De Sanandita al Itiyuro: los chanés, los chiriguanos (¿y los tapietes?) al sur del Pilcomayo

Abstract

Four indigenous communities situated along the Itiyuro River in northwest Argentina are today the only communities that maintain the ethnonym "Chané”, despite having been "Guaranised” centuries ago. The origin of this unique set of communities is obscure. In order to resolve this uncertainty, the present article first emphasises the existence of Chané communities in Chiriguano territory during the colonial era. The article goes on to examine the formation and history of both Chané and Chiriguano communities south of the Pilcomayo River. The article establishes that the Chané of the Itiyuro arrived toward the end of the eighteenth century from Sanandita, to the north, after having expelled the Chiriguano with the help of Chacoan groups. The article concludes by suggesting that the enigma of the Tapiete, a Guaranised Chacoan group, may be partially explained by the persistent association of "Chaneses and Mataguayos” along the Itiyuro.