Selk'nam

At the southernmost tip of South America, in the geographic region of Patagonia, existed the Selk'nam people, also known as the Ona. Due to the integration of Whites in the area, the Selk'nam, their culture and language became extinct. Though their homeland, Tierra del Fuego, was discovered in the early sixteenth century, Westerners began their extermination during the nineteenth century and it has been said that ranch owners, who demanded land for their livestock, supported armed groups and offered rewards as long as they returned with ears of the natives. One aspect of their culture that I've read about is the coming of age ceremony, where men allegedly dressed as demons, terrorizing the minors and then revealing their true selves. The last Selk'nam, Ángela Loij, died in 1974 and the last Selk'ham shaman, Lola/Kiepja, died in 1966. The documentary, The Ona People: Life and Death in Tierra del Fuego, was dedicated to Lola and includes her final chantings. I've posted them, a photo of Lola and other Selk'nam below.

Here I am singing
The wind is carrying me
I am following the footsteps of those departed.