Patagonia Bookshelf

Abstract: The United States warship was approached twice by native canoes, some of whose occupants came on board. On a later occasion, when the writer and a companion approached a group of native huts, they were met with defensiveness on the part of the menfolk; tension was relaxed by a show of superior arms.

Assessment: All the natives contacted appear to be Kaweskar. The manner in which the first male requested clothing suggests that this type of event had occurred with previous vessels. The natives' ability to imitate the white man's speech was worthy of comment, and has been confirmed by other writers. The writer found difficulty in confronting human beings so revolting-looking, and living an almost naked, hand-to-mouth existence. He writes "Never, in all my wanderings, have I seen man brought so near the animal." In a lapse from the author's usual objective style of description, the article repeats the time-worn insinuation of cannibalism, with a preference for eating the elderly womenfolk — we suspect this was added to the narrative, close to publication.

The reference to "a piece of cold parson" may be another effort by the publisher to spice up the material. This is a sardonic remark, alluding to the threat of cannibalism believed to be faced by Christian missionaries in some parts of the world. There is added relevance in this case, since 7 British missionaries were indeed murdered by Yamana natives at Wulaia, Tierra del Fuego on 6 November 1859, just 2 months before the events described here. Hence, this comment may not be coincidental: search parties located the scene of the murder on 1 March 1860, time enough for the remark to have added before publication of the article in 1861.