202557(en)/4 - Torches in Fueguino-Patagonian Hunter-Gatherer Societies
TORCHES IN FUEGUINO-PATAGONIAN HUNTER-GATHERER SOCIETIES
ANTORCHAS EN LAS SOCIEDADES CAZADORAS-RECOLECTORAS FUEGUINO-PATAGÓNICAS
Carlos Bonet, Anna Franch, Antoni Palomo y Raquel Piqué
This study examines the use of mobile pyrotechnics among Fuegian-Patagonian hunter-gatherer-fisher groups, who developed devices such as torches to adapt to the extreme climatic conditions of Tierra del Fuego. This territory was occupied by hunter-gatherer groups about 12,000 years ago in what is now the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego, until the arrival of European populations. Drawing on ethnohistorical data and the analysis of ethnographic museum materials, we document the characteristics of these torches and the contexts in which they were used. We identified at least two types of torches: those made from Murtilla branches and others crafted from Nothofagus sp. bark, a choice that reveals a deep knowledge of the environment. These devices served multiple functions, from fire transport and illumination for nighttime travel to bird hunting and ritual use. The findings highlight the characteristics of these mobile devices —as well as their contextual use— contributing to a broader understanding of the role of pyrotechnics in these societies.
