Abstract

FIORE, Danae  and  BUTTO, Ana. STRUCTURES AND LANDSCAPES IN THE UTTERMOST PART OF THE WORLD. ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS ABOUT SITE LOCATIONS THROUGH THE ANALYSIS OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF INDIGENOUS FUEGUIANS (circa 1880-1970). Relaciones [online]. 2018, vol.43, n.2, pp.1-15. ISSN 0325-2221.

In this paper we analyse a corpus of 288 ethnographic photographs of Fueguian Indigenous societies produced by 46 photographers who travelled along the region from the end of 19^th century to mid-20^th century with the aim of identifying and assessing the links between the structures and the landscapes in which these were located. Following a "visual archaeology" method, the structures and landscapes found in 147 photographs of Shelk'nam, 95 of Yamana/Yagan and 46 of Alakaluf/ Kaweskar are systematically studied. We are interested in analysing: a) the coexistence -or lack of coexistence- between structures, with the aim of finding indicators of modes of use of space via the simultaneous location of two or more structures; b) the implications of the structure-landscape association, since the photographic record can provide information of archaeological relevance to learn about structure location choices, which, after their abandonment, may have formed part of archaeological sites. In turn, we also analyse whether there existed spatial overlaps or separations between Indigenous traditional structures and new Western structures which, as part of the Argentinean and Chilean state expansion, started to occupy these Indigenous territories. The information is discussed with the aim of shedding new light on the modes of landscape construction and living in the world developed by the Fuegian Indigenous societies and their changes during the contact process, some of which can be inferred through an archaeological gaze of this photographic corpus.

Keywords : ethnographic photographs - Tierra del Fuego - structures - sites - landscapes.

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