The Indigenous people of Argentina

There are several groups of indigenous people in Argentina. Even though today many Argentines argue that their country’s indigenous population have gone into extinction, or on the verge to, these aboriginal people plays an important part in the history of Argentina.

Many of the indigenous people are categorised into different regions, such as the Chaco, La Pampa, Littoral and the Pattagonia region.

Chaco Region

This region was inhabited by the following indigenous group : 

Guaycurues: this group of people, consisting of the abipones, mbayaes, payaguaes, tobas and pilagaes, were basically wild fruit gatherers and hunters when not in the fishing season. 

Matacos/Wichis: given the name Matacos during the Spanish colonisation. They are the patagonido race with Andean and brasilido influence. Like the Guaycurues, their livelihood came from wild fruit gathering and fishing. Hemispheric dome huts are home to them while their diet consist of mainly meat, dried fish algarroba fruits and beans.

Chiriguanos: this group of people arrived in Chaco only in the 1500s, thus shared the same territory and culture with former Andean populations. Their job were mainly agriculture cultivation such as corn, beans and pumpkins.

La Pampa Region

Querandies: after the foundation of the city of Buenos Aires, the Querandies occupied the humid steppe of La Pampa. They were robust, dark skinned and lived under the leadership and commands of chiefs and leaders. Their basic diet consisted of fish, Andean deer, roots, fruits and lobsters. 

 

Littoral and Mesopotamia Region

Kaingang (AKA men of the forest): consisting of the Charruas, their economic organisations were based on wild fruit gathering, hunting and fishing. They lived in shelter made of braided vegetal fibres that were knitted to form saddle roof hut, with no walls. 

Guaranies: they formed villages in the open areas of the forest and developed a true tribal group for being economically independent from each other, and thus self sufficient. Have the ownerships of exclusive land, these people are usually farmers. Religious level was high in this tribe; the “shamans” have supernatural powers who have control over the population’s community actions.

The Patagonia Region

The indigenous people here inhabited the land of Patagonia thousands of years before the Spanish colonisation. 

Patagones of the North: the Tehuelches made up most this group. Due to the strong winds and extremely cold winters, agriculture was not made available to the people. They were mainly nomads, and hunted guanacos and ostriches for survivability.

Yamanas: they lived along the isles of Patagonia, and constructed homes out of branches for shelter. Diet consists of sea products, mainly mollusc, mussel, crayfish and snappers.