Pilagá

The Pilagás are Amerindian people of the familia Guaycurú which lives in the center of the province Argentine of Formosa. Certain groups also live in the province of Chaco.

Like the Abipone S, the Mocoví S and the Toba S, they were called Frentones by the Spaniards and Guaycurús by the Guaraní S, because of the practice which they had to shave the former part (frontal) cranium.

They speak their own language as well as the Castilian.

They were more or less 4.500 in 2004-2005, divided into 19 communities of the center of the province of Formosa. These communities are: Campo del Cielo, Ayo Bent It, El Simbolar, El Descanso, Pozo Molina, Línea, Laqtasatanyi, Barrio Qompí Juan Sosa (in Pozo del Tigre), Yolita or Ceferino Namuncurá, Pozo Navagan, Cacique Coquero, Kilómetro 12, Estanislao del Campo, San Martín 2, Pozo of los Chanchos, Sanchez Ibarreta, Juan Bautista Alberdi, Bartolomé of mow Casas (divided with Tobas) and Colonia El Calaudillal.

They could preserve most of their indigenous culture. They are of big size and strong complexing.

In the beginning they were hunters and gatherers. Among the fruits which they collected, one counted those of the caroubier of Chaco, of the chañar, the mistol, the tuna or soft prickly peartree and of the .

The massacre of Rincón Bent

In 1947, Pilagás were victims of a massacre perpetrated by the Argentinian gendarmerie with Rincón Bomba. Between 400 and 500 of them, all without defense, left their life there, and there were 200 missings. These facts, occulted during decades, were put at the day in 2005, following an legal action engaged by the Federación Pilagá against the Argentinian State.

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