Charrua
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Uruguay Portal |
The Charrúa were an indigenous people of southern South America in the area today known as Uruguay, northeastern Argentina and southern Brazil. They were a nomadic people that sustained themselves through fishing and foraging. They did not build permanent structures, living instead in tents.
Charrúa people are believed to have killed Spanish explorer Juan Díaz de Solís during his 1515 voyage up the Río de la Plata. Following the arrival of European settlers, the Charrúa were progressively killed and integrated into the prevailing colonial cultures. Most of the remaining ones were massacred at Salsipuedes (literally "Get-out-if-you-can") Creek in 1831 by a group led by Bernabé Rivera, nephew of Fructuoso Rivera who had recently become the first president of Uruguay, after they were invited to a meeting and ambushed. Only a few escaped this massacre. Four of them were taken to France in 1833, including Tacuabé, to whom there is a monument in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Not much is known about the Charrúa due to their eradication at an early time in Uruguay history. The only surviving documents that concern the Charrúa are those of Spanish explorers.
Uruguayans refer to themselves as "charrúas" when in the context of a competition or battle against a foreign contingent. In situations in which Uruguayans display bravery in the face of overwhelming odds the expression "garra charrúa" (Charrúan claws) is used to refer to victory in the face of certain defeat.
After Salsipuedes, the Charrúa effectively ceased to exist as a people. There are no full-blooded(supposedly) Charrúa remaining, though physical traces may be found among Uruguay's minority mestizo population. According to the Argentine census of 2001, there are 676 Charrúa of (the majority are of mixed ancestry) living in the province of Entre Ríos.
The Uruguay national football team is nicknamed "Los Charrúas" and a local rugby side in Porto Alegre are also named after the nation (see: Charrua Rugby Clube)
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