The Enlhet, an Indigenous people of the Paraguayan Chaco, remained virtually untouched by colonialism until the 1920s. This changed with the arrival of Mennonites, who began settling in the centre of Enlhet territory in 1927; the Chaco War soon after (1932–35); the deadliest conflict in the western hemisphere after the American Civil War; and a terrible smallpox epidemic at the same time.
In Don’t Cry the Enlhet give their own account of this period, focusing on their experiences of the war between Paraguay and Bolivia, in voices never before heard outside their own society. Their accounts, translated from the Enlhet language and set alongside sensitive historical-anthropological analysis, allow unprecedented access to these hitherto hidden perspectives. Enlhet witnesses to those times describe the processes of colonization to which they were subjected while, at the same time, insisting on their own vision of the world. This vision challenges the views of colonial society, symbolizing the search for a relationship that assumes a shared history, addresses the gulf between peoples, and embraces the potential of each. These oral histories bear witness to the role of Indigenous voices in overcoming the colonial mindset deeply rooted within Western societies, which lacks the conceptual framework to meet Indigenous societies on equal terms.
A unique example of history from an Indigenous perspective, this book reflects a crucial moment for a people who preserved their language despite adverse circumstances and whose origins still inform their daily life. Don’t Cry demonstrates the importance of native voices for both Indigenous and colonial societies.

Hannes Kalisch is an expert in the language and culture of the Indigenous Enlhet-Enenlhet peoples of Paraguay and the founder of the Instituto Nengvaanemkeskama Nempayvaam Enlhet.

Hannes Kalisch's profile page

Ernesto Unruh is Enlhet and co-founder of the Instituto Nengvaanemkeskama Nempayvaam Enlhet.

Ernesto Unruh's profile page

Nicholas Regan is a lecturer at the University of Bath and a translator of anthropological and technical texts from Spanish to English.

Nicholas Regan's profile page

“The shock and trauma of the Chaco War persists still after more than eighty years. This brilliant collection of Native testimonies allows the Indigenous people caught between opposing armies to speak to us outsiders for the first time, offering perspectives that only an insider could record. The result is a wonderful ethnography and rare opportunity to learn about a critical period of Indigenous and Latin American history from Indigenous perspectives.” René Harder Horst, Appalachian State University and author of A History of Indigenous Latin America: Aymara to Zapatistas

“The book created an earthquake in the Paraguayan view of the Chaco War when it was first published in Paraguay in 2018. It is good that McGill-Queen’s University Press has provided a well-translated English version by Nicholas Regan. This important book substantially revises our understanding of the Indigenous history of the Chaco War and its aftermath.” Hispanic American Historical Review