Haush

The group of Haush (also: Manekénk ) is the smallest among the four ethnic groups who settled until the early 20th century to Tierra del Fuego. Originally, they were present at very Tierra del Fuego, but were of the Selk'nam ( Ona ) displaced in the southeast of the main island on the Mitre Peninsula. Like the other natives of Tierra del Fuego, they were almost completely wiped out by white settlers in early 20th century in the course of the relocation.

As the Selk'nam were hou hunters, but malnourished due to the fact that they lived in the coastal regions, mainly by sea lions. For fish, they used fish traps and spears, however, were also specializes in collecting shells. They lived mostly in groups of two or three families in huts made of branches, which were covered with sea lion skins. Their way of life can be considered as a mixture of Selk'nam and Yámana. Actually, Marriage came up with these groups frequently. Although no linguistic relationship between the Yámana and Haush was that Selk'nam used terms from the language of Haush for their grove ceremony, which is believed to have been partly derived from an initiation rite of Haush. The term Haush is a term of Yámana language and means seaweed eaters, from the Selk'nam even hou also East Ona were called.

The first accounts of the Haush exist in the testimony of a Spanish expedition in 1619. When James Cook visited in 1769 Tierra del Fuego, he reported from the use of European items during Haush (mostly salvaged from shipwrecks ). In the late 19th century sea lion hunters and prospectors penetrated the territory of Haush what caused the extinction of ethnicity by violent attacks and diseases. For 1890 Lucas Bridges estimated around 60 Haush, this number decreased in 1911 to five people. Today, no more Haush lives.