English Essays
Indigenous people have lived in America since long before the arrival of the Spaniards. During Colonial times, they started to disappear as a result of the diseases brought by the Spanish soldiers and due to the colonization conflict. Although they have managed to survive through time, their population is decreasing dramatically. According to National Department of statistics (DANE), today’s indigenous population in Colombia is approximately 1,378,884. One of the main consequences of this is that their ancestral culture is also disappearing. This would be a great loss since their culture is an essential part of our current life.
“Culture is the intersection of people and life itself. It is how we deal with life, love, death, birth, disappointment… All of that is expressed in culture” (Wendell Pierce). A country cannot ignore the contribution of all social and ethnic groups, including minorities, since they all contribute to who we are. This has been recognized by Colombia in the 1998 Colombian constitution, which promotes the equality of all citizens; it especially protects minorities like indigenous people. For example, articles 67 and 68 state that education must protect “el derecho a una formación que respete y desarrolle nuestra identidad cultural….”.
There are many organizations interested in helping these communities and their cultures. For example, UNICEF is an organization that works with the government on the different types of problems that indigenous people undergo. In particular, this organization has helped indigenous that have been displaced. Between 2004 and 2008, there were 48,318 displaced indigenous people; mainly because they lived in territories with important deposits of fossil fuels. Another example is an organization called The Nature Conservation (TNC) that is helping to reconstruct ancestral indigenous' lands in La Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. It is specifically working with the following communities: Kogis, Arhuacos, Wiwas and Kan Kuamos. As part of this work TNC has helped more than thirty-five watersheds that provide water to two million people living in the “lower lands”.
However, there is a large group of society that is indifferent to the situation of indigenous people. Besides, they are not taken into account in most political decisions, since they constitute a minority with traditions that are very different from the rest of the society. For example, some indigenous cultures do not believe in modern (western) medicine, leading to difficult situations to understand and very criticized by most people (for example decisions about twins).
We can conclude that modern life has made the large majority of society to forget about the role and contributions of these cultures to their lives. Indigenous cultures have contributed to our diet, our music, and many other cultural expressions. Although the government and many other organizations (UNICEF, TNC, etc.) have made an effort to protect, promote and respect indigenous' culture, there is still a need to advance in the recognition and respect of these cultures. A country is constructed on the basis of recognizing and accepting the difference.
References:
ACNUR Colombia. (2011). Hoja informativa de los pueblos indígenas en Colombia (también disponible en ingles). (Sitio web) Recuperado de: http://www.acnur.org/t3/fileadmin/Documentos/Pueblos_indigenas/2011/Comunidades_indigenas_en_Colombia_-_ACNUR_2011.pdf?view=1.
ACNUR Colombia. (2012). Situación Colombia: Pueblos indígenas y la identidad cultural. (Sitio web). Recuperado de: http://www.acnur.org/t3/fileadmin/Documentos/RefugiadosAmericas/Colombia/2012/Situacion_Colombia_-_Pueblos_indigenas_2012.pdf?view=1.
Colombian Reports. 70% of Colombian ethnical groups still speak their original language. (Sitio web) Recuperando de:http://colombiareports.com/70-of-colombias-ethnic-groups-still-speak-native-languages-survey/.
UNICEF. (2003). Los pueblos indígenas en Colombia, derechos, políticas y desafíos. (Sitio web). Recuperado de: http://www.unicef.org/colombia/pdf/pueblos-indigenas.pdf.
Castillo keefe.m. Restauración de tierras ancestrales para la conservación. (Sitio web). Recuperado de: http://www.mundotnc.org/donde-trabajamos/americas/colombia/descubre/indigenas-1.xml.
Tonorio M.C. (2011). ¿Inclusion total o pérdida de la identidad cultural?. Revista de estudios sociales. Universidad de los Andes.N40 pp 75-71. (Sitio web) Recuperado de:https: //res.uniandes.edu.co/indexar.php?c=Revista+No+40.
Presidencia de la república. (1991). Constitución política de Colombia. Bogotá. (Editorial) Temis.
Departamento Nacional de estadísticas, DANE, (2005), Censo general deColombia. (Sitio web) Recuperado de: http://www.dane.goveon/index.php/poblacion-y-riesgos-vitales/censos/censo-2005.
Gonzales Betancur, V.H, Ortiz P.Frausing. G (2012). Forced migrations and indigenous populations in Colombia: An ethno-botanical perspective. Mundo amazonico,3,2012; pp165-177
GarciaGarcia, M.E. (2006). La tecnología en las comunidades indígenas. Minorías/ congreso iberoamericano de creencia,tecnológica. CTS+I. Palacio Mexico D.F,18, 19-23-6.
Conferencia por Alexandra Chigasigsique/conferencia comunidad Muizca en Bosa.
Conferencia por Maria T. Botero/conferencia colonial times.
Loss of indigenous culture
By Camila Sánchez Caro