Pehuenche

The pehuenches (people of the pehuén or araucaria in Mapudungun) are people Indigène which belonged to the group of the Mapuches and lived in the the Andes center-south of the Chile and Argentine. Until the 16th century Mapuches called Pehuenche an ethnos group which lived most of the current Argentinian province of Neuquén and the south of that of Mendoza. The way in which themselves were called was not preserved with certainty, though it is known that they belonged to the unit called the Huarpes.

Pehuenches share with the Mapuches most of their language and of their culture. They accepted the name of pehuen-che or people of the pehuén because their food was based on the gathering in winter of pine cones (seeds of the pehuén or araucaria).

History

Throughout the 17th century one notes obvious and progressive a araucanisation or mapuchisation of these people, so that since the 19th century they are a group of culture mapuche which lives in the zones of the cordillera of the VIIIe Región del Biobío and IXe Región of Araucanía of the Chile and in the Argentinas provinces of Mendoza and Neuquén.

At the 18th century most of Pehuenches already quasi completely acculturés by Mapuches advanced since the Andean area towards the center of the area pampéenne, and particularly towards the populated wooded territory of Calden S and creole caroubiers called by them Mamüll Mapu (Ground of the Logs or Logs), territory which corresponds to the current south-west of the province of Córdoba, in the south-east of the province of San Luis, and in the center-north-west of that of the Pampa. And there they constituted one of the principal ethnic roots of the Ranquel S.

Personality

Among their chiefs, called Lonco S, one must mention the name historically of Neyku' ñan or Ñacuñán (name which means switches white ), which helped San Martín in its forwarding liberator towards the Chile through the Andes.

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