54. Possible Relatives in the Americas

The Puelche (Guennakin) People (Argentina)

The Puelche territory before the arrival of the Europeans in the 16th century is not precisely known. Their core area was between the Rio Negro and the Rio Colorado but they are known to have ranged much further north thatn that.

 

Map of the Puelche tribal area before European contact. The northern limit of the Puelche tribe before the arrival of the Europeans is not known.

The Puelche and their language are often confused with the northern Tehuelche - but they are a different people with a different language that is sometimes classified as a "language isolate", although some linguists think it belongs to the Andean family along with Kawesqar, Yamana along with both southern and northern Tehuelches. See Fuegian and Patagonian languages. There is considerable confusion between the northern Tehuelche and the Puelche - they are not the same people and should not be mixed up.

The Puelche were people who lived in the same manner and with the same technologies as their neighbours, the Künün-a-Güna (or northern Tehuelche) before the horse was introduced and settlers started to arrive in numbers in the 18th century. The main difference to the Künün-a-Güna was the Puelche language about which almost nothing is known.

The Puelche suffered much the same fate as the northern Tehuelche at the hands of the Auraucanian (Mapuche) and European invaders - and at the same time. The Puelche also became gauchos as soon as the horse was introduced after which, just as with the Künün-a-Güna, they rapidly dissolved into the general Argentinian population or into the Mapuche.

Because so little is known of the Puelche and because they are so similar in so many ways to the Künün-a-Güna (although no doubt neither the Puelche nor their neighbours would have appreciated the comparison) we will not spend much time describing the Puelche here.

A few photographs have been made of the Puelche in the 19th century before they vanished into history.

Far left: a Puelche family posing in front of their tent. Left: a Puelche man in his fur coat.

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Last change 1 March 2007