On the bus north full of dilemas, I started reading a book I stumbled upon - The Indians of Tierra del Fuego. It’s written by a European explorer from the 1920s and describes the natives of the area I just left.

A young English boy came here as part of missionary work at the end of 1800s and he became part of the local tribe, learning the language and hence became an incredible resource to understand the culture and norms of this ancient community.

Absolutely fascinating as the community here has survived thousands of years and evolved largely independently of Asian/European influences. The incredibly strong people of the region, mainly hunter gatherers used to travel often with women carrying 70+ KGs on their back!

Men of steel wearing nothing but Gunaco skin which they threw off when they went hunting. Almost naked in 5 degrees and blistering wind. Going without food for days and when they finally hunt, the customs require they are not excited about food. Brining their hunt back to their camp, they didn’t pay attention to the food and just sat in silence for an hour. The women and children required not even to glance at the meat brought home. Only after an hour would they start cooking it. Counting so simple as 1, 2, 3 after which only one hand (5) and two hand (10) had names.

Incredibly stories, written of-course by a white explorer who believes they are much more cultured. In the defence of the writer, he does start the book by mentioning how the Europeans considered natives the savages but in fact they were the bigger savages killing of majority of the locals.

As I look around the landscape with a new understanding of the area, I feel a deeper awe of the magical place I stand in.

I meet some interesting people at the hostel and head off to see the stunning Perito Moreno glacier. Standing in front of this massive glacier, I wonder what the natives would have thought when they saw these monstrous dragons of ice.

I am thankful for the luxuries we have today and feel like Kuanip, the supreme being of the Ona. I did fly from the skies down here and am defended by illness thanks to modern medicine.

What a time to be alive, the myth of yesterday is the common man of today.