Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
grasslands of Uruguay and on the riverbanks of the lower Paraná Basin.
Eight to 10 people inhabited each family hut, and a band of nomads
comprised eight to 12 families altogether. Two or more groups might
band together for warfare but otherwise kept to themselves. According
to the first European missionaries who attempted to convert them to
Christianity, the chieftains did not have a great deal of authority in the
hunting bands, where fistfights between individuals sufficed to settle
disputes. In battle, the warriors were merciless to enemy warriors and
incorporated captured women and children into their bands as slaves
or family members.
Peoples of the Pampas and Patagonia
In the expansive prairies that presently make up the eastern and south-
ern provinces of Argentina, small bands of hunter-gatherers predomi-
nated. They hunted native animals such as deer, guanacos, armadillos,
prairie dogs, and South American ostriches. In the woodlands of
Patagonia, gathering seeds and hunting deer formed the basis of exis-
tence. The coastal peoples of Patagonia hunted seals and fished from
canoes. For many centuries, life was much the same for these peoples.
They too lived in small bands, celebrated their independence, and con-
founded the first Europeans.
Just before the Europeans arrived, the larger cultural and linguistic
groups of the QuerandÃ, Puelche, and Tehuelche inhabited large sec-
tions of the Argentine Pampas and Patagonia. These peoples moved
mainly on foot and set up camps based on the seasons and hunting
opportunities. They were little encumbered by material goods. Their
tools were simple, usually bone and stone weapons and scrapers,
products of their Stone Age existence. The peoples of the Argentine
prairies, however, would become known for one unique weapon: the
bolas. Made of three round stones covered by animal skin and con-
nected by leather cords, the bolas, flung by a skilled hunter, could
bring down guanacos, ostriches, and other large game. The hunter
whirled the bolas around his head and flung them at the legs of his
prey. He then moved in on the hobbled animal to make the kill with
a spear or club.
The principal bands of the Pampas and Patagonia were quite
small, made up only of a few families or clans. In this sense they
were like other southern hunters. There existed no confederations
of tribes or a rigid differentiation of their societies between warriors
and hereditary leaders. Yet, these peoples did observe sharp gender
