Selknam
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The Selk'nam, also known as the Ona, lived in the Tierra del Fuego islands, in southern Chile and Argentina. They were one of the last aboriginal groups in South America to be reached by Westerners, in the late 19th century, when the Chilean and Argentine governments began efforts to explore and integrate Tierra del Fuego (literally, the "land of fire" based on early European explorers observing Selk'nam smoke from their bonfires).
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[edit] Lifestyle
The Selk'nam were nomadic people and survived by hunting. They dressed sparingly, a remarkable feat given the cold climate of Patagonia.
They shared Tierra del Fuego with the Haush (or Manek'enk), another nomadic culture that lived in the south-eastern part of the island.
[edit] The relations with whites
The Selk'nam avoided contact with Western colonizers. Westerners killed most of the local animals which were the food source for the Selk'nam and used a great part of the land of Tierra del Fuego to establish large estancias - sheep ranches. Selk'nam, who lacked an understanding of sheep herds as private property, hunted sheep, behavior which was perceived as banditry by ranch owners. Ranchers supported armed groups to hunt down and kill the Selk'nam. To receive their bounty, such groups first had to return with the ears of the victims. After some ear-less Selk'nam were seen to be wandering the grounds the process was changed to exchanging a complete head for bounty. Relations with whites in the Beagle Channel area were somewhat more cordial, especially with the Bridges family, founders of Harberton and Ushuaia. Lucas Bridges, one of three sons of Thomas Bridges, did much to help the local cultures, learning the languages of the various groups and trying to provide the natives with the space in which to live their customary lives as "lords of their own land". Alas, it turned out to be too little, too late, but Bridges' book, "Uttermost part of the earth", gives a sympathetic insight into the natives' lives.
[edit] Demise
Two missions by Christian missionaries were eventually established to save the Selk'nam. The missions were meant to provide housing and food for the natives. In spite of the help, Selk'nam were unable to survive without their traditions and lifestyles, and they dwindled in numbers, particularly falling ill to diseases for which they had no immunity. The first mission closed, and the second one was forced to close later due to the limited number of Selk'nam remaining. While Selk'nam numbered in the thousands before Western colonization, by the early twentieth century only several hundreds remained, and the last ethnic Selk'nam died in the mid twentieth century. In May 1974, Ángela Loij, the last ever pure-blood Selk’nam and last indigenous Fuegian, died.
[edit] Culture and religion
Despite the fact that the missions were not able to save the Selk'nam people or their traditions, the missions did a remarkable job in collecting information about Selk'nam religion and traditions - a short dictionary of the Selk'nam language was even made.
[edit] Language
The Selknam spoke a Chon language.
[edit] Religion
Selk'nam religion was quite different from other typical "primitive" systems of beliefs. It more or less denied the existence of a supreme being;[citation needed] these beings were only mentioned in one legend as a part of the past, in creation myth.
In many of their tales, we can read about shaman-like characters. Such a /xon/ has supernatural capabilities, e.g. he can control weather ([1]; online [2]).
[edit] Initiation ceremonies
Selk'nam male initiation ceremonies, called Hain, were probably one of the most fascinating parts of their culture. Some other nearby peoples also had similar initiation ceremonies.
Young males were called to a dark hut. There they would be attacked by "spirits" - actually people disguised as such. The children were taught to fear these spirits at childhood and were threatened by them in case they misbehaved. These now-young men did not know these spirits were not real, and they were to go to them and unmask them. After they saw that these "spirits" were actually human beings, they were then told a story of world creation about the Sun and Moon. Also, there was a story told (actually part of the same story) that at one time women used these spirits to control men: they would disguise themselves as spirits and threaten the men while the men did not know that these were not spirits at all. Once they found out, it was done vice-versa - women did not know that the spirits weren't real, while males found out at the initiation age. However it was more like a joke at these times, without males actually using spirits to control women, unlike the women had supposedly done in the past. After this first day, there were various related ceremonies - males showing their "strength" in front of women by fighting spirits (who were other males but the women did not know it) in some theatrical fights. Each spirit had its typical actions, words and such as well as typical outside looks. Therefore Selk'nam were perhaps the only Amerindian nation to have a theater tradition - the best actors from previous Hains were called again to impersonate spirits in later Hains.
The Hain used to take a very long time, perhaps even a year on occasion, at the times when Selk'nam were not in touch with Europeans. It would end with the last fight against the "worst" spirit. Usually Hains were started when there was enough food (for example a whale was washed on coast), and by then all the Selk'nam from all the tribes used to gather at one place, in male and female camps. "Spirits" sometimes went to female encampments to scare them as well as going around the place and doing various things related to their characters. The last Hain was held in one of the missions in the early 20th century, and it was photographed by the missionary. It was of course a much shorter and smaller ceremony than it used to be when Selk'nam were still free, but it still provides a good insight into traditions of this nation. The photos depict various "spirit" clothings too.
[edit] Heritage
Pictures of Selk'nam people taken by the missionaries are available in the Puerto Williams museum. There are also a few books on the subject, including Selk'nam tales, collected by the missions, and a dictionary of the Selk'nam language. Due to early contact by missionaries, it was possible to gather much more information about the Selk'nam people than about other peoples of the region. The same missionary also attempted to collect information about other local nations - but unlike with Selk'nams, whom he visited whilst still numerous, the missionary visited and spent some time with people of other cultures only when their nations were already reduced and consisted only of a few people; therefore it was not possible to write as much about them as was written about the Selk'nam. According to the Argentine census of 2001, there were 391 Ona living in the island of Tierra del Fuego and a further 114 in other parts of Argentina.
[edit] References and further reading
- ^ Gusinde, Martin: Nordwind—Südwind. Mythen und Märchen der Feuerlandindianer. E. Röth, Kassel, 1966
- ^ About the Ona Indian Culture in Tierra Del Fuego
- Luis Alberto Borrero, Los Selk'nam (Onas), Galerna, Buenos Aires 2007.
- Lucas Bridges, Uttermost Part of the Earth, London 1948.
- Stefan Anitei, The Enigma of the Natives of Tierra del Fuego - Are Alacaluf and Yahgan the last Native Black Americans?", Softpedia (with photographs)
[edit] See also
- Yaghan
- Haush
- Kawésqar
- Kawésqar language
[edit] External links
- About the Ona Indian Culture in Tierra Del Fuego. (A homepage containing pictures and summary-like texts about the Ona.)
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