They helped organize the voting down of the referendum that would have re-elected Pinochet. Recently, they were actually supported by Chile as representatives of Chilean culture.
In the past the group was musically led by Horacio Salinas and politically led by Jorge Coulon. However, in 2001 there was a controversial split of the group, which started when three key members left the group (José Seves, Horacio Durán and Horacio Salinas). They were replaced by Manuel Meriño (from Entrama), Cristián González and Juan Flores. Due to the importance of departed members, many called into question the ability of the remainder to carry on the Inti-Illimani name. Meanwhile, the three departed members started their own group they call Inti-Histórico. From 2005 there are two groups:
Inti-Illimani New (Coulon brothers)
Inti-Illimani Histórico (José Seves, Horacio Durán and Horacio Salinas)
Membership
In August 1967 Inti-Illimani's earliest membership consisted of:
Horacio Durán
Max Berrú
Jorge Coulon
Luis Espinoza
Oscar Guzmán
Ciro Retamal
Pedro Yáñez
In 1968 Inti-Illimani's membership consisted of:
Horacio Salinas (Musical director and main composer)
Horacio Durán
Max Berrú
Jorge Coulon
Ernesto Perez de Arce
Current line-up of the "Inti-Illimani Nuevo":
Jorge Coulon
Christian González
Daniel Cantillana
Juan Flores
Efren Viera
Marcelo Coulon
Manuel Meriño
César Jara
Current line-up of the "Inti-Histórico":
Horacio Salinas
Horacio Durán
José Seves
Jorge Ball
Fernando Julio
Camilo Salinas
Danilo Donoso
Other members in the history of the group:
Ernesto Pérez de Arce
Homero Altamirano
José Miguel Camus
Renato Freyggang
Pedro Villagra
Taita Salasaca
Inti-Illimani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
qué alegre caminas
por los chaquiñanes
sin ver las espinas.
Ñoca voy contento, mi patrón,
ampitu la mamba yangapá
qua allá Fausfito esperará
Ya patrón Sevilla
ofreció a mi longa
un huasipunguito
con una casita.
The lyrics of Inti-Illimani's song Taita Salasaca describe a joyful walk along the chaquiñanes without feeling the thorns. The singer, Taita Salasaca, expresses his happiness as he walks and talks about his future plans for his daughter, Rosa. He mentions his boss, who is waiting for him along the way, and how he has secured a huasipunguito (small piece of land) with a small house for his daughter. The song represents the joy of life and the hard work and struggles of the indigenous people of Ecuador.
It is interesting to note that Taita Salasaca is a real person and was one of the most important figures in the indigenous resistance against the Spanish conquest in Ecuador. The Salasaca people are an indigenous Andean group, located in the central highlands of Ecuador, and their language is Kichwa. Inti-Illimani, a Chilean folk music group, popularized the song in the 1970s, and it became one of their most iconic works. The song is considered an anthem for indigenous people and was used as a theme song for the documentary film "The Land Belongs to Those Who Work It," produced by Lourdes Portillo and Susana Munoz in 1975.
Another interesting fact is that the song's lyrics were written by the Ecuadorian poet and composer Luis Alberto Valencia, who was a member of the Quichua people. Valencia was a prominent figure in the indigenous rights movement and was appointed Ecuador's first Indigenous Governor in 1992. The song's melody was composed by Horacio Duran, a member of Inti-Illimani, who was inspired by the traditional Andean music of Ecuador.
The chords for Taita Salasaca are G, Em, Am, D, and C.
Overall, Taita Salasaca is a beautiful and inspiring song that celebrates the indigenous culture and traditions of Ecuador. The song's lyrics and melody resonate with people all around the world, and it continues to be a symbol of resistance and hope for marginalized communities.
Line by Line Meaning
Taita Salasaca,
Oh father Salasaca,
qué alegre caminas
how happily you walk
por los chaquiñanes
through the paths
sin ver las espinas.
without seeing the thorns.
Ñoca voy contento, mi patrón,
I am happily going, my boss,
ampitu la mamba yangapá
with my mule carrying a load
qua allá Fausfito esperará
where Fausfito will be waiting
para hacer casar con mi Rosa.
to marry my Rosa.
Ya patrón Sevilla
Already boss Sevilla
ofreció a mi longa
offered to my wife
un huasipunguito
a small piece of land
con una casita.
with a small house.
Contributed by Alex L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rick Marshall
A few words about this song for English speakers, so they can better appreciate this marvelous song they're hearing.
My friend Jerry was just describing a wedding with Colombian dancers in costume dancing to music of the tiple (TEE play), the national instrument of Colombia, and I got homesick for the Latin American music I grew up with, in which the tiple plays a prominent role.
The tiple is a three-quarter-size, twelve-string guitar. The metallic strings and smaller soundbox combine to give the instrument a metallic ringing quality very different from a traditional guitar, bright and lively. It can be played solo or as an accompaniment to the guitar to add depth to the sound, just as the violin adds depth to the cello.
I grew up with this song, which is by the Chilean group Inti-Illimani, who for decades have been traveling South America collecting traditional folk melodies and instruments and writing songs to showcase them. It is from one of their earliest albums, Canto de Pueblos Andinos, Songs of the Andean Peoples, which the lead singer of Duran Duran once said was his very favorite album. It's probably mine, too.
This song is called "Taita Salasaca."
The tiple is forward and easy to hear; it opens the song with its bright, ringing tones, so you can't miss it. It is then joined by guitars, a charango (a tiny ten-stringed guitar made from an armadillo shell, a distinctively Andean instrument; you can hear it strumming fiercely right after the singer says "Rosa," after that you'll have an easier time picking out its sound throughout the song on repeat listenings), singers, and late in the song a rondador (the national instrument of Ecuador, a set of corded panpipes made from cane that produce two notes simultaneously). The song has a distinctive, traditional rhythm, and the three different kinds of guitars (tiple, guitar, charango) create a lovely sonic range, like a kind of guitar quartet.
The song's lyrics are in the Ecuadorian idiom, Spanish but with Quechua words and inflections. The song's title means Salasaca Father; "taita" is the Quechua word for father. In this traditional song form, each pair of lyrics is sung twice in a row.
The Salasacas are Native Americans who live high in the Andes in the center of Ecuador, in Tungurahua Province. They speak Quechua and Spanish. They wear black in memory of the death of Inca freedom fighter Atahualpa, who was murdered centuries ago by the Spanish Conquistadors after his people had paid a heavy ransom for their lives.
This old Salasaca father walks along the chaquiñanes, singing this song, so happy he doesn't even worry about the thorns (espinas) on some of the plants. Chaquiñanes are narrow paths through forests or plantations.
His daughter Rosa is marrying Fausfito, the song says, so his boss, Sevilla, is going to give him a "huasipungo" with a cow. In Ecuador, a huasipungo is the thin piece of land that the landowners leave to the Indians on condition that they work on their lands, the same lands that their ancestors used to own but were stripped of by the Spanish.
He's so happy that he doesn't call the cow a "vaca" (cow) but a "vaquita" (dear little cow), even though he has never yet met said cow. Likewise the huasipungo, which he calls a huasipunguito, a dear little huasipungo.
It's a joyful song that rests atop sad history.
Here are the lyrics:
Taita Salasaca
Qué alegre caminas
Por los chaquiñanes
Sin ver las espinas
Ñoca voy contento, mi patrón
Ampitu la mamba yangapá
Qua allá Fausfito esperará
Para hacer casar con mi Rosa
Ya patrón Sevilla
Ofreció a mi longa
Un huasipunguito
Con una vaquita
..
My lifelong gratitude to Inti-Illimani for enriching our lives with this well researched and beautifully performed song, and my deep respects to the Salasaca people who keep the memory of Atahualpa alive.
Viva los Salasaca, y viva Inti-Illimani!
Miguel Chicaíza-Morales
El grupo latinoamericano de todos los tiempos. Tengo el honor de ser indígena y vivir a 15 minutos de la comunidad Salasaca. Un abrazo desde Ambato, ECUADOR.
Angelica Lema
Me alegra q la reconozca nuestra raza,las raíces,estas casado amigo?
JUAN DAVID
Todos los ecuatorianos, llevamos con orgullo esa sangre indomable en nuestras venas.
Kristian Martin
@Angelica Lema yo no, llego.tarde?
Ricardo Navarrete
Sabía que Max Berru integrante del INTI ILLIMANI era ecuatoriano.
Lamentablemente ya no está con nosotros, partió al infinito dejándonos un enorme legado musical.
Efemérides Y Más HD
Aquí en Colombia, me gusta mucho esta música andina uyyy qué belleza.
Rick Marshall
A few words about this song for English speakers, so they can better appreciate this marvelous song they're hearing.
My friend Jerry was just describing a wedding with Colombian dancers in costume dancing to music of the tiple (TEE play), the national instrument of Colombia, and I got homesick for the Latin American music I grew up with, in which the tiple plays a prominent role.
The tiple is a three-quarter-size, twelve-string guitar. The metallic strings and smaller soundbox combine to give the instrument a metallic ringing quality very different from a traditional guitar, bright and lively. It can be played solo or as an accompaniment to the guitar to add depth to the sound, just as the violin adds depth to the cello.
I grew up with this song, which is by the Chilean group Inti-Illimani, who for decades have been traveling South America collecting traditional folk melodies and instruments and writing songs to showcase them. It is from one of their earliest albums, Canto de Pueblos Andinos, Songs of the Andean Peoples, which the lead singer of Duran Duran once said was his very favorite album. It's probably mine, too.
This song is called "Taita Salasaca."
The tiple is forward and easy to hear; it opens the song with its bright, ringing tones, so you can't miss it. It is then joined by guitars, a charango (a tiny ten-stringed guitar made from an armadillo shell, a distinctively Andean instrument; you can hear it strumming fiercely right after the singer says "Rosa," after that you'll have an easier time picking out its sound throughout the song on repeat listenings), singers, and late in the song a rondador (the national instrument of Ecuador, a set of corded panpipes made from cane that produce two notes simultaneously). The song has a distinctive, traditional rhythm, and the three different kinds of guitars (tiple, guitar, charango) create a lovely sonic range, like a kind of guitar quartet.
The song's lyrics are in the Ecuadorian idiom, Spanish but with Quechua words and inflections. The song's title means Salasaca Father; "taita" is the Quechua word for father. In this traditional song form, each pair of lyrics is sung twice in a row.
The Salasacas are Native Americans who live high in the Andes in the center of Ecuador, in Tungurahua Province. They speak Quechua and Spanish. They wear black in memory of the death of Inca freedom fighter Atahualpa, who was murdered centuries ago by the Spanish Conquistadors after his people had paid a heavy ransom for their lives.
This old Salasaca father walks along the chaquiñanes, singing this song, so happy he doesn't even worry about the thorns (espinas) on some of the plants. Chaquiñanes are narrow paths through forests or plantations.
His daughter Rosa is marrying Fausfito, the song says, so his boss, Sevilla, is going to give him a "huasipungo" with a cow. In Ecuador, a huasipungo is the thin piece of land that the landowners leave to the Indians on condition that they work on their lands, the same lands that their ancestors used to own but were stripped of by the Spanish.
He's so happy that he doesn't call the cow a "vaca" (cow) but a "vaquita" (dear little cow), even though he has never yet met said cow. Likewise the huasipungo, which he calls a huasipunguito, a dear little huasipungo.
It's a joyful song that rests atop sad history.
Here are the lyrics:
Taita Salasaca
Qué alegre caminas
Por los chaquiñanes
Sin ver las espinas
Ñoca voy contento, mi patrón
Ampitu la mamba yangapá
Qua allá Fausfito esperará
Para hacer casar con mi Rosa
Ya patrón Sevilla
Ofreció a mi longa
Un huasipunguito
Con una vaquita
..
My lifelong gratitude to Inti-Illimani for enriching our lives with this well researched and beautifully performed song, and my deep respects to the Salasaca people who keep the memory of Atahualpa alive.
Viva los Salasaca, y viva Inti-Illimani!
Tree Walker
I do love the album Canto de Pueblos Andinos, but I never have liked this song. Musically pretty, but the lyrics are very patronizing and remind me of Stephen Foster's sentimental songs praising "massa." So happy and grateful to be a sharecropper with such a generous patron. Could you imagine a song written by an indigenous person, or coming from indigenous folk tradition, with these lyrics? You could not find any with lyrics remotely like this. Yet some non-indigenous songwriters think they can speak for indigenous people. To top it off, the taita calls his daughter a "longa," feminine of "longo," which is a highly derogatory word in Ecuador for a highland Indian.
Mr_Girr
thankyou so muchfor giving this song context! so many of these pieces are wonderful but i know not the story behind them. And its not for lack of Spanish skills either!
Giuliana B
What a touching song, thank you for your explanation!!