9. The missing canoe
Sisoi listens to his father who is talking with their temporary neighbour. The neighbour gives a helping hand with the repairs on the canoe. The neighbours had a long journey before they arrived, coming all the way from the other side of the channel known as Beagle. The neighbour starts telling about the fearful hours they experienced there …
On the north side of the Beagle Channel there is a place called Lapataia. Quite a distance from Lapataia Bay they had pulled their canoe on the beach. “Can you imagine, Sisoi?”, the neighbour asks. “We had to walk inland to look for firewood and food. That’s not easy in this harsh season: there is a lot of snow, at least a meter and a half. We are hoping there will be less snow in some other places. The possibilities are scarce, but worth a try. But no, unfortunately nothing could be found. The landscape appears completely covered with thick layers of snow. No branches peek through the blanket of snow. Larger logs are frozen to the ground. We don’t encounter any animals either. The guanacos are all drawn deep inland to protect themselves from the cold wind between the shrubs.”
He deliberates with his wife and son. There is nothing here. Where will they go? Together they decide to cross the Beagle Channel and navigate to the southern islands. The weather should be better there. They walk back to the canoe.
Returning to the beach, it seems like they’re lost. They don’t see the canoe. With their sharp eyes all three of them start searching across the beach. Father searches and searches everywhere. Where is that canoe? Their son turns around to the sea and sees the canoe in the middle of the channel with two huge people on board. They have their canoe … it’s hijacked!
Now what? Without a canoe they can’t go anywhere and their fishing tools are still on board. They squat down next to each other and wonder about everything. These people look so big. Are they land habitants of the main island? But the land habitants only hunt land animals with arrow and bow, right? What are they looking for at sea? Time passes and they’re extremely puzzled.
Suddenly they see the canoe changing position, it returns to the beach. Now they can clearly see the two Indians. No, they don’t know them. The strangers disembark just in front of the coast and drag the canoe out of the water. With bended backs they walk to the beach. In their hands they carry bunches of freshly caught fish.
The neighbour continues: “I walk in the direction of our canoe. The men are not far away from it. They seem so strong. Usually these land habitants are not very friendly.” Sisoi listens with admiration to the neighbour and asks impatiently, “What happened then? After all it is your canoe? Weren’t you scared?” “Sure”, the neighbour replies, “I’m getting closer and when I approach them at about ten feet, they hear me. They turn around, get up and look at me with big eyes …
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Click on the maps to see where the main island (called ‘Isla Grande’) of Tierra del Fuego is located; to its south is the Beagle Channel.
