Beingindigenous | Magazine

THE KAWESQAR AND A "NEW DEAL"

Carlos Eden –Maidel
New York
Translated by Pilar Cimato

I had been attending how the New Deal, is issuing and producing, for the chilean native people. Unfortunally, Chile doesn`t know and admit the word “pueblo” (s) for the native people of our country. The Kawésqar is one of them and they had land, language, religious, and culture. They lived at the south chilean channels for thirteen centuries with frozen and inhospitable weather.

Their brothers just not existed any more, they disappeared because the army farmers slaughters, who used to live in Magallanes . Eugene Popper was one of them who examined the horizon to found some native to kill, while on the land there was an Ona´s body. The farmers pay for ears or nipples belongs to the unlucky natives.
Sikness and alcohol, which came from the “ civilazation”, made wrost the situation, and what about the government? , who also made sense silent . For this reason why Fresia Alessandri, the oldest Kawésqar , died alone and underfeeding at Río Verde?.
The Kawesqar ´s reality, nowdays, is dramatic, there are a few of them; the Emperaire called them “The Sea Nomad” . Most of the last unmixed survivor of those canoe people, live at Puerto Eden.

How many Kawésqar are in Chile today?, the National Census, said that there are 2500 Kewésqar in Chile, only in Santiago there are 500! ,so I asked myself , who had made this census. We know that there are only thirdteen or fiveteen unmixed Kawésqar, divide around Puerto Eden, Puerto Natales y Punta Arenas.

Is near the Fourth International Forum of Native Affairs of UNO, wich will take place on may at New YorK City, one of the last meeting proposal , was follow the Special Speaker Humans Rights proposals, Mr Rodlfo Stavenhagen , after he visitied Chile. On his report he admits the human rights spoils to the Native People of Chile. In spite of that the goverment have not made any advance to solve the Mapuche ´s situation.
Many mapuches ruling , are in jail to protect for ancient rights. So for all of this reasons, is necessary to make a real dialogue mechanism beteween the Native People and the goverment, also attend and active the Special Speaker, recomendations, Mr Stevenhagen. Thus run in Chile the 169th OIT Resolution, also get rid the mapuches politic prisioners. All of that to make real the government proposal, “ HAVE A NEW DEAL WITH MAPUCHES PEOPLE”

Puerto Edén .. 50 years ago just not de same

Puerto Edén is at Wellington Island, 49 degree, 07´34´´ S and 74 degree 25´01´´ W. Nowadays in front of Kawésqar called “ Big House”, there is Puerto Edén Village or Yeterkta. This house was the Radio Air Station , now is the Puerto Edén Captainship.
The last speakers Kawésqar , live at a little island, waiting , perhaps, they do not know that are the last sign of those Native People who lived at XII Region .Their brothers Yagan, Haush and Selknam have gone, … only grandmother Cristina of Yagan lives, her sister has gone so far.. to the end.

At the American Native Museum, in Washington, arrived stone from Puerto Williams. This place was yagan land , where Cristina Calderón , the last Yagan People expression lives, and settle at theirs gardens, representing the south native continent. At museum inaguration , there was a little group who represented the Kawésqar and Yagan people from this austral region.

Who were the Chilean arrived at this far latitudes and lived at “ Big House” , I asked because there is a not story about Kawésqar people.. and that chapter is one of the causes Kawesqar abolition, wich is usual to the Native People stories of southamerican continent.

We know the Martin Gusinde´s writings, even another scients and antropologist from those years, also Anna Chapman stories about Rosa Yagana grandmother , but what do we know about Kawasqar?.

Abolittion… a dramtic word for the whole Native People

Carlos Gaymer Gomez, arrived to Puerto Edén, like a young officer of Chile Air Force. He went with his wife, Raquel and her mother , and they settled at this lonely and swidish style house. The time went by, and they built a little airport to repair and keep the famous Catalinas. One of them was piloted by Comandante Parraguez, connected continental Chile with Rapa Nui, nowadays Pascua Island. Those Catalinas flew the south channels Chile´s heavens. The mission was join continental Chile to the south with Punta Arenas, and give the weather report for the flights planes . Those reports could support the army and commercial ships, wich still sailed the Magallanes Straight.

Mechanist and radio operators, made titanic effort to maintain those planes .Few Catalinas survived, , even though they wanted to broadcast the “ MATEOS” This young officer , who went for a few months , settled at Puerto Edén for 13th years.

Arround the “ Big House” , the people who were native from border channels settle down, they knew as Alacalufes They arrived with theirs littles ships made of seal skin and hollow trunks trees, ordinary vehicle from this place, and each little ship was a family; like the antropologist said .. with fire at theirs weak ships. Their economy was, the shellfishes, dive and recollect them was a women work, even birds and fishes, live at the area.
They arrived at the big house because they wanted to know who lived at those extrange built. They came with theirs arrows and bows, with theirs harpons with bones sharps, and seal bows.
The pilots shared everything with the Kawésqar, obsolete clothes, food. On this way, began the last period of Kawesqar life, the people who were hunters, nomad and collector.

To hunt and fish shellfishes was abandoned, theirs traditional clothes. made by seal leather, they did not use any more, because pilots made suggestions about this. They thought that they are uneivil, but pilots found a new mission civilize them. Theirs ancient customs were changing , the leather wich they used to dress, disapeared, in stead of, appeared the occidental clothes, and they not semmed Tierra del Fuego native, they were beggars. The seal oil was not allow, and that was the natural way that Kewasqar waterproff theirs bodies of the frozen and rainy weather for many years. The clothes stood moisture and cold and it belonged TBC, the Kawesqar did not know this illness.

They built theirs little houses arround the Big House, while they were waiting the food , in the middle of the channel the Catalinas were flying across the sky . The little radio station staff specially the nurse, could not attend the Kawasqars who lived arround the station, even the adults and kids .
One day arrived at Puerto Edén a salesian priest, Father Latorre, and he began to evangilize the natives, he baptized them and gave with Carlos Gaymer theirs new names, the original names were lost on the story night . From this change, borned new sirnames Wellington, Edén, Messier, Alessandri, Canales, etc..

Father Gaymer, like Kawasqar called him, began essential for natives. Although there were a few of them living on channels and they often met to celebrate some special meeting like married, or spiritual ceremony. They had the “ kloketen”, with some changes. It was an introduction ceremony, wich was transmited by theirs south brothers the Yagan. Father Gaymer was a mitihic person for the kawaqars, one time he predicted that the moon was going to dissapear, for the native it was sacred. Some night (the pilots knew that there was going to be an eclipse ) the moon got dark, and Kawasqar was desperate. They began to dance and with long wood objects and a little bow they turned them on theirs head, making a gloomy sound.

The Kawasqar life went on and after this event, Father Gaymer made points above the Kawasqar. The Radio Station got a double chairs boat, wich was gave by the Army and Father Gaymer. He trained twelve young rowers, they were the oficial crue and they would wlcome the ships that arrived at Puerto Edén. The rowers were dressed with blue aviation trousers and a white t-shirt with turtle neck. They were barefoot , because Kawésqar never used shoes. Father Gaymer was boss boat and he steered the helm.
Many ships arrived in front of Puerto Edén, even though with german flag during the Second War . Reports , told that during the First War some countries combat units made target practice at area channels,. They aimed some blaze, they were from some families of the native, how many died.... we never knew.

Nowadays, there were not big vessel ships, sailed the patagonics water channels, the Panamá Channel cut every ship wich came from Magallanes Straight

Carlos Edèn–Maidel
(He is Kawésqar member people, he lives at New York, where he works for defense native rights people)

Translated by Pilar Cimato. Professor of Biological Sciences specialized in environmental health sciences. Her research background has focused on the native and exotic plants phytotherapy. Contact to: pilarc31@yahoo.com.ar