MC Millaray
MC Millaray | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2006 (age 18–19) |
| Occupation | Rapper Mapuche rights activist |
| Years active | 2013–present |
Millaray Jara Collío (born c. 2006), known professionally as MC Millaray, is a Mapuche rapper and human rights activist. She is known for her advocacy for Mapuche rights in Chile, a common theme in her lyrics.
Biography
[edit]Jara was born and grew up in La Pincoya, a barrio in northern Santiago. She has a younger brother and sister; her parents, Alexis Jara and Claudia Collío, are also rappers. Jara is Mapuche, with her family originally coming from Perquenco in the Araucanía Region, where her great-grandmother still lives. Jara and her family often visited Perquenco growing up, and she grew up speaking both Spanish and Mapudungun. Jara has stated that she identifies as Mapuche and not Chilean.[1][2][unreliable source?]
Jara first started rapping at the age of five, joining in during a performance by her father. At the age of seven, she recorded her first album, Pequeña Feminina; her parents burned the recordings onto CDs, which they then sold on public buses, or while busking. Jara gained greater attention when she performed an original song on a morning television show broadcast by Televisión Nacional de Chile.[1][2][unreliable source?] She has cited Daniella Millaleo as among her musical inspirations.[1]
Jara stated that she became more actively involved in the indigenous rights movement following an incident at her school in 2018 when a teacher had blamed the killing of Camilo Catrillanca, an unarmed Mapuche activist who had been shot dead by police officers in Temucuicui, on Catrillanca. Many of Jara's lyrics since then have revolved around the experiences of Mapuche people in Chile, including the ongoing presence of the Chilean military on Mapuche lands, and "five centuries of Mapuche struggles against European colonisers". Jara has incorporated Mapuche musical sounds, including the afafan (a Mapuche war cry) into songs such as "Mi ser mapuche". While unable to vote in the 2022 Chilean constitutional referendum due to herage, Jara was a vocal supporter of it, including its proposal to guarantee rights for indigenous groups, including Mapuches, to govern their own territories, have greater judicial autonomy, and to be recognised as distinct nations in Chile. The proposal was ultimately fedeated, though Jara stated "this is not the end... it's the bginning of something new".[1][3][4] Jara has called for the return of Wallmapu, the historical territory of the Mapuche people prior to Chile's colonisation, and the promotion of Mapuche values.[1][5]
In 2019, she composed a song for the Network for the Defence of Mapuche Children, and has been its spokesperson since then.[5] In 2020, Jara released the song "Rebelión de octubre" with Ana Tijoux to commemorate the first anniversary of the 2019 Chilean protests.[6]
Discography
[edit]- "Rebelión de octubre" (2020) (with Ana Tijoux)
- "Zomo Newen" (2022)
- "Mi ser mapuche" (2022)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Bartlett, John (27 January 2023). "Teenage Rapper, Rooted in Mapuche Identity, Roars for Indigenous Rights". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 June 2025. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
- ^ a b Salazar, Ricardo (2 May 2021). "Joven rapera mapuche presenta canciones dedicadas a su pueblo y a la revuelta social del 2019". RVL (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 26 April 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ Lankes, Ana (2 September 2022). "The Contentious Vote in Chile That Could Transform Indigenous Rights". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 26 September 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ Nicas, Jack (4 September 2022). "Chile Says 'No' to Left-Leaning Constitution After 3 Years of Debate". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 September 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ a b Astaburuaga Coddou, Pedro (8 February 2021). "MC Millaray: rap, defensa y orgullo de sus raíces". The Clinic (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 24 March 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "Ana Tijoux lanza nueva canción con MC Millaray, la estrella adolescente del rap mapuche". T13 (in Spanish). 16 October 2020. Archived from the original on 26 April 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.