800-Year-Old Bone Fragments of Woman Buried in Canoe Discovered in Argentinian Patagonia

A research team associated with multiple institutions in Argentina and Chile has recently discovered the remains of a woman buried in a canoe around 800 years ago, the first-ever evidence of such burial to be discovered in Argentinian Patagonia.

In their research, a Phys.org report specified, the researchers describe their work with the remains discovered at a dig site known as Newen Antug, near Lake Lacar in the western part of Argentina.

The analysis revealed that the woman aged from 17 to 25 years old when they died. However, the team also discovered a jug positioned near the woman's head, not to mention that she was surrounded by nearly 600 bits of wood from a single Chilean cedar tree.

More so, there were also signs that the wood had been charred. Moreover, wooden canoes of the time, identified as wampo, were hollowed out through the use of fire.

'Nomelafken,' a Destination of Souls

As indicated in the study published in PLoS ONE, testing one of the bone fragments revealed the woman was from roughly 1142 AD, which means she was possibly a member of the Mapuche culture, and she lived and died prior to the arrival of the Spaniards.

The discovery marks the first time a canoe burial has been seen in Argentinean Patagonia and depicts a truly unusual find. More so, most canoe burials were for men.

The study investigators have suggested that their discovery hints that the practice might have been more widespread than previously believed.

According to previous studies, "burying people in a canoe" was part of a ritual intended to enable deceased people to make a final journey throughout mystical waters to another land identified as "Nomelafken," where they would live in a place identified as the "destination of souls."

The archeologists noted that the jug discovered next to the woman had clearly been put there by whoever charged with her burial, and there were indications as well that she had been laid on a "bed of freshwater clams."

Her positioning strongly suggested that she had been laid in a canoe as a kind of coffin before being placed in a given.

Mapuche Culture

Britannica describes Mapuche as "a group of South Americans and Indians" with the most members.

They numbered over 1.4 million at the turn of the 21st century. Most members inhabit the Central Valley of Chile, the Biobio River's southern part.

A smaller group lives in Neuquen province, Argentina's west-central part. Such groups include Picunche, Huilliche, and Mapuche, identified by Spanish ethnographers. Essentially, all Araucanians are now identifying themselves as Mapuche.

In the pre-Spanish era, the Mapuche resided in scattered farming villages throughout the Central Valley. Every settlement had a cacique or chief whose authority did not extend in general beyond his village.

The Mapuche excavated corn or maize, squash, potatoes, beans, chili peppers, and other vegetables. They also fished, hunted, and stored guinea pigs for meat.

Related information about Mapuche Culture is shown on Chile Travel's YouTube video below:

Check out more news and information on Archeology in Science Times.