#tehuelche

Day 19: María la Grande!

The birth name of the woman known as María la Grande is, sadly, lost to history. She was a casica, or ruler, among the Tehuelche people of Patagonia, who rose to prominence in the early nineteenth century. Baptized as María (she practiced a syncretic form of Catholicism, blended with traditional Tehuelche religion), she became her people’s primary diplomat in dealings with Europeans.

This was a time of great societal change among the Tehuelche. The full-scale colonization of Patagonia that would see mass displacement and genocide was still decades away, but more and more foreigners were encroaching on their lands. Meanwhile, the arrival of the horse had transformed them into an equestrian people, expanding their traditional nomadic paths but also bringing neighboring groups into greater conflict. Marìa was the daughter of a Southern Tehuelche leader; she married and had at least five children. Her society was generally patriarchal, but Marìa’s elite ancestry and skills as a diplomat seem to have propelled her into power.

Do you speak or have resources in any of these languages? I'm building an online dictionary of queer-related words (anything regarding sexuality, romantic orientation, gender expression, intersex traits, etc).

The languages I still haven't manage to get much from are (in no particular order):

Hmong

Yagan

Aonikenk

Manchu

Jeju

Okinawan

Ainu

Kakán

Ossetian

The Anthropological Masterlist is HERE.

Brazil is the largest country in South America. It includes the Amazon basin, the Cerrado, and more.

APINAJÉ ─ “The Apinajé, or Apinaye, people are an Indigenous South American people. They are native to eastern Brazil, in the state of Tocantins.” ─ Apinajé Culture ─ Apinajé Language ─ Apinajé Phonology

BORORÓ ─ “The Bororó people are an Indigenous South American people. They are native to the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso.” ─ Bororó Culture ─ Bororó Music

KARAJÁ ─ “The Karajá, or Iny, people are an Indigenous South American people. They are native to Brazil, in the Araguaia River valley.” ─ Karajá Culture ─ Karajá People (in Portuguese) ─ Karajá Dictionary

TUCANO ─ “The Tucano people are an Indigenous South American people. They are native to the northwestern Amazon Rainforest, surrounding the Vaupés river.” ─ Tucano Culture ─ Tucanoan Languages (in Spanish)

TUPI ─ “The Tupi people are an Indigenous South American people. They are native to southeast Brazil.” ─ The Portuguese and the Tupi ─ Tupi Language ─ Tupi Language Resources

TUPINAMBÁ ─ “The Tupinambá people are an Indigenous South American people. They are native to Brazil.” ─ Tupinambá Information (in Portuguese)

The Southern Cone is a South American region that constitutes the southernmost part of South America.

CHAMACOCO ─ “The Chamacoco people are an Indigenous South American people. They are native to Paraguay.” ─ Chamacoco Information ─ Chamacoco Dictionary

GUARANÍ ─ “The Guaraní are a linguistic group that share the Guaraní language. They are native to modern-day Paraguay, southern Brazil, Argentina, and more.” ─ Guaraní Culture ─ Jesuit Missionaries and the Guaraní ─ Guaraní Language (in Spanish)

HUILLICHE ─ “The Huilliche, or Huiliche, people are an Indigenous South American people. They are native to Chiloé Island in the Chilean Archipelago.” ─ Huilliche Language

KAWÉSQAR ─ “The Kawésqar, or Alacalufe, people are an Indigenous South American people. They are native to southern Chilean Patagonia.” ─ Kawésqar Language (in Spanish) ─ Kawésqar Language Structure ─ Kawésqar Dictionary

MAPUCHE ─ “The Mapuche people are an Indigenous South American people. They are native to southern Chile and southwestern Argentina.” ─ Mapuche Information ─ Mapudungun Dictionary

Amakáik: La que tiene fuego, vida

Como resultado de la Conquista del Desierto, 14000 indígenas mapuche, aonikenk, ranqueles, pampas y selk'nam (entre otros) fueron asesinados, aprisionados y trasladados a museos y zoológicos humanos. Esta niña selk'nam nació en la Exposición Nacional de 1898 en Buenos Aires. Argentina.