Aristocracias chané. 'Casas' en el Chaco argentino y boliviano

While the classic views of chané leadership posits powerless leaders and democratic assemblies, ethnographical and ethnohistorical data suggest to the contrary quite powerful and hereditary dynasties. After presenting two case-studies, the Chané of northwestern Argentina and the Bolivian Izoceños, the application of the concept of « House » – as developed by Lévi-Strauss – is proposed in order to explain the Chané political system. It is argued that the traditional account of the leadership is mainly a « Guaranized » one, which can not fully explain the Chané facts. The final section deals with the future of the Chané Houses in the more « democratic » times impulsed by contemporary indigenous movements.