The Kawashkar people lived and hunted near Tierra del Fuego
- photo courtesy of Nestor Galina via Creative Commons
The windswept, glacial islands that fringe Tierra del Fuego in Chile, as it brushes the Antarctic Circle, have historically been considered the natural edge of human habitation. Yet, some 6000 years before Ferdinand Magellan threaded the dangerous strait through South America’s southern tip, the indigenous Kawashkar people had made this picturesque place their home.
Perhaps 4000 of these tough, nomadic hunter-gatherers populated the isles along the Strait of Magellan. They traveled the notoriously rough waters in eight-meter (26-foot) canoes that could carry entire families, made with whale ribs over which skins and coigüe bark were stretched. They hunted sea lions, otters, and whales, painting themselves with fat against the cold, and gathered shellfish. They carried hot coals with them in the canoe, as fire meant survival itself.
When whalers arrived in the 1800s, however, this way of life came to an end. Many Kawashkar were captured and exhibited in European zoos, while others fell victim to disease, or were converted from their animist religions by missionaries. By the 1940s, the number of pure Kawashkar people had fallen below 100, and today number less than a dozen.
Some 2600 people still identify themselves as Kawashkar, however, and while there were a few short-lived attempts to return to their nomadic lifestyle in the 1960s and 1970s, today most live in the touristed ports of Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales (gateway to Torres del Paine National Park), and the tiny, isolated town of Puerto Edén, home to the last few people speak the Kaweshkar language fluently. Despite grassroots effort to keep Kaweshkar culture alive, the Chilean government is finally stepping in, and this month declared the culture a “living treasure”.
Though well off the beaten path, adventurous travelers can visit pretty picturesque spot Puerto Edén on the weekly Navimag Ferry. There, a few people sell handicrafts, though most people work collecting shellfish for sale throughout Chile. There are no roads, restaurants, or regular lodging, though a store supplies the necessities and homestays can be arranged.
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Kawashkar Culture Declared a Living Treasure from Chile Things to Do
