Niño Araucano
Quilapayún Lyrics

The song "Niño Araucano" by Quilapayún, speaks of a young indigenous boy or "niño araucano" who is raised under the yoke of Spanish conquerors. The boy diligently tends to the dreams of the colonizer, adjusts his saddle, and cleans his weapons. The repeated phrase, "aprende a" which translates to "learn to" in English, implores the boy to learn various skills and adapt to the conqueror's ways, and his mastery of these skills only emphasizes the power dynamic at play. However, towards the end of the song, the tone shifts, and the lyrics begin to address an unnamed "buen araucano" (good Araucanian) who has witnessed both the life and death of the colonizer. He is now urged to fight and kill for his freedom, and the song concludes with a nod to Lautaro, a Mapuche warrior who led a successful resistance against Spanish conquest in Chile in the 16th century.

The lyrics of "Niño Araucano" are framed as a lesson for the young boy, but are in fact an indictment of the brutal realities of colonization, and the insidious ways in which indigenous peoples were molded and oppressed under the guise of "education". Quilapayún made a conscious choice to express political concerns through their music, and their songs often acted as a catalyst for social change during their career in Chile in the 1960s and 1970s. The song, therefore, could be seen as not only a commentary on Chilean history but also a warning against the dangers of colonization and the importance of fighting for independence and self-determination.