They are considered extinct as a tribe . The exploration of gold and the introduction of farming in the region of Tierra del Fuego has led to a drastic decline in the numbers of their population , a process that is described as a genocide . Joubert Yanten Gomez , a Chilean mestizo of part Selk ' nam ancestry , has taught himself the language and is considered the only speaker ; he uses the name '' Keyuk . '' While the Selk ' nam are closely associated with living in the northeastern area of Tierra del Fuego , they are believed to have originated as a people on the mainland . Thousands of years ago , they migrated by canoe across the Strait of Magellan . Their territory in the early Holocene probably ranged as far as the Cerro Benítez area of the Cerro Toro mountain range in Chile
a genocide
Selk'nam genocide
Selk'nam people