Chorote, Eklenjuy in Argentina

Introduction / History

The Chorotes (who call themselves Yofuasha, Yofwaja and more recently, Lumnanas) are an indigenous people settled along both banks of the Pilcomayo River in Argentina and Paraguay. Their neighbors called those living by the riverside Eklenhui.

Their language is called Chorote or Tsoloti. Elklenjuy chorote has its own dialect, which is very different from the Manjuy dialect, though both are mutually intelligible. In Argentina, both branches have substantially merged and adopted the Spanish language.

They were formerly a semi-nomadic people engaged in hunting and gathering and in fishing.

They hunted pig-like mammals called tapir and peccaries. They also gathered wild honey and fruits, but they supplemented their diets by growing pumpkins, manioc, and maize. Later as contact was made with outsiders, new crops and domestic animals like chickens, pigs, goats and sheep were introduced.

They lived in villages during the rainy season, but in temporary camps in the dry season. Their huts were arranged in a circle, with access openings looking toward a central plaza where ritual and sports activities took place.

In 1901-1902, a Swedish exploratory expedition contacted the Chorote in a friendly manner, writing about them and taking many photographs. Chorote relations with neighboring groups of other indigenous people was mostly hostile, although there was intermarriage as well as commercial and military alliances with some groups. The Chaco War between Paraguay and Bolivia (1932-1935) forced the Chorote to move continuously, and at the end they were forced to settle in evangelical mission settlements. At a time when large parts of their former lands were being taken by the government, missionaries were able to rescue some for indigenous groups,, thus assuring their survival. At that time, their circular villages were replaced by a linear pattern of houses, and some of their traditional dome-shaped huts were replaced with modern buildings. As a result of systematic demands by indigenous minorities, the government began to recognize indigenous rights to land in the 1980's.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Today, they practice subsistence agriculture (maize, squash, bitter yucca) and fishing, often combined with seasonal labor in nearby towns.

Economic challenges persist. Limited access to land, water scarcity, and dependence on government aid or informal work.

What Are Their Beliefs?

It is not clear whether the Charote believed in a Supreme deity. They recognized a group of deities that represented chaos and order. Their religious rites practiced by shamans and by the aged. Shamanistic medicine involved shamans and elders cooperating in rituals involving chanting, blowing, and massaging, coexists with modern Western medicine.

The most important Charote ceremony was The Carob Festival in the spring. Involved in the ritual were fermented drinks, scalps, and orgiastic dances. There was also a female initiation or rite of passage ceremony.

They understand death as being transformed into a kind of mainly negative deity living in a monotonous, dark subterranean world.

Anglican and Pentecostal evangelization has been active since the 1940s. Today, over half identify as Christian, though syncretism is persistent.

What Are Their Needs?

One problem is frequent accusations of sorcery. Another is finding adequate work. Economic challenges persist. Limited access to land, water scarcity, and dependence on government aid.

Prayer Points

Pray that more Charote may recognize their need for Christ and to embrace him no matter what the cost.
Pray for the growth of a truly biblical church adapted to Chorote culture.
Pray for the rise of faithful indigenous church leaders who will disciple their people and others.

Text Source:   Joshua Project