Waikil y Ketrafe – “Wetruwe” (Live at the Airport)

As Mapuche storytellers, Waikil and Ketrafe fuse their Indigenous backgrounds with their love and passion for contemporary music. At the 2024 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, they provided a Mapuche perspective to the Indigenous Voices of the Americas program, representing a South American community comprised of nearly 1.9 million members primarily in Chile. This song “Wetruwe” addresses the Chilean government’s oppression against Mapuche activists and honors the martyred, those who died by the brutality of the state. It’s a resistance song that lifts up the Mapuche to rise in the face of adversity. After daily sessions at the Festival, the duo performed at Reagan National Airport, opening with an ayekán, or ceremonial instrumental music piece, followed by “Wetruwe,” as a way to signify the autonomy of the Mapuche people and the validation of one sovereign nation to another. In Waikil’s eyes, it was the perfect way to honor his fallen brothers and sisters and show the strength of his community. Here, Waikil raps in Spanish and in Mapudungun, the Native Mapuche language. See a glossary of key terms in Mapudungun used in the song below. aukafe – brave warrior che – people füta – great katrüwe – knife ñaña – “elder sister,” a respectful term used to address a wise woman who cares for others newen – life force ngen – beings, “owners,” or spirits that protect the natural world ˜peñi – brother; brothers and sisters Wallmapu – ancestral Mapuche territory weñefe – thief wetruwe – bolas (traditional weapon, rounder) wewaiñ – we will win, overcome, triumph winka – non-Mapuche This concert was presented with the support of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. Cameras: Anna Beth Lee, Charlie Weber, Ned Driscoll, Nicholas Aguirre Zafiro, Trinity Le Editing: Nicholas Aguirre Zafiro © Smithsonian Institution, 2025