Cultural and historical background of the area

> projects / 2025 / radiales / Preliminary Visit / Emerging Archive / Historic Background

Robert Carracedo et al.

The Murray Channel, formerly known as Yagashaga or Yagán Channel, is a silent witness to a vast cultural heritage that stretches from the ancestral past to the recent historical past. Its legacy spans from the original people who gave the bay its name, dating back over 6,000 years, to the colony and the European exploration and exploitation processes of the 19th century.

In this area, especially in Wulaia Bay, evidence of the first bark canoes, debarking sites, and sawmills for making canoes, huts, and ritual objects can be found. These vestiges allow us to identify the demographic distribution of its inhabitants and analyze changes in technologies and methods over each period.

Additionally, there is a record of countless shell middens scattered along the coast, which serve as archaeological information repositories on how the Yagán people inhabited this territory. Each mound functions as a cultural footprint, revealing the gathering techniques and practical use of marine resources by the Yagán people.

Moreover, this territory witnessed recent historical activity, and remnants of expeditions from religious missions such as Gardiner (1850), Bridges (1871), Gusinde (1918–24), and Agostini (1927) could be found, as well as scientific [FitzRoy, Darwin, HMS Beagle (1830–1836), Romanche (1882)] and Antarctic expeditions [Drake (1578–1580), Cook (1772–1775)]. (See Bibliography below).

Yagán Community of Navarino Island

The Yagán Indigenous Community of Bahía Mejillones, is a group/association that has been operating for over 20 years. Its primary driving force has been to maintain perpetual contact with the common physical space, which is Bahía Mejillones, located 25 kilometers from Puerto Williams. It is entirely composed of descendants of the Yagán people, who share their knowledge with each other and then pass it on to younger generations with the hope of perpetuating their knowledge.

A key aspect of the Yagán Indigenous Community of Bahía Mejillones is its challenge to keep the language alive and its ability to preserve ancestral traditions related to the craft of weaving with plant fibers (Gleisner and Montt 2014). Despite adapting to the current context, techniques in plant fibers and traditional forms are preserved, representing invaluable intangible heritage.

These activities play a crucial role in building their cultural identity. The fishing, hunting, and object-making techniques passed down from parents to children reflect a deep respect for and understanding of ecosystems, as well as wisdom about how to interact with them sustainably. In this sense, the Yagán community not only maintains traditional practices but also plays a fundamental role in preserving the region’s natural resources.

Currently, the Yagán Indigenous Community of Bahía Mejillones has a protocol of good practices that the project commits to respecting at all times (Protocol of Good Practices for the Protection of Yagán Indigenous Cultural Heritage Spanish version).

Diagnosis of the Cultural Heritage Postulated in the Project

Bahía Wulaia
Bahía Wulaia lacks legal protection despite its designation as a Heritage Route. Currently, it is under partial management by COMAPA, a cruise company that converted the old radio station into a museum. The lack of a management plan worsens the problem, considering its environmental and historical-heritage value. Bahía Wulaia is home to Yaghan remnants, such as cemeteries and tools, and was the scene of historical encounters, such as Darwin’s visit in 1833 and the return of Jeremy Button (Fitz-Roy, 1839; Martinic 2005) (See Attached Bibliography for references cited in the project).

Shell Middens
Numerous shell middens have been identified in the area, with an estimated one hundred and twelve between Seno Grandi and Bahía Wulaia. Surveys conducted between 1991 and 1993 by C. Ocampo and P. Rivas (2000) supports this estimate. A greater quantity is suggested to be unexplored, deduced from historical-demographic data by Dominique Legoupil, who notes a high population in the area in the past (Legoupil 1993; Legoupil and Lira 2017). The conservation status of these shell middens and cultural traces has not been assessed, but there may be degradation due to human activities because of the lack of protection. There is no complete cadastral survey or cartography of previous expeditions.

Bark Stripping
No data is available on the cultural marks resulting from the stripping of trees for the manufacture of canoes and other objects. There is no systematized database of these marks that could continue ethnographic studies. Furthermore, there is no cartography of these cultural traces to allow for their protection and conservation, or to prevent their destruction due to logging.

Situation of the Yaghan People
The Yaghan people were recognized as an indigenous people by the State of Chile through Law 19.253 of 1993. However, currently, the areas that were historically their main habitat (from the southern coast of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego to the Cape Horn Archipelago) are difficult or impossible to access. The Yaghan were displaced from their occupied areas within a few years, first by the arrival of Europeans and later by the Chilean State. Sites such as Wulaia, Douglas, Tekenika, and Bahía Mejillones had to be abandoned by the Yaghan, as they were relocated in 1967 to Villa Ukika, on the outskirts of Puerto Williams. As of the 2017 Census, 1600 people identified as Yaghan. The Yaghan Community still engages in various activities related to their ancestral practices. However, their navigation has been restricted, subject to a series of regulations that prevent free travel through the channels.

The Yaghan Language
The Yaghan language is increasingly less used by this indigenous people in the southernmost part of Chile and Argentina. It is a language isolate, with only a few elderly speakers remaining, as it was not continuously passed down to younger generations. Given the fragility of language preservation, indigenous toponymy is also considered at risk. Some consider Cristina Calderón (Zárraga 2017), who passed away in 2022, to be the last fluent speaker. However, there are currently dissemination and support programs to maintain the language, as well as an extensive phonographic archive in various institutes in Chile, Argentina, and Europe.

Historiographical Compilation
There is an extensive bibliography addressing Yaghan territory; however, there are accessibility issues, as much of it is found in dispersed repositories and other languages. Much of this bibliography has not been written with a general audience in mind. There is also a temporal language bias concerning initial accounts and chronicles. A component of the project’s action plan is to collect and systematize this information, making it accessible to both experts and the local community.

Material Traces of Recent Historical Expeditions
The material traces of expeditions around the Wulaia area have scant documentation. Despite the chronicles of Cancini (1950) detailing numerous expeditions, the expected abundance of finds in available museum repositories is lacking. It is likely that objects (cultural traces) are dismembered and scattered in various archives with minimal communication between them.

Bibliography

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Ocampo, C., & Rivas, P. (2004). Poblamiento temprano de los extremos geográficos de los canales patagónicos: Chiloé e isla Navarino 1. Chungará (Arica), 36, 317-331. (Link2) 

Legoupil, D. (1993). El archipiélago del Cabo de Hornos y la costa sur de la isla Navarino: poblamiento y modelos económicos. Anales del Instituto de la Patagonia, Serie Cs., 101-121. (Link3) 

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