Full Description
The regions and the people of the southern cone of South America have been identified as wild and at the edge of the world. This compilation of research by scholars, many of whom are members of the Argentine Academia, effectively summarizes the struggle of the Mapuche, Tehuelche, Rankuelche, and Selk'nam peoples for a continued sense of cultural identity distinct from the one of inferiority foisted upon them by Spanish conquerors centuries ago.
The native peoples of Pampa, Patagonia, and Tierra del Fuego on Argentina's southern cone are shown to be a dynamic people whose remarkable resilience and cultural survival has led them to a place in contemporary politics. Research exploring important current issues such as nationism and interethnic relations is included. Chapters address the seizure of Indian lands by the Spanish, selective policies of inclusion and exclusion, ethnocide and paternalism. The atrocities and injustices committed against these peoples reflect the experience of indigenous peoples all over the world. However, even in the face of adversity, the Mapuche, Tehuelche, Rankuelche, and Selk'nam peoples have maintained a sense of cultural difference, and they play a vital role in the culture and politics of the region.
Contents
Foreword by Laurie L. Weinstein Living on the Edge... by Claudia Briones and Jose Luis Lanata Official Policies in the Seizure and Control of Indian Territories in Northern Patagonia by Raul Diaz and Carlos Falaschi Araucanization-Nation: A Century Inscribing Foreign Indians in the Pampas by Axel Lazzari and Diana Lenton Mortuary Rituals among the Southern Tehuelche by Celia N. Priegue Religion and Kinship in the Mapuche Culture by Graciela Hernandez Myth and History: The Expression of Contact in the Elal Cycle by Alejandra Siffredi Economic Relations, Co-operation and Reciprocity in Mapuche Communities by Sabine Kradolfer Pulmari: Protected Indigenous Land by Coordinacion de Organizaciones Mapuche "We are Neither an Ethnic Group nor a Minority, but a Pueblo-Nacion Originario": The Cultural Politics of Organizations with Mapuche Philosophy and Leadership by Claudia Briones Interethnic Relations in Native-American Populations of Argentine Patagonia. A Genetic Demographic Analysis by F. Raul Carnese, Alicia L. Caratini and Alicia S. Goicoechea Aspects of Ergativity in Tehuelche by Ana Fernandez Garay From Secrecy to Public Performance: The Political Uses of Mapudungun by Lucia Golluscio Bibliography Index
