Payagua Indians (Paraguay)

The Payaguá people, also called Evueví and Evebe, were an ethnic group of the Guaycuru peoples in the Northern Chaco of Paraguay. The Payaguá were a river tribe, living, hunting, fishing, and raiding on the Paraguay River. The name Payaguá was given to them by the Guaraní, their enemies whom they constantly fought. It is possible that the name of the Paraguay River, and thus the country Paraguay itself, comes from this; the Guaraní told the Spanish that the river was the "Payaguá-ý", or "river of Payaguás." The name they called themselves was probably Evueví, "people of the river" or "water people." The Payaguá were also known to early Spanish explorers as "Agaces" and spelling variations of that name. The Payagua language is extinct; it is thought to be a Guaycuruan language. No people remain who identify as Payaguá; the descendants of the tribe merged with other Paraguayans, either as mestizos or with other peoples, commonly called Indians. The Payaguá were noted for their ferocity and their skill navigating the Paraguay River in their large dugout canoes. They were a serious threat to Spanish and Portuguese travel on the river from the early 16th until the late 18th century.