Approach to the relationship between the Chilean metal scene and Mapuche, Selk’nam and Kawésqar indigenous cultures

Metal is a transnational music genre that has been incorporated in different parts of the world by including local features of each territory. In Latin America, this has resulted, among other things, in the presence of indigenous cultures as a distinctive feature of metal musical productions. Moreover, this presence acquires significant relevance due to the growing visibility of Indigenous Peoples in the public sphere, which has unleashed a process of awareness about the acts of discrimination, invisibility, and genocide that these cultures have suffered throughout their history, but also a process of internalization regarding their demands and claims. For these reasons, this work proposes developing a content analysis to reflect on how a part of the Chilean metal scene, in this case the bands, has adopted a more significant commitment to the problems faced by indigenous cultures, and the consequences that this commitment has entailed, both musically and socially. The methodology used is sound, discourse, visual, and audiovisual analysis of musical productions, together with a review of historical and social aspects of the Mapuche, Selk’nam and Kawésqar indigenous cultures.