Indigenous peoples of the Southern Cone

Indigenous peoples of the Southern Cone
Group	Indigenous peoples of the Southern Cone
Regions	Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Falkland Islands
Languages	Mapudungun, Quechua, Aymara, Guaraní, Tupí, Tehuelche language, Selk'nam language, Yagán language
Religions	Animism, Shamanism

Indigenous peoples of the Southern Cone The Indigenous peoples of the Southern Cone comprise the diverse pre-Columbian and contemporary nations and communities inhabiting Patagonia, the Pampas, the Andes, the Gran Chaco, and adjacent coastal zones within Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, and the Falkland Islands. These populations include historically prominent groups such as the Mapuche, Guaraní, Quechua, Aymara, Tehuelche, Selk'nam, and Yagán, whose legacies intersect with colonial histories like the Spanish colonization of the Americas, the Dutch Empire, and later nation-state formation under treaties such as the Treaty of Tordesillas and diplomatic processes tied to Treaty of Montevideo. Modern Indigenous movements engage with international instruments like the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and regional bodies including the Organization of American States.

Overview and Definitions

Scholars and institutions classify Southern Cone peoples through ethnolinguistic families including Mapudungun speakers, Guaraní speakers, Quechua speakers, Aymara speakers, and various Chonan family groups such as the Tehuelche. National censuses in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay use differing criteria; academic work from institutions like the CONICET, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and the Universidad de la República (Uruguay) contributes to legal definitions used in litigations before courts such as the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

Pre-Columbian Societies and Cultures

Pre-Columbian Southern Cone societies ranged from agrarian civilizations like highland Quechua and Aymara communities integrated into Andean exchange networks connected to sites remembered in Tiwanaku and influenced by the Inca Empire, to coastal and steppe hunter-gatherers including Selk'nam, Yagán, Kawésqar, and Tehuelche who utilized maritime and terrestrial technologies attested in archaeological complexes investigated by teams at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle and regional centers like the Museo de La Plata. Cultural expressions include rock art in Cueva de las Manos, textile traditions paralleling Andean textiles, and subsistence systems informed by species like Guanaco and Llama.

Languages and Cultural Practices

Linguistic diversity features families such as Tupí-Guaraní, exemplified by Guaraní language which persists robustly in Paraguay and border regions, and Mapudungun among the Mapuche across Araucanía Region and Araucanía Province. Ritual practices include Machitún and Nguillatún ceremonies, shamanic roles similar to Machi or Yachay, and cosmologies referencing places like Pachamama and seasonal calendars paralleling Andean traditions found in Inti Raymi adaptations. Material culture encompasses pottery traditions studied alongside artifacts at the British Museum, musical instruments such as Charango derivatives, and basketry techniques compared with collections in the Smithsonian Institution.

Contact, Colonization, and Resistance

First sustained contact occurred during the Spanish colonization of the Americas, followed by incursions by Portuguese Empire and Dutch Empire interests, leading to frontier conflicts like the Arauco War between the Spanish Empire and Mapuche. Indigenous resistance included Mapuche diplomacy via parlamentos, Guaraní missions organized by the Jesuits (notably in the Jesuit Reductions), and later uprisings such as engagements against national forces during the Conquest of the Desert and clashes recorded in the War of the Triple Alliance. Missionary archives from orders like the Society of Jesus and legal petitions to the Real Audiencia document negotiation strategies, while travelers’ accounts such as those by Charles Darwin and explorers like FitzRoy provide external observations.

19th–20th Century State Policies and Displacement

Nation-states implemented campaigns of territorial consolidation through events including the Conquest of the Desert in Argentina and the Pacification of Araucanía in Chile, accompanied by land appropriation policies, military expeditions, and legal instruments like land registries influenced by civil codes. These measures produced demographic collapses exacerbated by introduced diseases such as smallpox and by forced labor systems. International reactions and scholarly analyses involve figures like Domingo Faustino Sarmiento and legal cases brought before bodies such as the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights addressing dispossession and cultural suppression.

Contemporary Demographics, Rights, and Revitalization

Contemporary Indigenous populations appear in national censuses with significant numbers of Guaraní people in Paraguay, Mapuche people in Chile and Argentina, and Quechua people and Aymara people in Andean zones. Legal recognition varies: constitutions of Bolivia and Ecuador—while not part of the Southern Cone proper—have influenced regional jurisprudence, and landmark cases have been litigated in the Supreme Court of Chile and Supreme Court of Argentina. Revitalization efforts include language reclamation projects for Mapudungun, Guaraní, and Selk'nam language led by universities, NGOs such as CIPCA (Centro de Investigación y Promoción del Campesinado), and cultural centers like the Museo Etnográfico Juan B. Ambrosetti. Activism engages instruments like the ILO Convention No. 169 and transnational campaigns coordinated with the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Regional and Cross-border Indigenous Organizations

Numerous organizations operate cross-border and nationally: the Consejo de Todas las Tierras (Mapuche), Cartel de las Misiones Guaraníes-style mission networks, indigenous caucuses within national legislatures such as representatives affiliated with Movimiento al Socialismo-aligned groups, and continental coalitions like the Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin (though Amazon-focused) that intersect with Southern Cone advocacy. Regional cooperation occurs at forums involving the Union of South American Nations and Mercosur-level consultations, and legal strategies increasingly employ international mechanisms including the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

Category:Indigenous peoples of South America