Fuegians are one of the 3 tribes of indigenous inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego, at the southern tip of South America. Tierra del Fuego is an Argentine province. The province had been inhabited by indigenous people for more than 12,000 years, since they migrated south of the mainland. It was first encountered by a European in 1520 when spotted by Ferdinand Magellan. The United States Exploring Expedition came in contact with the Fuegians in 1839. One member of the expedition called the Fuegians the "greatest mimics I ever saw." Even after Argentina achieved independence, this territory remained under control of the Native Americans until the nation's campaign known as the Conquest of the Desert in the 1870s. After destroying most of the indigenous population in the desert part of Patagonia, Argentina organized this section in 1885 as a territory. European immigration followed due to a gold rush & rapid expansion of sheep farming on large ranches in the area. When Chileans & Argentines of European descent studied, invaded & settled on the islands in the 19C, they brought with them diseases such as measles & smallpox for which the Fuegians had no immunity. The Fuegian population was devastated by the diseases, & their numbers were reduced from several thousand in the 19C to hundreds in the 20C.
