the island of Laitec which has strong historical links to the Chonos have an indigenous genetic admixture averaging 80%. It is not known to which extent miscegenated descendants of Chonos in this island retain aspects of Chono culture. The custom of the inhabitants of Melinka to bring dogs on board in their travels may be rooted in Chono traditions. Culture Culturally the Chonos had much in common with southern sea-farers such as the Kawésqar, yet the Chonos had also influences from the Mapuche world. Authors such as Harb D. et al. (1998) list the Chono people as culturally "Fuegian" in contrast to more northern Mapuche groups. Urbina Burgos (2007) mentions the Chiloé Archipelago as the frontier between Mapuche culture and the culture of the "southern peoples". The putative Chono language is known only from local toponyms and from an untranslated catechism. Men hunted marine mammals, especially sea lions, while women gathered shellfish and seaweed. The Chonos used nets and spears to gather food from the sea but supplemented their catch with potatoes and other plants from small gardens. Their healing places consisted of caves or leather structures. Both the Chono people and Kawésqars used Pilgerodendron uviferum as firewood as well as wood for rows, boats and houses. Isotope studies of human bones found in former Chono territory suggest the Chonos maintained a chiefly marine-based diet over centuries or millennia until, after the time of Spanish contact (c. 1550), land-based food became more important in the Chono diet. Iron objects were highly valued by the Chonos and were usually obtained from the Spanish settlements in Chiloé, either by trade or theft. In some cases iron was scavenged from European shipwrecks. Notes References Bibliography The Oldest Americans, George Weber, May 6, 2007. Hunter-gatherers of South America Indigenous peoples of the Southern Cone Indigenous peoples in Chile Nomadic groups in the Americas