Environmental Woes of Tierra del Fuego -- Indigenous Extinction

A mural on the walls of the post office in Ushuaia paints a stylized image of the area's original inhabitants. "These were the most abject and miserable creatures I any where beheld," Darwin wrote after his first encounter with Yamaná Indians in 1832. "These poor wretches were stunted in their growth, their hideous faces bedaubed with white paint, their skins filthy and greasy, their hair entangled, their voices discordant, their gestures violent and without dignity. Viewing such men, one can hardly make oneself believe they are fellow-creatures, and inhabitants of the same world." Early perceptions of Fuegian Indians as a lower form of humanity continue to color their image today.

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Filename: 05POIndians.jpg
Copyright: © Kevin Moloney, 2001
Image Size: 4605x3054 / 4.6MB; Yamana science research ecosystem ecology culture Yamaná Native American indigenous Indian extinction environment
Contained in galleries: 3. Cultural Extinction

A mural on the walls of the post office in Ushuaia paints a stylized image of the area's original inhabitants. "These were the most abject and miserable creatures I any where beheld," Darwin wrote after his first encounter with Yamaná Indians in 1832. "These poor wretches were stunted in their growth, their hideous faces bedaubed with white paint, their skins filthy and greasy, their hair entangled, their voices discordant, their gestures violent and without dignity. Viewing such men, one can hardly make oneself believe they are fellow-creatures, and inhabitants of the same world." Early perceptions of Fuegian Indians as a lower form of humanity continue to color their image today.