Gender-role visualization from ethnographic photographs of Mapuches and Tehuelches (19th–20th Centuries)

Abstract

In this work we propose to critically review the gender representations, especially of female gender, in the ethnographic photographs of Mapuches and Tehuelches obtained by military-men, scientists and religious missionaries who went over the Patagonian region and maintained direct contact with these populations during the late 19th Century and early 20th Century. To do this, we analyzed a corpus of 689 photographs (353 of Mapuche groups and 336 of Tehuelche groups) from the perspective of the "visual archaeology" and focused on the variables of age, dress and ornaments. Thus, we find that these images allow us access to not only the photographers' view of indigenous women, but also women´s view of themselves and their non-hegemonic femininity.