Publisher Description

The Gran Chaco region of South America constitutes a cultural area that is little known and largely misunderstood by the majority of people living outside its borders. From the earliest period of European contact, the societies under consideration here defended their territory and resisted first colonial and later national policies of domination and assimilation. The unique forms such resistance took constitute the subject of this book. Contrary to common assumptions, the hunter-gatherer values forged out of a unique environment have shown remarkable resilience throughout the centuries. It is the variety and relentless nature of cultural resistance that is documented in the various chapters presented here.The points of view expressed are those of scholars trained in a variety of academic settings (England, Sweden, U.S., Argentina) each with its unique perspective and frame of reference. Four of the seven writers are Argentine, three of whom have received training and experience in the U.S. Yet, it is the individual voices of indigenous people themselves that tell the story of contemporary life as experienced in the various societies concerned. They tell about the conditions that shape their lives and engender resistance to full assimilation into the white man's world. These are the voices of the future.

Author Biography

ELMER S. MILLER is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at Temple University.

Table of Contents

Preface Ethnohistorical Introduction by Jose Braunstein and Elmer S. Miller Foraging in Town: Survival Strategies Among the 'Weenhayek of Bolivia and Argentina by Jan-Ake Alvarsson The Morality of the Enxet People of the Paraguayan Chaco and Their Resistance to Assimilation by Stephen W. Kidd The Capitania of the Izozo: The Struggle for Political Autonomy among the Guarani Indians of Eastern Bolivia by Silvia Maria Hirsch The Western Toba: Family Life and Subsistence of a Former Hunter-Gatherer Society by Marcela Mendoza Argentina's Eastern Toba: Vitalizing Ethnic Consciousness and Determination by Elmer S. Miller Histories of Buenos Aires by Pablo G. Wright Conclusion by Elmer S. Miller Index

Review

?A perceptive discerning collection of essays which can only enhance our knowledge of the enigmatic and little-understood people of this fascinating region.?-British Bulletin of Publications
"A perceptive discerning collection of essays which can only enhance our knowledge of the enigmatic and little-understood people of this fascinating region."-British Bulletin of Publications

Promotional

Gives a broad overview of indigenous populations of the Gran Chaco region of Argentina both in historical and contemporary perspectives.

Long Description

The Gran Chaco region of South America constitutes a cultural area that is little known and largely misunderstood by the majority of people living outside its borders. From the earliest period of European contact, the societies under consideration here defended their territory and resisted first colonial and later national policies of domination and assimilation. The unique forms such resistance took constitute the subject of this book. Contrary to common assumptions, the hunter-gatherer values forged out of a unique environment have shown remarkable resilience throughout the centuries. It is the variety and relentless nature of cultural resistance that is documented in the various chapters presented here. The points of view expressed are those of scholars trained in a variety of academic settings (England, Sweden, U.S., Argentina) each with its unique perspective and frame of reference. Four of the seven writers are Argentine, three of whom have received training and experience in the U.S. Yet, it is the individual voices of indigenous people themselves that tell the story of contemporary life as experienced in the various societies concerned. They tell about the conditions that shape their lives and engender resistance to full assimilation into the white man's world. These are the voices of the future.

Promotional "Headline"

Gives a broad overview of indigenous populations of the Gran Chaco region of Argentina both in historical and contemporary perspectives.

Details