The Milky Way and its structuring functions in the worldview of the Mocoví of Gran Chaco
Volume 10 (2008): Astronomy and Cosmology in Folk Traditions and Cultural Heritage, pp. 21–24
Pub. online: 20 December 2008
Type: Article
Open Access
Received
2 November 2007
2 November 2007
Revised
10 August 2008
10 August 2008
Published
20 December 2008
20 December 2008
Abstract
This paper analyses the structuring role that the Milky Way performs in the worldview of the Mocoví of the Southern Chaco (Argentina, South America). Since 1998, we have been working on a research project that involves anthropological fieldwork in order to understand Mocoví ethnoastronomy, its changes and variations, and its relationships with other regional indigenous systems of astronomy. Through an analysis of historical chronicles, early ethnographic literature and data from our own fieldwork, the present paper shows how the different interpretations the Mocoví give to the Milky Way relate to one another.