Napalpí massacre
Encyclopedia
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.
had been involved in a military campaign to subjugate the indigenous people of the Argentine Chaco
called the Conquest of Chaco. The campaign resulted in the death of thousands of indigenous people, the displacement of many more, and the social and cultural destruction of numerous ethnic groups from the provinces of Chaco
and Formosa
.
The Argentine forces established a line of fortresses in order to usurp the indigenous territories for European settlers. The land was mainly used by the settlers to grow cotton
, the native people were confined in compounds, where they were subjected to a regime of exploitation bordering on slavery. One of the compounds was Napalpí, which means cemetery
in the Toba language
, its official name was Colonia Aborigen Chaco" (Chaco Aborigial Colony). It was founded in 1911 the first families installed there were Pilagá
, Abipón
, Toba
, Charrúa
and Mocoví.
The inhabitants of Napalpí had started to produce cotton, but in 1924 the Argentine authorities imposed a tax of 15% of the cotton crop which created great discontent and a strike.
In retaliation for this groups of indigenous people started killing animals and damaging the crops of the European colonists. In June 1924 a shaman named Sorai was killed by the police, later a French colonist was killed, probably in an act of vengeance. After this incident Fernando Centeno, the Governor of Chaco, prepared a ferocious and brutal repression of the indigenous people.
and Mauser rifles, attacked the indigenous people who only had spears to defend themselves. The attack lasted 40 minutes. At the end, the wounded, including women and children, were killed with machete
s.
On August 29, 40 days after the massacre, the former director of the Napalpí compound, Enrique Lynch Arribálzaga wrote a letter that was read in the National Congress
:
In the book Memorias del Gran Chaco, by historian Mercedes Silva, an account by a mocoví, Pedro Maidana, stated that "they killed in a savage manner, they cut off the testicles and an ear to exhibit as trophies of the battle".
In the book Napalpí, la herida abierta (Napalpí, the open wound) the journalist Mario Vidal wrote:
A recent documentary by "la Red de Comunicación Indígena" (the network of Indigenous Communication) stated:
In the same transmission the chief Toba, Esteban Moreno, told the story that had been passed down the generations.
Over 80 years after the Napalpí massacre, nobody has been punished or found guilty, the crime remains unpunished and the few lands that remain in aboriginal ownership are being continually encroached.
Napalpí
Napalpí is a village and municipality in Chaco Province in northern Argentina.-References:...
in the Chaco Province
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...
of Northeast Argentina
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...
. It involved the massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
of 200 indigenous people of the Toba
Toba (tribe)
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...
ethnicity by the Argentine Police and ranchers.
Historical context
Forty years earlier, the Argentine ArmyArgentine Army
The Argentine Army is the land armed force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of the country.- History :...
had been involved in a military campaign to subjugate the indigenous people of the Argentine 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...
called the Conquest of Chaco. The campaign resulted in the death of thousands of indigenous people, the displacement of many more, and the social and cultural destruction of numerous ethnic groups from 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...
and 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...
.
The Argentine forces established a line of fortresses in order to usurp the indigenous territories for European settlers. The land was mainly used by the settlers to grow 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....
, the native people were confined in compounds, where they were subjected to a regime of exploitation bordering on slavery. One of the compounds was Napalpí, which means cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
in the Toba language
Toba language
Toba is a Guaicuruan language spoken in South America by the Toba people. In Argentina it is most widely dispersed in the east of Formosa and Chaco Provinces where the majority of the approximately 19,810 speakers of Toba reside. Other names for the language include: Chaco Sur, Qom, Toba Qom, and...
, its official name was Colonia Aborigen Chaco" (Chaco Aborigial Colony). It was founded in 1911 the first families installed there were Pilagá
Pilagá
Pilagá is a language spoken by 6,000 people in the Bermejo and Pilcomayo River valleys, western Formosa Province.-Sociocultural context:The geographical distribution into communites is permeated bypan-Chacoan social organization of people into bands...
, Abipón
Abipón language
The Abipón language was a native American language of the Mataco–Guaycuru family that was at one time spoken in Argentina by the Abipón people. Its last speaker is thought to have died in the 19th century.-Consonants:- Vowels :-Bibliography:...
, Toba
Toba (tribe)
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...
, Charrúa
Charrua
The Charrúa were an indigenous people of southern South America in the area today known as Uruguay and southern Brazil. They were a nomadic people that sustained themselves through fishing and foraging...
and Mocoví.
The inhabitants of Napalpí had started to produce cotton, but in 1924 the Argentine authorities imposed a tax of 15% of the cotton crop which created great discontent and a strike.
In retaliation for this groups of indigenous people started killing animals and damaging the crops of the European colonists. In June 1924 a shaman named Sorai was killed by the police, later a French colonist was killed, probably in an act of vengeance. After this incident Fernando Centeno, the Governor of Chaco, prepared a ferocious and brutal repression of the indigenous people.
The massacre
Early in the morning of July 19, 1924, a group of 130 men (police, ranchers and white citizens), armed with WinchesterWinchester rifle
In common usage, Winchester rifle usually means any of the lever-action rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, though the company has also manufactured many rifles of other action types...
and Mauser rifles, attacked the indigenous people who only had spears to defend themselves. The attack lasted 40 minutes. At the end, the wounded, including women and children, were killed with machete
Machete
The machete is a large cleaver-like cutting tool. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the English language, an equivalent term is matchet, though it is less commonly known...
s.
Accounts of the massacre
At the end of the 1920s the journal Heraldo del Norte stated that:- "Around 9 o'clock in the morning, without a shot being fired by the innocent aboriginies [the police] fired repeatedly at close range, in the panic the "indios" (more women and children than men) tried to attack resulting in the most cowardly and ferocious carnage, and the killing of the injured without respect for gender or age."
On August 29, 40 days after the massacre, the former director of the Napalpí compound, Enrique Lynch Arribálzaga wrote a letter that was read in the National Congress
Argentine National Congress
The Congress of the Argentine Nation is the legislative branch of the government of Argentina. Its composition is bicameral, constituted by a 72-seat Senate and a 257-seat Chamber of Deputies....
:
- "The massacre of the indigenous people by the Chaco police La matanza de indígenas por la policía del Chaco continues in Napalpí and the surrounding areas, it seems that they want to eliminate all potential witnesses to the carnage of July 19, so that they cannot testify to the investigative commission"
In the book Memorias del Gran Chaco, by historian Mercedes Silva, an account by a mocoví, Pedro Maidana, stated that "they killed in a savage manner, they cut off the testicles and an ear to exhibit as trophies of the battle".
In the book Napalpí, la herida abierta (Napalpí, the open wound) the journalist Mario Vidal wrote:
- "The attack ended in a massacre, the worst massacre in the history of the indigenous cultures in the 20th Century. The attackers only ceased fire when it was clear that there were no "indios" that were not dead or injured. The injured were beheaded, others hung. In the end around 200 men, women and children and a few white farmers loyal to the indigenous cause".
A recent documentary by "la Red de Comunicación Indígena" (the network of Indigenous Communication) stated:
- "Over 5,000 shots were fired and the orgy of blood included the extraction of testicles, penises and ears of the dead, these sad trophies were exhibited in the precinct of QuitilipiQuitilipiQuitilipi is a city in Chaco Province, Argentina. It is the head town of the Quitilipi Department....
. Some of the dead were buried in mass graves, others were burnt."
In the same transmission the chief Toba, Esteban Moreno, told the story that had been passed down the generations.
- "In the camps appeared soldiers and an aeroplane flew overhead. They killed them because they would not harvest. We call it a massacre because it was only aborigonies that died, TobaToba (tribe)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...
s and mocovíes, it was not a fight because not one soldier was injured, after the killing, the massacre that place is called the Colony of the Massacre,"
Over 80 years after the Napalpí massacre, nobody has been punished or found guilty, the crime remains unpunished and the few lands that remain in aboriginal ownership are being continually encroached.
Sources
- Martínez Sarasola, Carlos: Nuestros paisanos los indios. Buenos Aires: Emecé Editores, 1992 ISBN 950-04-1153-9
See also
- History of Argentina (The Radicals in Power, 1916-1930)History of Argentina (The Radicals in Power, 1916-1930)The period spanning from 1916 to 1930 in Argentina is known as the Radical Phase , as it began with the election of the Radical Civic Union candidate Hipólito Yrigoyen, ending the conservative Generation of '80's domination on politics...
- List of massacres in Argentina