Double Coloniality in Tierra del Fuego (Argentina): Selk´nam and sanitary changes at "La Candelaria" mission

GUICHON RICARDO ANIBAL; CASALI ROMINA; GARCIA LABORDE PAMELA; SALERNO MELISA; GUICHON ROCIO

Bioarchaeology of Cantact, Colonial Encounters and Colonialism

University Press of Florida

Lugar: Florida; Año: 2014;

The effective occupation of Tierra del Fuego by Westerners only started at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. In this chapter we will discuss the particular features of colonial relationships in this region. For this purpose, we will consider the sanitary and demographic changes experienced by the Selk?nam community through a specific case study: the Salesian mission Nuestra Señora de La Candelaria (Río Grande, Argentina). First, we will consider the particular features that encouraged cultural interaction in Tierra del Fuego, suggesting the hypothesis that colonialism in the region could be understood in terms of a double coloniality. Second, we will present the results of the analysis of life conditions at the mission, considering the hypothesis that sanitary changes had a negative impact on the demographic dynamic of the Slek?nam community.