Mawiza beam with strength in the new video for 'Killari' • GRIMM Gent

While still ascending on the metal scene, Mawiza are empowered by their indigenous roots.

The Chilean band hail from the ancestral territory of Wallmapu, which belongs to the Mapuche Nation. By proudly embracing ancestral instruments, traditional chanting and the Mapuzungun language, their style of groove metal has brought them international acclaim. They’ve won a Chilean Grammy and performed alongside Mercyful Fate, Mastodon, Slipknot and Gojira. Having now signed with the French label Season of Mist, this year, Mawiza are releasing their spirited third album, which RollingStone named one of the 15 Latin Albums that they can’t wait to hear.

As this band of warriors prepare to set up on new horizons, Mawiza released a new video. Though the song reflects how their culture has changed, “Killari” beams with the strength that they draw from their native land.

Mawiza have shared a stage with metal’s biggest influences, but the band are guided by the spirit of nature. In English, “Killari” means “Moonlight“. Much like its namesake, the song reveals its transformative energy in phases. Double bass scampers under the cover of darkness as a clean, somber guitar melody is plucked like stars from the sky. “Chomü rayen teyfükan (Destroy the withered flower)”, the band howl in unison. “Taiñ mongen ñi afkülekan / Re rükükan mew (End our existence / Out of pure selfishness)”.

At home, Mawiza have seen the Mapuche Nation endure troubling times. Trees on their land have been cut down by developers. Many people from the tribe have been forced to move into the city. “My mother taught me to respect all life”, says the band’s vocalist and rhythm guitarist Awka. Between its scraping dissonant riffs and the flowing proggy grooves of bassist Zewü, “Killari” waxes and wanes between sorrow and anger. But by following the moon, the band find strength in transformation. “Wenu peaymi / Look to the sky!“, Awka shouts with both his spear and axe raised as the drums circle into a thunderous breakdown.

“You can feel low in the night”, says Awka, who identifies as non-binary. “Our people have often witnessed oppression against those deemed ‘deviant’, ‘nefarious’ or ‘diabolical’ for not fitting into the concept of man and woman. In ancient times, masculinity and femininity were respected and understood as real forces in constant communication, prayer and movement. But as time passed, through way and the loss of the Spanish crown, the image of the Mapuche man became idealized as virile, strong and an overwhelming warrior, while the woman was seen as the source of future heirs.

“If there is one concept that we as young Mapuche embrace, it’s total decolonization”, he continues. “As wentxu or ‘men’ of the Mapuche people, we need zomo newen or ‘feminine strength’ to exist in a permanent state within each of us. We protect our Epu püllü or ‘two spirits’ with songs like ‘Killari’.

“I feel a deep connection to the moon and how it influences all cycles of nature, including the transformation within ourselves”, says drummer Txalkan, who wrote the music for “Killari“. “The song weaves together rhythms and claves from various Latin American percussion styles. When I play it, I try and reflect that sense of movement and evolution through its variations”.

The video for “Killari” also reflects on the changing forces within the Mapuche Nation. “In popular culture, Indians are often shown wearing dirty clothes or being covered in mud”, the band says. “We wanted to look like kings”. To make this fashion statement, they collaborated with three of the most prominent trendsetters in Latin America. Their stylish outfits were designed by Matías Hernán, Ceremonia and Labios Enfermos.

Even the filming location for “Killari” was chosen after an artist’s own heart. What was once an abandoned underwear factory was converted by Chilean artist Beatrice di Girolamo into a woodworking studio. It’s here, in this re-imagined space, that Mawiza uncover a modern piece of Mapuche artwork in the climbing light of Karü‘s guitar solo. “Killari” first appeared on the band’s previous album Kollong, which in English means ‘mask’. While kollongs are traditionally carved from wood, by adding bits of moss and industrial plastic, this new version pieces together all the current aspects of Mapuche culture.

“Naq uwamtuymi ta lüq pelom / Feel the white light descending“, Awka chants. As he dons the mask, Mawiza becomes the sworn protectors of this illuminating ceremony.

“Some ancient Mapuche concepts are impossible to translate” Awka says. “It would be easy to say that our society was inclusive with non-binary and gender-fluid people. But it is far more complex. Our words are not static. Our weavings are not tied with blind knots. Our ruke or ‘house’ are made to be disassembled.

“Our machi have always embodied this from the most visible perspective”, he continues. “The body is a vessel for forces. The feminine force of küyen is crucial to our understanding and daily lives as Mapuche. Look to the sky and you can find the strength of your mother”.