Victor Jara Foundation Commemorates Mapuche Weaver Angelita Huenumán with Colorful Photos

Original article: Con fotos a color: Fundación Víctor Jara recordó a tejedora mapuche Angelita Huenumán

The Victor Jara Foundation paid tribute to Angelita Huenumán, the Mapuche weaver who inspired one of the most beautiful and memorable songs by the renowned Chilean singer-songwriter, through a series of vibrant photographs.

The song «Angelita Huenumán» was featured on the 1970 album «Canto Libre,» recorded by Victor Jara along with musician Patricio Castillo from Quilapayún.

The foundation recalled that Victor met Angelita Huenumán Alián while on vacation in Contulmo in 1969. She lived across Lake Lanalhue in Pocuno and was a well-known weaver in the area.

During that visit, the songwriter came to her home with his wife Joan and their daughters, Manuela and Amanda, «and shortly after he composed the song, affectionately portraying her community and craft,» shared the Victor Jara Foundation in a post on Instagram.

«As March 8 approaches, a date that commemorates International Women’s Day, we want to honor the women who were immortalized in Victor Jara’s songs and other narratives,» the post states, showcasing three color photos of Angelita Huenumán and one of Joan and Victor during their visit to the area.

Did Angelita Huenumán ever listen to the song dedicated to her by Victor? Joan Turner provides the answer in the book «Victor, an Incomplete Song.» In it, she recounts that they met again in Santiago when the Mapuche weaver attended a women’s meeting in 1972.

«She was very pleased with the song Victor had dedicated to her,» Joan shares in the book, adding that previously, they had received a blanket the singer purchased during his visit to Pocuno but could not take home because it wasn’t finished yet.

«Victor offered to pay her whatever she wanted for the blanket once it was completed (…). Angelita remembered us, and in the spring, the blanket arrived at our home in Santiago,» Joan’s account continues.

El Ciudadano