Fuegian diaspora: The itinerary and agents involved in the construction of Fuegian ethnographic collections carried out by Martin Gusinde through South America and Europe, 1918?1924.

BUTTO, A.; FIORE, D.

Museum History Journal

Taylor and Francis

Año: 2021

1936-9824

In this paper, we examine the itinerary ofthe objects and the agencies involved in the construction of the collections ofethnographic artefacts gathered by German ethnographer and priest MartinGusinde during his fieldtrips to Tierra del Fuego(Argentina and Chile), carried out between1918 and 1924. In order to study the formation processes of these collections,we will trace the agencies of the Selk´nam, Yagan and Kawésqar Indigenouspeople in the making, selling, trading or withholding of their materialculture, showing the differential impact these had on the collections. Weretrace the dispersal of these Fuegian collections into five museums located inChile, Austria and theVatican, presenting a reservoir unknown untilnow. Our exploration of the complex networks of social and material interactionsinvolved in the dynamic biography of these Fuegian ethnographic collectionssheds light on the active role of the Indigenous people in their construction.