Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Argentina's southern hunters contrasted with the agricultural peo-
ples to the north and west because they accumulated no surplus what-
soever. They wandered in dispersed and migratory groups, developed
only weak political leaders, battled constantly among themselves for
control of hunting areas, and survived within the narrow constraints
of the harsh natural environment. Because they followed game and
the seasons, the groups resided in small, temporary encampments
made up of eight to 10
toldos,
round tents covered with animal skins.
The southern hunters also glorified warfare as the necessary attribute
of survival and relished preying on their enemies in lightning raids.
Their chieftains shared decision-making responsibilities with com-
munity councils, and their shamans specialized in paying homage to
and influencing the numerous spirits. The shamans developed the
knowledge of folk medicines and practiced the animistic rituals that
made sense of the arbitrariness of nature.
Several but not all of the innumerable hunter bands were culturally
and linguistically related to one another; however, the complete lack
of large-scale territorial or political organization among them meant
that no one group (or outside imperial force) could conquer the oth-
ers and impose common beliefs and language. Each group remained
independent and mutually antagonistic to the other indigenous hunt-
ers. Despite the ethnic hostilities and language differences, the hunter-
gatherers of southern South America did trade among themselves and
exchanged practical knowledge. But in their adaptability to the harsh
environment and in their political decentralization lay the secrets to
their independence and autonomy. These hunting peoples pursued
lives of splendid, if impoverished, individualism.
Peoples of the Gran Chaco
The first major group of the southern hunters resided in the Gran
Chaco, the great territorial depression between the Bolivian Andes, the
Brazilian massif, the rocky hills along the upper Paraguay River, and
the Córdoba mountains of Argentina. The Gran Chaco is not a region
conductive to tilling. Its numerous marshes spill into and flood the
surrounding grasslands during the rainy season, leaving a thin crust of
salt on the land. During the rest of the year, the unrelenting sun dries
up the vegetation, except for the thick tropical woodlands that bound
the Gran Chaco on the east. Numerous cultural and linguistic groups
contested for living space within this sparse landscape. At the time of
