Who Are the Maká?
The Maká are a Mataco-Maká speaking indigenous people who originally inhabited the Paraguayan Chaco but now live primarily near Asunción, Paraguay's capital. Numbering approximately 1,500-2,000, they are one of Paraguay's smallest indigenous groups. Their history is unusual: after conflicts in the Chaco and participation in the Chaco War, they were resettled near Asunción in the 1940s-1950s, becoming one of the few indigenous groups to live permanently near a South American capital. The Maká are renowned for their basket weaving, pottery, and traditional crafts, which they sell to tourists and urban consumers, creating a distinctive economic and cultural niche.
Urban Relocation
The Maká's move to urban Paraguay followed a complex history. Originally Chaco hunter-gatherers, they came into contact with Paraguayan society during the Chaco War (1932-1935). Some Maká served with Paraguayan forces; after the war, they could not return to territories now controlled by hostile groups or occupied by settlers. General Juan Belaieff, a Russian-Paraguayan officer who had developed relationships with Chaco peoples, facilitated their resettlement on land near Asunción. This unusual relocation created a community that has maintained indigenous identity while living adjacent to the capital city for over 70 years—a distinctive situation in South American indigenous experience.
Craft Economy
Maká communities have developed a craft-based economy unusual in its success and persistence. Women produce distinctive woven bags, baskets, and other fiber items; men carve wooden animals and other objects. These crafts are sold at markets in Asunción, along roadsides, and to tourists visiting Paraguay. Craft income supplements other economic activities but remains central to Maká livelihoods. The crafts themselves maintain traditional techniques while adapting to consumer preferences—new forms and designs emerge alongside traditional patterns. This craft economy has enabled cultural continuity and economic survival in an urban context where other subsistence options would be impossible.
Contemporary Maká
Modern Maká communities occupy small settlements in the Asunción metropolitan area, particularly in Mariano Roque Alonso. They maintain distinct identity while interacting daily with urban Paraguayan society. The Maká language is spoken, though Spanish is increasingly common among youth. Traditional ceremonies occur on reduced scale; cultural knowledge is transmitted through family networks. Education in Spanish provides access to urban opportunities, while community institutions maintain ethnic boundaries. Land security remains a concern—urban expansion threatens community territories. The Maká represent an unusual case of indigenous cultural survival in an urban setting, maintaining distinctive identity through economic specialization and community cohesion despite being surrounded by the national capital.
References
- Belaieff, J. (1941). Los Indios del Chaco Paraguayo y su Tierra
- Renshaw, J. (2002). The Indians of the Paraguayan Chaco: Identity and Economy
- Susnik, B. (1962). Los Aborígenes del Paraguay: Etnología del Chaco Boreal y su Periferia