NAPALPÍ NAPALPÍ MASSACREMASSACRE

NAPALPÍNAPALPÍ

• Means “CEMENTERY” in the Toba Language.

• Its official name was Colonia Aborigen Chaco (“Chaco Aboriginal Colony”).

• Ocurred on July 19 in 1924 in Napalpí, in the Province of Chaco, North Argentina.

• It involved the massacre of 200 indigenous people of the Toba ethnicity by the Argentine Police and ranchers.

HISTORICAL CONTEXTHISTORICAL CONTEXT

• The Argentine Army had been involved in a military campaign to suppress the indigenous people of Chaco, called “THE CONQUEST OF CHACO”.

• The campaign resulted in the death of thousands of indigenous people.

• The Argentine forces established a line of fortress in order to usurp the indigenous territories for European settlers.

• The inhabitants of Napalpí had started to produce cotton, but in 1924 the authorities imposed a tax of 15% on the cotton crop which created discontent and a strike.

THE MASSACRETHE MASSACRE

• Early in the morning of July 19, 1924 a group of 130 armed men, attacked the indigenous people.

• The attack lasted 40 minutes. Women and children were also killed, with machetes.

ACCOUNTS OF THE MASSACREACCOUNTS OF THE MASSACRE

• Around 9 o`clock in the morning, without a shot being fired by the innocent aboriginies, the police fired repeatedly.

• There were more women and children than men, but this wasn`t an obstacle for the police, they continued and killed thousands of indigenous people.

• Over 5.000 shots were fired and the orgy of blood included the extraction of testicles, penises and ears of the dead.

Melitona Enrique was the only survivor of the Napalpí Massacre.

She said that she’d never forget that horrible moment.