Yokcushlu information

Yokcushlu (c. 1821 – c. 1883) was a Kawésqar woman from the western Tierra del Fuego. In 1830, at the age of nine, she was taken hostage by the crew of the British vessel HMS Beagle and renamed "Fuegia Basket". Robert FitzRoy, captain of the Beagle, initially intended to trade her for a stolen boat. He later decided to take her and three other Fuegians, "York Minster", "Boat Memory", and "Jemmy Button", to England where they could be educated and taught Christianity so that they might return to "civilise" their people and serve as interpreters for the British.

Yokcushlu survived the voyage to England and was educated in English and Christianity. She appeared at court before King William IV and Queen Adelaide. In late 1831, Yokcushlu embarked on the second voyage of HMS Beagle, where one of her fellow passengers was Charles Darwin. She was married to her fellow captive Elleparu ("York Minster") and returned to Tierra del Fuego where they were left on Navarino Island. She had two children with Elleparu and later visited the Ushuaia Anglican mission where she recounted her story to Thomas Bridges.