Toba (tribe)
Encyclopedia
The Toba are an ethnic group in Argentina
, Bolivia
and Paraguay
. They are part of a larger group of indigenous inhabitants of the Gran Chaco
region, called the Guaycurues. As of 2005, there are 47,951 Toba in Argentina, living in the provinces of Chaco
, Formosa
and Santa Fe
.
The Toba name themselves Qom-lik, meaning simply "people". The name toba is of Guaraní
origin and means "big forehead", which is also the name given to them by first Spanish settlers (frentones). This is because the Toba cut their hair short in the front of the head as a signal of mourning.
s who, upon the arrival of the Spanish, adopted the horse and resisted colonial encroachment and missionization for several centuries.
In the 1880s the Argentine government began a campaign to occupy new territories, defeating the last organized attempts by the Toba to defend their lands. The Argentine Chaco was divided up in large portions and exploited, especially for the valuable quebracho tree
, used for its tannin
and its extremely durable timber. This devastated the ecosystem in a relatively short time. The private owners of the Chaco then turned to cotton
production, employing the Toba as a cheap seasonal workforce; the conditions did not change substantially for decades.
On July 19, 1924 in Napalpí
in the Chaco Province of Northern Argentina 200 Tobas were massacred
by the Argentine Police and ranchers.
Beginning in 1982, the region suffered unprecedented floods, which caused the crops to be ruined; and in the 1990s, mechanical harvesters imported from Brazil
(at very low prices due to Argentina's low fixed exchange rate
) left many Toba without jobs. The provincial government of Chaco resorted to pay a one-way ticket to the Toba willing to migrate
south, into Santa Fe.
The majority of the Toba migrants settled in Rosario
, which is a large city in the south of Santa Fe and had seen a previous wave of Toba in the 1950s and 1960s. Communication and family ties were kept in time, so the newcomers found a place; job opportunities and government assistance, even if scarce and of poor quality, were considerably more available in an urban setting than in Chaco. An estimated 10,000 Toba came to Rosario in the 1990s, and settled mostly in slums (villas miseria
).
, it has around 60,000 speakers, of which 15,000 to 20,000 live in Argentina.
In Rosario there are two peace pole
s with the message "May peace prevail on Earth" written in the Toba language and in Guaraní
, as well as Spanish
and Italian
(intended as a sample of the local and European cultures that shaped and influenced the community). One of them is in Empalme Graneros, the neighbourhood where the Toba immigrants from Chaco formed the largest community in the 1990s, and the other is located in a somewhat hidden spot near the coast of the Paraná River
, a few hundred meters from the National Flag Memorial
.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
. They are part of a larger group of indigenous inhabitants of the Gran Chaco
Gran Chaco
The Gran Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semi-arid lowland region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina and a portion of the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, where it is connected with the Pantanal region...
region, called the Guaycurues. As of 2005, there are 47,951 Toba in Argentina, living in the provinces of Chaco
Chaco Province
Chaco is an Argentine province located in the north of the country, near the border with Paraguay. Its capital is Resistencia on the Paraná River opposite the city of Corrientes...
, Formosa
Formosa Province
Formosa Province is in northeastern Argentina, part of the Gran Chaco Region. Its northeast end touches Asunción, Paraguay, and borders the provinces of Chaco and Salta to its south and west, respectively...
and Santa Fe
Santa Fe Province
The Invincible Province of Santa Fe, in Spanish Provincia Invencible de Santa Fe , is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco , Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santiago del Estero...
.
The Toba name themselves Qom-lik, meaning simply "people". The name toba is of Guaraní
Guaraní language
Guaraní, specifically the primary variety known as Paraguayan Guaraní , is an indigenous language of South America that belongs to the Tupí–Guaraní subfamily of the Tupian languages. It is one of the official languages of Paraguay , where it is spoken by the majority of the population, and half of...
origin and means "big forehead", which is also the name given to them by first Spanish settlers (frentones). This is because the Toba cut their hair short in the front of the head as a signal of mourning.
History
The Chaco region in the north of Argentina and part of Paraguay was formerly covered with forests. The Toba were originally nomadic hunter-gathererHunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
s who, upon the arrival of the Spanish, adopted the horse and resisted colonial encroachment and missionization for several centuries.
In the 1880s the Argentine government began a campaign to occupy new territories, defeating the last organized attempts by the Toba to defend their lands. The Argentine Chaco was divided up in large portions and exploited, especially for the valuable quebracho tree
Quebracho tree
Quebracho is a common name in Spanish to describe very hard wood tree species. The etymology of the name derived from quiebrahacha, or quebrar hacha, meaning "axe-breaker".-Species:...
, used for its tannin
Tannin
A tannin is an astringent, bitter plant polyphenolic compound that binds to and precipitates proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids.The term tannin refers to the use of...
and its extremely durable timber. This devastated the ecosystem in a relatively short time. The private owners of the Chaco then turned to cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
production, employing the Toba as a cheap seasonal workforce; the conditions did not change substantially for decades.
On July 19, 1924 in Napalpí
Napalpí
Napalpí is a village and municipality in Chaco Province in northern Argentina.-References:...
in the Chaco Province of Northern Argentina 200 Tobas were massacred
Napalpí massacre
The Napalpí massacre occurred on July 19, 1924 in Napalpí in the Chaco Province of Northeast Argentina. It involved the massacre of 200 indigenous people of the Toba ethnicity by the Argentine Police and ranchers.-Historical context:...
by the Argentine Police and ranchers.
Beginning in 1982, the region suffered unprecedented floods, which caused the crops to be ruined; and in the 1990s, mechanical harvesters imported from Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
(at very low prices due to Argentina's low fixed exchange rate
Fixed exchange rate
A fixed exchange rate, sometimes called a pegged exchange rate, is a type of exchange rate regime wherein a currency's value is matched to the value of another single currency or to a basket of other currencies, or to another measure of value, such as gold.A fixed exchange rate is usually used to...
) left many Toba without jobs. The provincial government of Chaco resorted to pay a one-way ticket to the Toba willing to migrate
Human migration
Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...
south, into Santa Fe.
The majority of the Toba migrants settled in Rosario
Rosario
Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
, which is a large city in the south of Santa Fe and had seen a previous wave of Toba in the 1950s and 1960s. Communication and family ties were kept in time, so the newcomers found a place; job opportunities and government assistance, even if scarce and of poor quality, were considerably more available in an urban setting than in Chaco. An estimated 10,000 Toba came to Rosario in the 1990s, and settled mostly in slums (villas miseria
Villa miseria
A villa miseria is a form of shanty town or slum found in Argentina, mostly around the largest urban settlements. The term is a compound noun made of the Spanish words villa "village, small town" and miseria "misery, dejection"...
).
Language
The Toba language is a member of the Guaicuruan linguistic group. According to the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, it has around 60,000 speakers, of which 15,000 to 20,000 live in Argentina.
In Rosario there are two peace pole
Peace pole
A Peace Pole is a monument that displays the message "May Peace Prevail on Earth” in the language of the country where it has been placed, and usually 3 to 5 additional translations. The message is referred to as a peace prayer....
s with the message "May peace prevail on Earth" written in the Toba language and in Guaraní
Guaraní language
Guaraní, specifically the primary variety known as Paraguayan Guaraní , is an indigenous language of South America that belongs to the Tupí–Guaraní subfamily of the Tupian languages. It is one of the official languages of Paraguay , where it is spoken by the majority of the population, and half of...
, as well as Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
(intended as a sample of the local and European cultures that shaped and influenced the community). One of them is in Empalme Graneros, the neighbourhood where the Toba immigrants from Chaco formed the largest community in the 1990s, and the other is located in a somewhat hidden spot near the coast of the Paraná River
Paraná River
The Paraná River is a river in south Central South America, running through Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina for some . It is second in length only to the Amazon River among South American rivers. The name Paraná is an abbreviation of the phrase "para rehe onáva", which comes from the Tupi language...
, a few hundred meters from the National Flag Memorial
National Flag Memorial (Argentina)
The National Flag Memorial in Rosario, Argentina, is a monumental complex built near the shore of the Paraná River...
.
External links
Sources
- Los indios Tobas en Rosario, Argentina (in Spanish)
- Gordillo, Gaston 2004 Landscapes of Devils: Tensions of Place and Memory in the Argentinian Chaco. Durham: Duke University Press.
- Gordillo, Gaston 2005 Nosotros vamos a estar acá para siempre: historias tobas. Buenos Aires: Biblos.
- Miller, Elmer 1979 Los tobas argentinos: armonía y disonancia en una sociedad. Mexico City: Siglo XXI.