COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

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The Toba people were and are inhabitants of the region highlighted in green in the image directly to the right; primarily Argentina. Specifically an area called the Pampas of Central Chaco. Originally a nomadic peoples who could be described as a hunter gatherer group The Qom people have changed dramatically. Culturally the Toba people have incorporated Christianity into their culture exemplified by ritualistic practices and Christian artifacts. 

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The Toba/Qom people culturally are a pastoral culture that traditionally functioned as a hunter gatherer group of tribes. Due to the topography of the region in which they live the Qom people focused on hunting wild life and taking advantage of the greenery available for them to eat.

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This collection is available to Temple University through the efforts of Elmer Miller. He traveled to the Chaco region in Argentina in order to conduct an ethnographic analysis of the Toba people. Through his work the Toba people gifted him these representations of their culture as gifts or gestures of good will. While the original intent was for this to be a personal collection it was donated to the Temple University museum.