Three Indian Songs (Tres canciones indias)

Music piece by:
Sergio Vesely
Testimony by:
Sergio Vesely
Experience in:
Campamento de Prisioneros Melinka, Puchuncaví, 1975

After our transfer from Tres Álamos to Puchuncaví in April 1975, a group of prisoners began toying with the idea of presenting a poetic-theatrical performance about the history of Latin America’s indigenous cultures and their extermination under Iberian domination.

I joined the group offering my services as songwriter and performer, and was received with open arms.

Finally, we prepared a grand cultural event that was held in the Melinka Camp dining hall in the autumn of 1975.

This composition combines three indigenous songs in a single song. It came to me during the process of creating that great work, which we called 'I Sing to the Americas'. Only parts of the song were included in the programme that evening.


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Published on: 23 September 2015

I open a furrow in the land
I open a furrow to pain.
This cornfield is killing me
hard path of the bread.
To sow so as to die serves me not, my moon.

Day and night I'm crying
my heart is in sorrow.
My blanket carries dust
the harvest of the sun.
To sow so as to die serves me not, my moon.

The dream sleeps in the rain
and in the flower, illusion
hunger sleeps in man
and in the song, love.
To sow so as to die serves me not, my moon.

Zamba of the wind, happily pregnant
dance to ward of grief
Zamba, zamba my dusky one.
That your dusky man does not dare
he comes and goes with the zamba dance.
Oh, negrito, negrito.

Spoilt rumba, belly of the sun
gift for the heart
rumba, rumba my dusky one.
That your dusky man does not dare
he comes and goes with the rumba dance.
Oh, negrito, negrito.

Bombo, my plains, tumbelé, tumbelé.
The black mama greets us
bombo, bombo in the plain.
And her dusky man wakes up
drunk from dancing
Oh, negrito, negrito.
Corn growers of the cornfields
little oranges of your trees
ceiba with a pretty face
ceiba zambita.
I want to have a child through your love
ceiba with a pretty face, ceiba zambita.

Wife of the guava
pomegranate of your little palm trees
Hummingbird of coral skin
zamba of the the little corals.
I want to offer my belly to your love
Zamba with a pretty face, zamba zambito.

Paprika for my queen
avocado for my mulatto.
We shall sow a cornfield
poor, poor thing.


Related testimonies:

  • Lament for the Death of Augusto the Dog (Lamento a la muerte del perro Augusto)  Sergio Vesely, Campamento de Prisioneros Melinka, Puchuncaví, 1975

    Augusto the dog (not to be confused with the journalist Augusto Olivares, affectionately nicknamed 'Augusto the Dog', who was murdered in the Presidential Palace on 11 September 1973), was the mascot of the political prisoners held at the Ritoque concentration camp, and accompanied his master when the military junta decided to close that prison and transfer the inmates to the neighbouring Puchuncaví concentration camp.

  • Ode to Joy (Himno a la alegría)  Luis Madariaga, Cárcel de Valparaíso, 1974 - 1976

    In prison, we would sing the 'Ode to Joy' when a comrade was released or sent to exile.

  • The Crux of the Matter (La madre del cordero)  Servando Becerra Poblete, Campamento de Prisioneros Chacabuco, 9 November 1973 - 10 November 1974

    I recited this poem in the National Stadium. I continued to do so in the Chacabuco prison camp, earning the nickname of “Venancio” from my fellow prisoners.

  • The Crux of the Matter (La madre del cordero)  Servando Becerra Poblete, Campamento de Prisioneros, Estadio Nacional, 9 November 1973 - 10 November 1974

    I recited this poem in the National Stadium. I continued to do so in the Chacabuco prison camp, earning the nickname of “Venancio” from my fellow prisoners.

  • Today Was Visitors’ Day (Hoy fue día de visitas)  Sergio Vesely, Cárcel de Valparaíso, 1976

    Visitors’ day was an exceptional day that broke the monotonous routine of all the other days of the week.

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