Book

The Mataco of the Gran Chaco: an ethnographic account of change and continuity in Mataco socio-economic organization

Academiae Upsaliensis ; Distributed by Almqvist &Wiskell International (11) • Published In 1988 • Pages: XVI, 314

By: Alvarsson, Jan-åke.

Abstract
This dissertation gives a detailed, diachronic description of the social, political, legal and economic organization of the Mataco - hunters and gatherers of the tropical dry forest of the Bolivian Gran Chaco. The account starts with a critical review of the main ethnographic sources on the Chaco peoples and, after sections on the enviornment and the local history, it presents an attempt to reconstruct the socio-economic organization of the Mataco before the colonization of the area, i.e. before the turn of the century. In addition, on the basis of Alvarsson's field notes from five years among the Mataco, new ethnographic data is included. The data demonstrate that, in spite of evident social change, and in contrast to other Indian peoples of the region, the Mataco have refused to be incorporated into the national society.
Subjects
Fauna
Flora
Food quest
Division of labor by gender
Household
Community structure
Cosmology
culture
Mataco
HRAF PubDate
1997
Region
South America
Sub Region
Southern South America
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle ; 1995
Field Date
1976-1985
Coverage Date
ca.1900-1985
Coverage Place
Gran Chaco region, Bolivia, Argentina
Notes
by Jan-åke Alvarsson
Revision of the author's dissertation
Includes bibliographical references (p. 302-310) and index
LCCN
89135346
LCSH
Mataco Indians