Enxet Sur

The Enxet Sur live in the Chaco, mainly in the Presidente Hayes department. Their traditional territory extends between the Paraguay River and several tens of kilometres to the west. They speak Enxet, of the Maskoy (Enlhet-Enenlhet) family. Like other Chaco communities, they found themselves surrounded by cattle ranches that took over their forest, and many families work on them or live in settlements promoted by missions.

They were traditionally hunter-gatherers. Land is the central theme of their public life: several Enxet communities have pursued their territorial claims through legal channels, including internationally. If you want to approach their crafts, do so at the Instituto Paraguayo de Artesanía fairs or at the artisan houses the communities themselves open, and do not enter a community without an invitation and prior arrangement. To learn more, the Museo Etnográfico Dr. Andrés Barbero (Asunción) and the Centro de Artes Visuales / Museo del Barro, which holds an Indigenous art collection, are two starting points; check opening hours before you go.