The emergence of a Guaraní community in northern Argentina: historical processes, territorial struggles and founding narratives

Abstract

The aim of this article is to explore the historical, political, and social processes that led to the formation of Yacuy, a community of Guaraní indigenous people in northern Argentina. The founding of this community reflects the actions of its leaders in the context of a lack of recognition of indigenous rights, which would later gradually emerge in the country.  The history of the community's founding is the result of migratory processes from Bolivia to northern Argentina in search of work, particularly in sugar mills and farms, and the impact of the Chaco War (1932 to 1935). The article is based on ethnographic fieldwork carried out over four decades, and on the oral history of the protagonists. The history of the community illustrates the ways in which an indigenous people struggle to maintain its land, language, and culture and its relationship with various social actors such as religious missions and the state.