Representations of "Indigenous otherness" in the Museums of the uttermost part of the world: Museo del Fin del Mundo (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina) and Museo Antropológico Martín Gusinde (Navarino Island, Chile)

ANA BUTTO; DANAE FIORE

Florianópolis

Congreso; 18th IUAES World Congress; 2018

Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

In this paper we analyse the museographic scripts of the two southernmost museums of the world: Museo del Fin del Mundo, located in Ushuaia city (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina) and Museo Antropológico Martin Gusinde, located in Puerto Williams city (Isla Navarino, Región de Magallanes y de Antártica Chilena, Chile). The main purpose of the paper is to study the images about the Fuegian Indigenous Peoples, Shelk?nam and Yamana/Yagan, in whose traditional territories these museums are located. To this end, the anthropological permanent exhibitions of both museums will be analysed comparatively, following these variables: a) Indigenous Peoples represented; b) types of materials exhibited ?archaeological, ethnographic, present?; c) uses of oral/written/photographic information associated to the exhibited materials; d) types of museum displays. Thus, we will question and assess the discourses that each museum presents about the Fuegian Indigenous Peoples, to contribute to the critical reflection about which roles (ancient inhabitant, study object, victim, survivor, current descendant, heritage guardian, etc.) are attributed to these peoples in these two cities at the ?end of the world?.