Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tierra del Fuego's comparatively high wages draw Argentines from all over to resettle
here, and some locals lament the loss of small-town culture. Meanwhile, expansion
means that haphazard development is advancing in the few directions the mad geography
allows.
History
In 1870 the British-based South American Missionary Society set its sights on the
Yahgan (or Yamaná), a nomadic tribe whose members faced brutal weather conditions al-
most entirely naked - they didn't have any permanent shelter to keep clothing dry, and
believed that the natural oil of their skin was better protection than soaking wet animal
fur. Charles Darwin branded them 'the lowest form of humanity on earth.' Missionary
Thomas Bridges didn't agree. After years among them, he created a Yahgan-English dic-
tionary in the late 19th century, deeming their language complex and subtle.
The mission made Ushuaia its first permanent Fuegian outpost, but the Yahgan, who
had survived 6000 years without contact, were vulnerable to foreign-brought illnesses
and faced increasing infringement by sealers, settlers and gold prospectors. Four Yá-
mana, including a teenager dubbed 'Jimmy Button,' were kidnapped by the naval captain
Robert Fitz Roy and shipped back to England to be educated and paraded as examples of
gentrified savages. One died of disease. After months of public criticism, Fitz Roy
agreed to return the rest to their homeland.
The tribe's legacy is now reduced to shell mounds, Thomas Bridges' famous diction-
ary and Jimmy Button souvenirs. At the time of writing, one elderly Yamaná woman was
still alive on Isla Navarino, the only native speaker of the language.
Between 1884 and 1947 the city became a penal colony, incarcerating many notorious
criminals and political prisoners, both here and on remote Isla de los Estados. Since 1950
the town has been an important naval base.
