Martin Gusinde Anthropological Museum facts for kids
| Museo Antropológico Martín Gusinde | |
Martin Gusinde, priest and ethnologist
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| Established | 1975 |
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| Location | Aragay / Gusinde, Puerto Williams |
| Type | Archaeology museum |
| Collection size | almost 4,000 pieces |
| Visitors | 4,905 |
The Martin Gusinde Anthropological Museum (also known as Museo Antropológico Martín Gusinde in Spanish) is a special museum located in Puerto Williams, a town in southern Chile. It's on Isla Navarino, which is an island. This museum is famous for being the southernmost museum in the entire world!
The museum tells the story of the Yahgan people, who have lived in this area for about 10,000 years. It also shares information about European settlers who arrived in the 1800s. Inside, you can see old tools, maps, and photos. The museum also shows off the amazing plants and animals that live in the region. Plus, you can learn about how Puerto Williams was founded.
Contents
History of the Museum
Before the museum was officially created, people in Puerto Williams were already collecting old items. These included archaeological finds from the island's coast and other interesting historical objects. They were displayed at the local school, Mixed School N°3.
The Chilean Navy, which has a base nearby, suggested building a proper museum. They built it in 1974. The museum was named after Martin Gusinde, an Austrian anthropologist. He was a scientist who studied people and cultures. Martin Gusinde worked in the Tierra del Fuego region between 1918 and 1924, learning about the local communities. The museum building itself is partly made from a special wood called Alerce wood.
What You Can See: The Exhibits
The main goal of the museum's exhibits is to help people care for the unique culture and nature of the region. The museum has two floors and three main halls. It offers many ways to learn about the history and culture of this special part of the world.
First Floor: Exploring Early History
The first floor takes you on a journey through time. You'll see photographs, maps, and objects that tell the story of the Yahgan people. It also covers the first times Europeans and Chileans explored the area, from 1520 to 1890. You can also learn about the "gold rush" that happened between 1890 and 1950.
Hall A: The Canoe's Journey
This hall is called Articulating the Myths, a Meeting of Perspectives. In the middle of the room, there's a copy of a traditional canoe. This canoe is a symbol for the museum itself. It represents how the museum helps people travel to new understandings and learn about different ways of life.
Hall B: Secrets of the Canoe World
This hall dives deep into the lives of the people who lived by the sea.
- Primordial Patagonia: This part talks about the very old history of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. It goes back about 11,000 to 12,000 years ago. This was near the end of the Ice Age, when the first groups of hunter-gatherers arrived in the region.
- Nomads of the Sea: As the sea levels changed, more people moved into the area. They learned to live by the ocean and use its resources. These groups built and sailed small canoes.
- The Yahgans: Learn about the Yahgan people, who were the southernmost hunters, fishers, and gatherers on Earth.
- Trace of a Presence: This section explains how the Yahgan people organized their lives. It covers things like their homes, families, and clothing.
- An Unknown Land: Discover the different landscapes, climates, animals, and plants found in Patagonia.
- The Ceremonial Enchantment: Explore the Yahgan people's spiritual beliefs and important rituals.
- The Encounter with Others: This part describes what happened when the Yahgan people met Europeans and how colonization affected them.
- Today is Yesterday, they are and live like this: Learn about the lives of Yahgan descendants today, many of whom live in Villa Ukika.
- Secrets of the Canoe World: Listen to the traditional legends and stories of the Yahgan people.
Second Floor: Nature and Modern History
The second floor features a collection of local flora (plants) and fauna (animals). It also has photographs and documents that show how Puerto Williams was founded in 1953.
Hall C: Tales of Discovery
This hall focuses on how Europeans discovered and explored this part of the world.
- Discovery of the Territory by Europeans, its Exploration and Progressive Recognition: This journey for Europeans began in the 1400s, as they mapped new routes across the oceans.
- Adventure in a New World: Learn about the importance of discovering the Strait of Magellan. This discovery helped prove that the world was round.
- Sailing between Two Oceans: This section highlights how the Dutch (among other Europeans) found the southernmost islands and another way to sail between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
- The Safe Route: A sea route was created for communication and trade. This route also attracted people looking for fortune, and even pirates.
- Sovereignty over the Southernmost Lands: This part explains the disagreement between Chile and Argentina over who owned these southern lands. It also shows how they solved it with the Boundary treaty of 1881.
- Adventurers and Scientists: From the 1800s, many people came to study the area. They collected plants, explored the waters, observed stars, and wrote about the local people. They also studied the weather, geography, and geology.
- Magellan, Beginnings of the Territory’s Exploration: This section covers the fur trade and items from shipwrecks, like tools and silverware. It also touches on the "gold fever" that brought many people to the area.
- Life is Imposed in the Area: Learn about how the region developed and changed. This included land being given out, fishing rights, and anthropological missions to study the local people.
Community Work
The museum is very involved in helping the local community. It offers many services, like providing information and advice, counseling, and support. For example, the museum has a Wi-Fi zone, helps teachers improve their skills, hosts art shows, and screens films.
Stirling Pavilion
The Stirling Pavilion is part of the museum. It helps visitors understand the history of the Stirling House and its role as an Anglican mission in the region.
The Stirling House was a special type of building called a prefab structure. It was designed and made from cast iron by a company in England in 1869. It cost £265.00 and was built for the South American Mission Society (SAMS). The house was about 6 by 3.5 meters (about 20 by 11.5 feet). It had a strong roof and walls covered with zinc sheets. This house was the first building put up by Europeans in Tierra del Fuego. It was named after the missionary Waite Stirling, who had started a mission in Ushuaia and lived in a simple hut.
The house arrived in Port Stanley in pieces at the end of 1870. It was then taken to Ushuaia and put together in 1871. Missionaries like Thomas Bridges and James Lewis lived there with their families.
To reach more islands, SAMS moved the house to Baily Island in 1888. Leonard Burgleigh and his wife lived there as missionaries.
In 1894, the house was moved again to Tekenika Bay, on the southeast coast of Hoste Island. The missionaries wanted to set up a center away from problems caused by miners arriving in Ushuaia.
Sadly, many Yahgan people continued to get sick from diseases. The land was also poor, and gold miners were moving into their areas. In 1907, the mission decided to move to the Douglas Bay area on Navarino Island. The Ushuaia station was closed, and its remaining materials were sent to Douglas Bay. This became the main center for all missionary work in the region. After the Douglas Bay mission closed in 1916, different people used the house.
In 2003, Casa Stirling was declared a Chilean National Monument, meaning it's a very important historical site. In 2004, it was carefully moved by sea from Douglas Bay to Puerto Williams. It now stands on the grounds of the anthropological museum, where it is preserved and open to the public as a historic house.
See also
In Spanish: Museo Territorial Yagán Usi - Martín González Calderón para niños
