La etnicidad de las cosas entre los wichís del Gran Chaco (provincia de Salta, Argentina)

Abstract

Wichi women weave different kinds of textiles and make eartherware pots which are distributed and used in the central-western Chaco scene of inter-ethnic relationships. This study tries to explore how this domain of the Wichi s material culture is related to the definition of ethnic categories. In order to classify artifacts into morphological categories, it is assumed that artifacts are social action imbued in the matter and their production processes are analysed.After this, the Wichi point of view about the multi-ethnic landscape is described and it is sketched how the morphological categories are produced, distributed and used according to different patterns through this ethnic landscape. As a result, it is hold that artifacts are not only instruments, commodities and aesthetic objects, but also a language that takes part in the creation, recreation and, eventually, confrontation of the ethnic relationships in which the Wichi are involved.