How Tierra del Fuego shaped our early thoughts about human evolution?
Tierra del Fuego
The land that shaped our early thoughts about human evolution
Published the 24th of November 1859, On the Origin of the Species is a work of scientific literature by Charles Darwin where he introduced the scientific theory that populations evolve over the course of generations through a process of natural selection. Today Darwin’s book is considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology.
On the Origin of the Species (as we know it) would have not been possible without the Beagle expedition. From 27 December 1831 to 2 October 1836, the second voyage of HMS Beagle under captain Robert FitzRoy surveyed South America along the coasts to allow careful measurement and rechecking. On board, the 22 year old Charles Darwin investigated geology and made natural history collections. “He kept careful notes of his observations and theoretical speculations, and at intervals during the voyage his specimens were sent to Cambridge together with letters including a copy of his journal for his family.”
The HMS Beagle, approximately after a year sailing, reached Tierra del Fuego.
Interestingly, it was in this land where Darwin theorized that all humans were interrelated with a shared origin and potential for improvement towards civilization. Unlike his scientist friends, he now thought there was no unbridgeable gap between humans and animals. His encounter with the Yaghan natives played a major role in this regard. The indigenous peoples of the Southern Cone, who are regarded as the southernmost peoples in the world, certainly impressed Charles Darwin with their behavior.
He described his first meeting with the native as being “without exception the most curious and interesting spectacle I ever beheld: I could not have believed how wide was the difference between savage and civilized man: it is greater than between a wild and domesticated animal, in as much as in man there is a greater power of improvement.”
This encounter with the Yaghan had an important influence on Darwin’s later scientific work and ultimately shaped our believes about evolution.
