Alacaluf
Encyclopedia
The Alacaluf are a South America
n people living in Chile
on the Strait of Magellan
(Brunswick Peninsula
, and Wellington
, Santa Inés
, and Desolación islands), Chile. Their traditional language is known as Kawésqar
.
ic sea-faring people until the twentieth century. Because of their maritime culture, the Kawésqar have never farmed the land.
to be exhibited in the Bois de Boulogne
in Paris
, and in the Berlin Zoological Garden. Only four of them returned alive to Chile. The remains of five others were repatriated from the University of Zurich
, Switzerland, early in 2010. Upon their return, the president of Chile apologized that the state allowed these indigenous people to be taken out of the country to be treated like animals.
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n people living in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
on the Strait of Magellan
Strait of Magellan
The Strait of Magellan comprises a navigable sea route immediately south of mainland South America and north of Tierra del Fuego...
(Brunswick Peninsula
Brunswick Peninsula
Brunswick Peninsula is a large peninsula in Magallanes y la Antártica Region, Patagonia, Chile, at . It is wide at its base in the north, and almost in the south. It measures in length from the base to Cape Froward, the southernmost point of the American mainland. This yields an area of more...
, and Wellington
Wellington Island
Wellington Island is an island west of Southern Patagonian Ice Field, Chile. It has an area of 5,556 km² and most of the island forms part of Bernardo O'Higgins National Park. It is home to the last Kawésqar people, living the village of Puerto Edén, the only inhabited place on the...
, Santa Inés
Santa Inés
Santa Inés Island is an island in southern Chile, part of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago and of Punta Arenas municipality, lying south west of the Brunswick Peninsula, from which is separated by the Strait of Magellan and minor islands...
, and Desolación islands), Chile. Their traditional language is known as Kawésqar
Kawésqar language
Kawésqar is an Alacalufan language spoken in southern Chile by the Kawésqar people. Originally there were several distinct dialects...
.
Economy
They were a nomadNomad
Nomadic people , commonly known as itinerants in modern-day contexts, are communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. Many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but...
ic sea-faring people until the twentieth century. Because of their maritime culture, the Kawésqar have never farmed the land.
Population
They were never very numerous; the total population never exceeded five thousand. In the 1930s the Alacaluf settled on Wellington Island, in the town of Puerto Edén. Today, very few Kawésqar remain. The 2002 census found 2,622 people self-identifying as Kawésqar (those that still practiced their native culture or spoke their native language). In 2006, only 15 full-blooded members remained. Lessons in Kawésqar are part of the local curriculum but very few speakers of the language remain.Tribes and languages
Adwipliin, Aksánas, Alacaluf, Cálen (Cálenches, Calenes,), Caucahue, Enoo, Lecheyel, Taíjataf (Tayataf), Yequinahuere (Yequinahue, Yekinauer).Treatment of Kawéskar by Europeans
In 1881 eleven Kawéskar people were taken from PatagoniaPatagonia
Patagonia is a region located in Argentina and Chile, integrating the southernmost section of the Andes mountains to the southwest towards the Pacific ocean and from the east of the cordillera to the valleys it follows south through Colorado River towards Carmen de Patagones in the Atlantic Ocean...
to be exhibited in the Bois de Boulogne
Bois de Boulogne
The Bois de Boulogne is a park located along the western edge of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and in the Berlin Zoological Garden. Only four of them returned alive to Chile. The remains of five others were repatriated from the University of Zurich
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich , located in the city of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine and a new faculty of philosophy....
, Switzerland, early in 2010. Upon their return, the president of Chile apologized that the state allowed these indigenous people to be taken out of the country to be treated like animals.