Beatriz Pichi Malen

Heiress of a long history, Beatriz Pichi Malen has dedicated her life to searching for and transmitting Ancient Mapuche Songs. Born in Los Toldos, in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, she is the great-great granddaughter – on her mother’s side – of Cacique Coliqueo, the famous 19th-century Mapuche chief. Beatriz has given talks, seminars, workshops and concerts throughout Argentina and abroad. She has also recounted her knowledge of the Mapuche culture for cinema and video.

Heiress of a long history, Beatriz Pichi Malen has dedicated her life to searching for and transmitting Ancient Mapuche Songs. Born in Los Toldos, in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, she is the great-great granddaughter – on her mother’s side – of Cacique Coliqueo, the famous 19th-century Mapuche chief. Beatriz has given talks, seminars, workshops and concerts throughout Argentina and abroad. She has also recounted her knowledge of the Mapuche culture for cinema and video. In 1990 she was invited by the Rockefeller Foundation to participate in the Fourth International Congress of Women in Manhattan. In 1994 she was awarded top prize in the category of Vocal Soloist at the Festival of Cosquín, and this year was also the beginning of a series of annual presentations she gives on the Mapuche culture.

In 1995 she received the Cóndor de Plata – Argentina’s equivalent of the Academy Awards. In 1996 she received special mention at the Malambo Festival of Córdoba, and in 1997 at the Festival of Varadero. In July of the same year she received the TRIMARG ’97 (Tribunal Musical Argentina) award in the category of ethnic music. This institution also chose one of her songs to be included in a CD that was released internationally. In March 2000 she released Plata, a CD containing ancient Mapuche songs.

In November 2000 the government department of the province of Buenos Aires declared Plata , her CD featuring ancient Mapuche songs, of EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL INTEREST. In 2001 she participated in her first European tour, which was organized by Anacrusa Producciones. On this tour she exclusively represented Argentina at the live music fair, Mercat de Música Viva, in Vic (Barcelona), and also offered five concerts in Reus, Cardedeu and Barcelona. She was booked to participate in a number of future concerts and seminars. In 2002 she offered a series of concerts throughout Argentina, renewing her commitment to work not only by performing, but also by participating in workshops and projects related to the different arts of the Mapuche culture.

In May of the same year she was commissioned by the Department of Culture in the province of Buenos Aires to offer a series of exclusive concerts. The Argentinean Department of Tourism hired her as an Ambassador of Mapuche Art to offer a series of concerts throughout Argentina. She returned to Argentina, and once again with her group and dancer, she traveled to the province of Neuquén (PATAGONIA) to offer a series of concerts at the Huellas International Festival. She made the most of her stay there by visiting Mapuche communities and associations and strengthening her ties with her ethnic group. It was at this time that she completed her second CD Añil. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL..