The First Nations of the Chaco: the Qom (Tobas) people




The Qom, also called Toba, are the main surviving ethnic group after the multinational invasion that ended with the independence of the Chaco nations. They are related to the Mbayá (also called kadijeu) of Mato Grosso, the Mocoví from the north of Santa Fe and the south of the province of Chaco, the Pilagá from the northwest of Chaco, the Abipón and the Payaguá (these last two are now disappeared). 
The Mbayá-mocoví-qom ethnic complex traditionally occupied the western shore of the Paraná-Paraguay hydrographic axis, had a relatively unfriendly relationship with the eastern Guaraní peoples and tenaciously opposed the Spanish and Creole colonization from Paraguay and Buenos Aires. They managed to maintain their independence until the end of the 19th century, in particular until the Argentine military offensive of 1884, which determined their subordination to the power of that country's central government. 
Originally, the Toba were divided into four subgroups with dialect differences: the iolojpí (people of the “water potato”), the kolpi (people in the mountains) and the eadgaipí (people with fire in the houses) and the diapicoche (whose meaning it is unknown). When the Argentine government unleashed the war, the Toba organized under the leadership of Meguexogochí. Their defeat meant that many qom had to take refuge in the sandy areas of Santiago del Estero and in other remote lands Labor in the works After the conquest of Chaco by the Argentine government, a process of agricultural and forestry colonization was established in which the Qom were used as labor for plantations and plantations. To resist forced acculturation, they developed multiple strategies, one of which was to "Christianize" themselves in the Waldensian cult. Indeed, there is a strong Qomvadense church, in which the Qom have managed to maintain many of their ceremonial practices without much interference from governmental or religious authorities. Some Qom maintain a traditional economy by planting, hunting and fishing, and selling their products in local markets. Others are forced to migrate camping along the roadsides or on the banks of rivers. Many communities do not have land and others survive with enormous difficulties in low productivity territories.
Due to this, the Qom of Argentina are in a situation of extreme poverty, which has forced many of them to migrate to the cities, where important colonies are located in the "villas" or slums of Buenos Aires, Rosario, Santa Fe, Resistencia, Formosa and Salta. 
The total population of the Qom is about 130,000 people. Some tens of thousands still inhabit their former territories, stripped of their lands and in a situation of extreme poverty. 
Perhaps more than 60,000 have been forced to migrate to the cities, where they they inhabitate important colonies in the "villas" of Buenos Aires, Rosario, Santa Fe, Resistencia, Formosa and Salta. There are also some Qom communities in the Paraguayan chaco. 
They are generally found on the side of the routes, where they sell native animals and handicrafts. The qom population of Paraguay is about 2,000 people.  

First Nations of the Chaco: the qom (Tobas) people

The Qom, also called Toba, constitute the main surviving ethnic group after the multinational invasion that ended with the independence of the Chaco nations.

They are related to the Mbayá (also called Kadijeu) of Mato Grosso, the Mocoví of the north of Santa Fe and the south of the province of Chaco, the Pilagá of the northwest of the Chaco, the Abipón and the Payaguá (these last two are now disappeared).

The ethnic Mbayámocoví-qom ethnic complex traditionally occupied the western shore of the Paraná-Paraguay hydrographic axis, had a relatively unfriendly relationship with the Guaraní peoples of the east and tenaciously opposed Spanish and Creole colonization from Paraguay and Buenos Aires.

They managed to maintain their independence until the end of the 19th century, in particular until the Argentine military offensive of 1884, which determined their subordination to the power of the central government of that country.

Originally, the Toba were divided into four subgroups with dialectal differences: the iolojpí (peoples of the "water dad"), the kolpi (people the mountain) and the eadgaipí (fire people in the houses) and the diapicoche (whose meaning it is unknown). When the Argentine government unleashed the war the Toba were organized under the leadership of Meguexogochi.

Its defeat implied that many qom had to take refuge in the sands of Santiago del Estero and in other remote lands

Labor in the "obrajes"

After the conquest of the Chaco by the Argentine government, an agricultural and forestry colonization process was established in which the qom were used as labor for the plantations and obrajes.

To resist forced acculturation they developed multiple strategies, one of which was "Christianized" in the Valdense cult. Indeed, there is a strong Qom-Waldensian church, in which the Qom have managed to maintain many of their ceremonial practices without further interference from governmental or religious authorities.

Some people maintain a traditional economy by planting, hunting and fishing, and selling their products in local markets. Others are forced to migrate camping along roadsides or along riverbanks.

Many communities have no land and others survive with enormous difficulties in areas of low productivity.

Due to this, the qom of Argentina are in a situation of extreme poverty, which has forced many of them to emigrate to the cities, where important colonies are located in the "villas" of Buenos Aires, Rosario, Santa Fe, Resistance, Formosa and Salta. The total population of the qom is about 130,000 people. Some tens of thousands still inhabit their old territories, stripped of their land and in a situation of extreme poverty. Perhaps more than 60,000 have been forced to migrate to the cities, where they locate important colonies in the "villas" of Buenos Aires, Rosario, Santa Fe, Resistencia, Formosa and Salta.

The Nivaclés, an ancient Chaco people in South America


The Nivaclés, also called Chulupí, are an indigenous people of the Chaco  region that inhabit both banks of the Pilcomayo River They are mainly located in rural areas of the departments of Boquerón and Presidente Hayes departaments in Paraguay and in the suburbs of the cities  Mariscal Estigarribia and Filadelfia They are linguistically related to the Wichís, Makas and Charrúas. The neighboring chorotes call them ashuslay or alhulhai.
In their language the word nivaclé  means person, we or our people. 
Historically, they have been planters of corn, beans, squash and cassava, carob pod and collectors of some wild plants. They also breed birds and small mammals and, in addition,  they fish and hunt.
The List of Indigenous Communities of Paraguay registers about 75 nivaclés communities in the Chaco. According to the results of the 2012 census, 16 350 Nivaclés live in Paraguay, of which 12 829 are in the department of Boquerón and 3,300 in the Presidente Hayes Department.

According to Paraguayan sources, the Nivaclés emigrated to the Chaco Boreal from the south of the Pilcomayo River in 1913 because of Argentine military pressure.

Since the mid-twentieth century some 15,000 Mennonites from Canada, Russia and Germany settled in the traditional Nivaclé territory, drastically altering their cultural and religious customs, and frequently using nivacles as cheap labor, without their rights being protected by the Paraguayan state.

In Argentina there are about 1,000 nivaclés, which generally live near the Pilcomayo River and its marshes in the provinces of Salto and Formosa, and to a lesser extent in the province of Chaco, in which they are concentrated in about 10 communities.

The Nivaclés are linguistically related to the wichís (that inhabit Salta, Formosa and the Chaco), to the macá (that reside in a suburban district of Asunción, and in smaller degree to the Charrúas (according to investigations that I realized and published in "The Peoples of the Jaguar") and perhaps to the Minuanes or Guenoas.

I enclose some images of a visit we made to nivaclés communities near Mariscal Estigarribia in the Paraguayan Chaco.

First Nations of the Chaco: the qom (Tobas) people

The Qom, also called Toba, constitute the main surviving ethnic group after the multinational invasion that ended with the independence of the Chaco nations.

They are related to the Mbayá (also called Kadijeu) of Mato Grosso, the Mocoví of the north of Santa Fe and the south of the province of Chaco, the Pilagá of the northwest of the Chaco, the Abipón and the Payaguá (these last two are now disappeared).

The ethnic Mbayámocoví-qom ethnic complex traditionally occupied the western shore of the Paraná-Paraguay hydrographic axis, had a relatively unfriendly relationship with the Guaraní peoples of the east and tenaciously opposed Spanish and Creole colonization from Paraguay and Buenos Aires.

They managed to maintain their independence until the end of the 19th century, in particular until the Argentine military offensive of 1884, which determined their subordination to the power of the central government of that country.

Originally, the Toba were divided into four subgroups with dialectal differences: the iolojpí (peoples of the "water dad"), the kolpi (people the mountain) and the eadgaipí (fire people in the houses) and the diapicoche (whose meaning it is unknown). When the Argentine government unleashed the war the Toba were organized under the leadership of Meguexogochi.

Its defeat implied that many qom had to take refuge in the sands of Santiago del Estero and in other remote lands

Labor in the "obrajes"

After the conquest of the Chaco by the Argentine government, an agricultural and forestry colonization process was established in which the qom were used as labor for the plantations and obrajes.

To resist forced acculturation they developed multiple strategies, one of which was "Christianized" in the Valdense cult. Indeed, there is a strong Qom-Waldensian church, in which the Qom have managed to maintain many of their ceremonial practices without further interference from governmental or religious authorities.

Some people maintain a traditional economy by planting, hunting and fishing, and selling their products in local markets. Others are forced to migrate camping along roadsides or along riverbanks.

Many communities have no land and others survive with enormous difficulties in areas of low productivity.

Due to this, the qom of Argentina are in a situation of extreme poverty, which has forced many of them to emigrate to the cities, where important colonies are located in the "villas" of Buenos Aires, Rosario, Santa Fe, Resistance, Formosa and Salta. The total population of the qom is about 130,000 people. Some tens of thousands still inhabit their old territories, stripped of their land and in a situation of extreme poverty. Perhaps more than 60,000 have been forced to migrate to the cities, where they locate important colonies in the "villas" of Buenos Aires, Rosario, Santa Fe, Resistencia, Formosa and Salta.