Beatriz Pichi Malen

Beatriz Pichi Malen has dedicated her life to researching, preserving and spreading the ancestral music of the Mapuches, an indigenous group who live in the Southern region of Chile and Argentina. Today, the Mapuche culture and people are still alive in Argentina, much to the surprise of the white-dominant society, which is just beginning to rediscover the indigenous foundation of their country.

Beatriz Pichi Malen was born in Los Toldos, a province of Buenos Aires, and is the great, great granddaughter of Coliqueo, the famous 19th-century Mapuche chief. With her serene voice, she has a unique way of amplifying her held notes, which flow like the wind blowing from an indescribable place. —Courtesy Calabash Music