Newen is a Mapuche term that means energy. It acts as the driver of human activities and everything that lives around us. It is present in nature, including in all commonly used devices; within these items we find music, to which newen acts as a creative factor and transmitter of culture. Newen is not a simple, abstract concept; it is a palpable energy and life force that transforms the medium by which the music is made, always within the context of ritual.

There are various kinds of newens and they can merge or converge with one another.