MundoAndino Home : Argentina Guide at MundoAndino
Toba (tribe)
Related topics:
Indigenous peoples in Argentina
Indigenous peoples in Bolivia
Indigenous peoples in Argentina Forum
The Toba are an ethnic group in Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. They are part of a larger group of indigenous inhabitants of the Gran Chaco region, called the Guaycurues. As of 2005, there are 47,951 Toba in Argentina, living in the provinces of Chaco, Formosa and Santa Fe.
The Toba name themselves Qom-lik, meaning simply "people". The name toba is of Guarani origin and means "big forehead", which is also the name given to them by first Spanish settlers (frentones). This is because the Toba cut their hair short in the front of the head as a signal of mourning.
The Chaco region in the north of Argentina and part of Paraguay was formerly covered with forests. The Toba were originally nomadic hunter-gatherers who, upon the arrival of the Spanish, adopted the horse and resisted colonial encroachment and missionization for several centuries.
Related websites
United Nations page about the Toba language
BBC Report 27/09/07
Los indios Tobas en Rosario, Argentina
Need more information for your travel research or homework?
Ask your questions at the forum about Indigenous peoples in Argentina or help others to find answers.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Toba (tribe)
