Ciaike

Ciaike lies in the cold grasslands of Aonikenk country in Patagonia, between the Andean foothills and the open plains. Strong winds, scattered springs and seasonal grass shaped movement. Guanaco, rhea and wild plants supplied food, hides and materials for shelter.

Aonikenk families, speakers of a Chonan language, travelled in mobile bands across huge distances. They used horses after European contact, extending their hunting range and trade networks. Hides, feathers and other products moved north and toward Atlantic settlements in exchange for metal, cloth and food.

Mapuche movement from the north and later state expansion transformed the region. Chilean and Argentine settlement took control of grasslands in the nineteenth century, while disease and violence caused catastrophic population loss. Ciaike's early identity belongs to the open Patagonian routes of the Aonikenk before those changes. Waterholes and sheltered valleys shaped seasonal camps, while horses later allowed families to follow guanaco herds over greater distances. Mobility also tied the grasslands to Atlantic and Andean exchange routes, where hides and feathers were traded for metal and cloth. Water shaped where families could camp.

The later city of Río Gallegos lies nearby.