¿Reemplazo o ampliación? Cambios en la economía de los grupos cazadores recolectores Selknam del centro de la Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego

PARMIGIANI V., DE ANGELIS H. Y MANSUR M. E.

La Circumpolaridad como Fenómeno Sociocultural. Pasado, Presente, Futuro

UBA-FCE

Lugar: Buenos Aires; Año: 2010; p. 199 - 216

  Before the arrival of Europeans, the subsistence of the hunter-gatherer Selk’nam society was based on the exploitation of animal resources, including guanacos, rodents, birds, mollusks, as well as collection of different varieties of plants and fungi. The technology used for the exploitation of these resources included diverse artifacts made with raw materials such as rocks, shells, bones, etc. All the resources used and consumed were of local origin. Nevertheless, since the arrival of European sailors and settlers, the Selk’nam groups had access to nonlocal materials and began to take advantage of them. Then, it produced important changes in the economy, in some cases extending the spectrum of local resources, and replacing them in others. Evidence of these changes can be found not only in written documents but also in the archaeological record. We present as an example the case study of the Ewan site, in which, based on the archaeological materials, it is possible to discuss the changes that occurred, particularly in two scopes: lithic technology and exploitation of ovine cattle.