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
no nos someterán
Inti-Illimani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
latinoamericanos
las manos que surcaron
por siglos campo ajeno.
Hoy despertando están
firmes combatirán
todas las tiranías
una tras otra derrotarán.
No nos someterán
no nos someterán.
No, no, no, no,
no nos someterán.
Lucha, luche hermano
cada día, cada noche
cada pueblo, cada esquina
cada risa, cada canto
cada uno de nosotros
lucharemos por la vida
por la tierra, por el cobre, por el mar
con la fuerza y la razón de la verdad
cada patria con bandera de unidad
cada patria con su clara libertad.
Nuestros son los metales
nuestro el sudor vertido,
patrimonio cautivo
en manos imperiales,
la justicia vendrá
repartiendo su pan
todas las alegrías
el hombre libre conquistará.
The lyrics to Inti-Illimani’s song “No Nos Someterán” speak to the struggles and resistance of Latin Americans against colonialism and tyranny. The opening verses speak to the fact that Latin Americans have historically been denied control over their own land, and the people have been oppressed for centuries. However, the song suggests that the people are now waking up to their power and will fight against any and all forms of oppression. They will not be submissive, and they will not surrender to those who try to control them.
The chorus of the song repeats the powerful phrase “no nos someterán” which translates to “they will not submit us.” This phrase is a call to arms, a battle cry for Latin Americans to take control of their own lives and futures. The verses that follow suggest that this is a collective effort - not just the struggle of one group or one person. Each one of us must fight for our own lives, for our land, and for our freedom. The people must work together, across borders and cultures, to achieve their common goals.
The song’s final verse speaks to the idea that the people’s resources have been exploited and hoarded by imperial powers, and that justice will come to reclaim and redistribute the wealth. The people will be free to enjoy all that life has to offer, and they will do so with the knowledge that they fought for their own liberation. At its core, “No Nos Someterán” is a song about resistance, unity, and the power of collective action.
Line by Line Meaning
Nuestra será la tierra
We, as Latino Americans, will claim our land as our own.
latinoamericanos
As people from Latin America, we are united in our fight for freedom.
las manos que surcaron
Our hands have worked tirelessly to cultivate the fields, even those that were not originally ours.
por siglos campo ajeno.
We have been forced to work on foreign fields for centuries, but that will end now.
Hoy despertando están
We are waking up to our potential.
firmes combatirán
We will stand strong and fight for what is rightfully ours.
todas las tiranías
We will overthrow all forms of oppression.
una tras otra derrotarán.
Our victories will be continuous as we defeat one tyrant after another.
No nos someterán
We will not be subjugated.
No, no, no, no,
Absolutely not.
no nos someterán.
We will not submit to anyone's authority.
Lucha, luche hermano
Fight, my brothers and sisters.
cada día, cada noche
Fight every day and every night.
cada pueblo, cada esquina
Fight in every town and every corner.
cada risa, cada canto
Fight with each joyous moment and every song.
cada uno de nosotros
Every single one of us.
lucharemos por la vida
We fight for life itself.
por la tierra, por el cobre, por el mar
We fight for our land, our resources, and our waters.
con la fuerza y la razón de la verdad
We will use the strength and power of truth and reason in our fight.
cada patria con bandera de unidad
Each of our countries will be united in the fight for freedom.
cada patria con su clara libertad.
Each country will have its own clear freedom.
Nuestros son los metales
The metals are ours.
nuestro el sudor vertido,
We have poured our sweat into this land.
patrimonio cautivo
Our resources have been held captive.
en manos imperiales,
By imperialist hands.
la justicia vendrá
Justice will come.
repartiendo su pan
And will distribute its abundance.
todas las alegrías
Granting us all the joys of life.
el hombre libre conquistará.
We will become free men and women through our conquests.
Contributed by Kayla G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
OMAR HERNANDO GOMEZ OLIVA
dejen el Reggaeton y la Musica de los One Direction para que no nos sometan nunca mas y todos latinoamerica dedicamos la hermosa cancion de nuestros Inti-Illimani
Nilsa Aslin Oliva
Exelentisima cancion, llena se acordes eso si, me encanta. En la-