The indigenous community of a region is called indigenous people.
People (from Latin populus ) is a concept with several meanings. In this case we are interested in the meaning that refers to the inhabitants of a certain region, nation or country . These inhabitants constitute a community since they share the same culture.
Indigenous , on the other hand, is a term that is applied to what is related to the original population of a territory . These populations usually belong to organizational traditions that precede the development of the modern State. This term comes from Latin and is the result of the sum of two clearly differentiated parts: the adverb "inde", which can be translated as "there", and "gena", which is equivalent to "native or Indian".
The notion of indigenous people , therefore, is linked to the original community of a certain region . The Aymara , the Guaraníes , the Mapuches , the Incas and the Aztecs are some of the indigenous peoples who existed or exist in the American territory.
Indigenous peoples, a minority today
It is common for indigenous people to be a minority within current national states. These States are generally governed by political, economic, religious and cultural guidelines of a European type, the result of colonization and imperialism of previous times. Indigenous peoples, however, strive to maintain their traditions and customs even when, in the eyes of European descendants, they seem exotic.
At this time it can be established that, according to data provided by the UN ( United Nations Organization ), there are a total of three hundred million people who are part of an indigenous people and who live as such. Specifically, it seems that there are about five thousand towns of this type.
Currently, indigenous peoples are a minority in a large part of national States.
The case of America
America , without a doubt, is the continent where there are the most indigenous peoples who are distributed in countries such as Argentina , Brazil , Bolivia , Chile , Colombia , Costa Rica , Ecuador , El Salvador and Mexico , among others. Regarding this last nation, it should be noted that it has a very notable peculiarity and that is that it has a total of 65 indigenous peoples that have as many or more of their own languages.
Popoluca, Tabasco Chontal, Tacuate, Cochimi, Matazeco o Tarahumara son los nombres de algunos de estos colectivos mexicanos que, a lo largo de su existencia han abogado por establecer su cultura, sus danzas, sus sistemas económicos e incluso sus santos o deidades.
In Oceania , Asia and Europe it is also considered that there are indigenous peoples who, as a general rule, are absolutely marginalized and who therefore require that certain institutions and groups advocate for defending their rights and duties.
Indigenous peoples throughout history
Since the arrival of Europeans to America in 1492 , the region's indigenous peoples have been exploited, discriminated against, and marginalized. At first they were enslaved and converted to Christianity by force, destroying their ancestral customs. Today, indigenous peoples still suffer from problems, such as expropriations of their ancestral lands.
Throughout history, various groups have emerged that demand improvements in the living conditions of indigenous peoples, as is the case of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) , which appealed to the guerrilla.
In addition to that, there are other entities in favor of indigenous people such as the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador or the Inter-Ethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Jungle .