The article problematizes the use of the conceptualization of ‘Indian’ in La Araucanía, Chile. Through a historical approach, the origins of the ‘Indian’ are discussed, as well as the causes and psychosocial consequences that this denomination has brought to indigenous subjects, mainly the Mapuche in Chile. The methodology is qualitative of documentary-descriptive type of scientific articles, they allow a historical understanding of the origins of the Indian concept and how it prevails in society. Content analysis is used in which the nuclei of explicit and latent sense and meaning that underlie the concept ‘Indian’ are identified. The results reveal that the deconstruction of the ‘indian’ would progressively eradicate practices of racism and discrimination against indigenous children, youth and adults. We conclude that the deconstruction of the “Indian” concept implies starting from the basis of the recognition of an intercultural epistemological pluralism.