IMHICIHU   13380
INSTITUTO MULTIDISCIPLINARIO DE HISTORIA Y CIENCIAS HUMANAS
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Harpoons and travellers: Fuegian ethnographic collections and the recent archaeological record
Autor/es:
BORRERO, L.A., F. BORELLA
Revista:
Before Farming
Editorial:
WAS Press
Referencias:
Lugar: Liverpool; Año: 2010 vol. 2010 p. 1 - 14
ISSN:
1476-4261
Resumen:
Two ethnographic collections of whale bone tools from Tierra del Fuego and the Strait of Magallanes are analysed and compared with contemporary specimens recovered from archaeological contexts in the region. The comparison reveals clear differences in assemblage composition, methods of production and tool size. In the ethnographic collections barbed harpoon heads not only constitute the most common tools, but are typically made on a more limited selection of anatomical parts, and typically shaped using metal rather than stone tools as well asbeing significantly larger than their archaeological counterparts. The history of the ethnographic collections is reviewed as a prelude to discussing the differences in detail. We offer an hypothesis to explain them based on Scheinsohn’s (1990-1992) observations that these ethnographic tools were no longer manufactured for their use as hunting weapons, but were produced for exchange with Europeans in the 19th and early 20th century. The differences in design and production of the trade items are arguably an optimal design for meeting the demands of an international market for souvenirs rather than functional tools.