Guaraní Ñandéva

The Guaraní Ñandéva are a transnational people, with communities in Bolivia, Argentina and Paraguay. In our country they live mainly in the districts of Mariscal Estigarribia and Filadelfia, in Boquerón. The literature also links them with the name Tapieté. They speak a variety of Guaraní but lead a culturally Chaco way of life, which has made them a subject of anthropological study.

Their oral tradition says the Chaco was once much more humid and full of Ñandéva villages, until the climate worsened. Later several families moved closer to the Chiriguano world and worked on their farms. Today land claims by several communities remain open. 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.