Are called Native peoples of Argentina Those indigenous and native communities that inhabit the territories of this country.
Its inhabitants were known for years as Indians, due to European influence but finally adopted the concept of Aboriginal, meaning"who lives there from the origin."
In Argentina There are a large number of native peoples, present in the different geographical areas, each with its own cultural characteristics.
During the nation's 200-year history, these populations were victims of all kinds of acts of physical and symbolic violence by the ruling classes, overriding their customs and lifestyles.
They were exiled from their territories, subjected and forced to adopt a religion and social norms, which were completely alien to them. However, some tribes identity And still endure.
With a strong defense of their culture and their ancestral rituals, the main native peoples of Argentina got the legal recognition needed to become part of the nation.
The main indigenous peoples of Argentina
In this article you will be able to know the main native peoples of Argentina, ordering them according to their geographical location.
Northeast Region
It includes the provinces of Chaco, Formosa, Misiones and Santa Fe, there are five aboriginal peoples: mbya-guarany, mocoví, pilagá, tuba and wichí.
1- Mbya-Guarany
It is one of the many tribes of the Guarani generic group. These Aborigines live in small communities of five families led by one country. In Argentina it is estimated that its population is about 8,000 people.
2- Mocoví
The Mocoví knew to be one of the majority groups of the zone, but the advance of the civilized society was destroying their customs and according to the last census, they remain about 15,000 inhabitants of this town.
3- Pilagá
They are an indigenous people of the group of the guaicurú and that have a close relation with the tobas. Although its population does not exceed the five thousand people, it has official representatives.
4- Toba
The Toba also knew to be one of the great communities of this Argentine region and at the moment they maintain one of the highest numbers of inhabitants, with almost 70,000 people.
Its strong cultural imprint and adaptability enabled this people to keep their customs in time and to have a powerful legal representation today.
5- Wichís
This is another of the main towns in this area. The Wichis still maintain a large population and a strong social representation, which prolongs their rituals and customs.
Northwest Argentina
It includes the provinces of Catamarca, Jujuy, La Rioja, Salta, San Juan, Santiago del Estero and Tucumán. In this region are the avá-guarany, chané, chorote, chulupí, diaguita-calchaquí and kolla peoples.
6- Avá-Guarany
It is another of the Guaraní peoples with strong presence in the Argentine territory, like the mbya-guarany, but in this case of the northwest region.
The avá-guarany were one of the main resistances that had to face the Spaniards in their attempt of colonization. They currently have a population of 21,000 people.
7- Chané
The chané migrated from Las Guayanas about 2,500 years ago to settle in the Argentinean northwest. They have a strong legal status and its population is just over 3,000 people.
8- Chorote
The Chorote, for their part, settled on the banks of the Pilcomayo River and from there resisted the advance of the western civilization, along with other tribes of the place. Currently, its nearly 3,000 inhabitants are legally recognized.
9- Chulupí
Neighbors of the Chorote, the Chulupí suffered the loss of their culture slowly and today only a small group of families maintains this original town.
10- Diaguita-Calchaquí
The Diaguita calchaqui Were also another of the dominant peoples of the region, but the advance of civilization reduced its population. Potters are currently in resistance and remain prominent.
Kolla
Finally, the Andean people of the kolla was one of the main resistances that had to overcome the Argentine state to establish a national regime.
This confrontation weakened its people, but made its culture to become vigorous and currently has 70,000 inhabitants, with strong legal representation.
Southern Region or Patagonia
There are three villages: Mapuche , Ona and tehuelche, which still today maintain a strong resistance to the progress of the Argentine State and the sale of land to foreigners.
12- Mapuche
Image recovered from donquijote.org.
Mapuche or Araucanians are one of the majority populations of the area, with religious and legal representatives that marked the national culture.
To this day they are one of the most massive towns in Argentina with more than 100,000 inhabitants who still maintain fierce struggles for their territories.
13-Ona
The Ona, on the other hand, are a nomadic people who were victims of great massacres. This caused a brutal reduction in its population and only survived small groups of families that resist in Patagonia.
14- Tehuelches
Finally, the Tehuelches are the hallmark of Patagonia. Its name means"big foot"in honor of the giant Pathoagon. It has a strong social organization but its population does not exceed five thousand inhabitants.
Central region of the country
Comprising the provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa and Mendoza, the atacama, huarpe, rankulche and tupí guarany were recorded.
15- Atacama
The Atacama are a town that inhabited different regions of the country, but they are located in the center of Argentina because it was where most inhabitants settled.
Laborious, developers and creators, stood out for their constructions in straw and mud, and for being pioneers of works with copper. Austeros in their way of life, they were characterized by their sacrifices.
They have a history of more than 15,000 years and still have a large group of inhabitants who maintain their rituals and culture.
16- Huarpe
The Huarpe, for their part, have a particular history, were considered extinct for decades until at the beginning of the twentieth century, began to appear different communities that recognized their aboriginal origins.
The dispersion made them vulnerable to disease and the advance of civilization, but in the last 100 years they began to regain their ethnic and cultural identity. In the last census, its population registered more than 10,000 inhabitants.
At present, they maintain a strong conflict with the government of the province of San Luis by the lands of the national park Sierra de las Quijadas, that the Huarpe claim as their own.
Rankülches
The rankülches, for their part, are a nomadic and hunting community, which during the first decades of the 20th century resisted the advance of the malones in their territory with alliances with other peoples, such as the Tehuelches.
Its current population, according to the Complementary Survey of Indigenous Peoples, is more than 10 inhabitants, scattered half between the provinces of La Pampa and Buenos Aires and the rest in other areas of Argentina.
At the moment it is one of the original towns with more communities established within the national territory, with strong legal presence in many districts.
18- Tupí Guaraní
The last native town of this list are the Tupí Guaraní, that in fact are an ethnic group that includes different communities that speak the same language: Tupí Guaraní, composed of 53 different languages.
At present there is no accurate data on the number of inhabitants that make up this original town, because they are scattered between indigenous reserves and cities, in which they try to maintain their ancestral rituals.
References
- The people of the desert , Miguel Alberto Bartolomé: «The settlers of the"desert", in Amérique Latine Histoire et Mémoire, numéro 10, 2004. Accessed on September 9, 2006.2- Complementary Survey of Indigenous Peoples. Retrieved from: unicef.org.
- "Perennial memory", Ministry of Innovation and Culture, Government of Santa Fe.
- Native peoples, Indians, Indians Gems or labor ? Jorge Chiti Fernández, website Condorhuasi.
- The population N ind And miscegenation in Am and Rich: The population N ind Igneous, 1492-1950, Ángel Rosenblat, Editorial Nova, 1954.