The Antiquity of the Venezuelan indigenous population , According to most archaeologists and scientists, is about 15,000 years. However, other scientists estimate that the first humans in Venezuela arrived 25,000 years ago.
It is difficult to define this number of years with Population of Venezuela , So future research must be done to get a more accurate date.
Literally,"indigenous"means"native." Indigenous or indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that settled in a particular area long ago, compared to newcomers in the same area, such as Europeans who conquered and colonized other parts of the world.
In everyday usage, the indigenous peoples of North America and South America are called"Indians (Americans)". This name is based on a misconception: when the first Europeans arrived in the Americas, they thought it was India, that's why they called their inhabitants"Indians."
In order to clarify this error, the descendants of the original inhabitants of the Americas are sometimes referred to in expert circles as"Amerindians."
History of Venezuelan Indigenous Peoples and Population
Upon arriving in Venezuela, the Spanish conquistadors found a diversity of settled indigenous groups, as well as nomads and semi-nomads.
Historians estimate that there were between 350,000 and 500,000 Venezuelan indigenous inhabitants at the time of Spanish colonization. The most densely populated area was the Andean region (Timoto-cuicas), thanks to its advanced agricultural techniques and its ability to produce a surplus of food.
Most Venezuelans have some indigenous heritage and are mestizos, even if they identify themselves as white. But those who identify themselves as indigenous, being raised in these cultures, account for only about 2% of the total population. Venezuelan indigenous peoples speak about 29 different languages and many more dialects.
As some ethnic groups are very small, their native languages are in danger of extinction. The most important indigenous groups are Yekuana, Wayú, Pemón and Warao.
It is believed that the most advanced natives who have lived within the limits of present-day Venezuela have been the Timoto-cuicas, who lived mainly in the Venezuelan Andes.
Indigenous peoples are concentrated in the Amazon state, where they represent almost 50% of the population, and in the Andes of the western state of Zulia. The most numerous indigenous people, with about 200,000 inhabitants, are the Wayú or guajiros who live mainly in Zulia between Lake Maracaibo and the Colombian border.
Another 100,000 indigenous people live in the sparsely populated Amazonas, Bolivar and Delta Amacuro southeastern states. There are at least 26 indigenous groups in Venezuela, including Ya̧nomami, Pemón, Warao, Kurripako, Kali'na or Kari'ña, Motilone-Barí, Yekuana and Yaruro.
Precolumbian era
It is not known how many people lived in Venezuela before the Spanish conquest, but it is estimated that it could have been about one million people. In addition to the indigenous peoples mentioned above, groups such as Arutani, Caquetío, Mariche, Piaroa and Timoto-cuicas were also included.
The number declined long after colonization, mainly through the spread of new diseases from Europe. The pre-Columbian population produced maize in the west and cassava in the east.
The continental colonization of Venezuela began in 1522. Indian chiefs such as Guaicaipuro and Tamanaco tried to resist the Spanish incursions, but the newcomers finally submitted them. Historians agree that the founder of Caracas, Diego de Losada , Who killed Tamanaco.
In the 16th century, Venezuela imported a considerable number of African slaves to work on cacao plantations. In the mid-eighteenth century, the Spaniards pushed deeper into the Orinoco River. During the rest of the nineteenth century, governments did little for indigenous peoples and were expelled from the country's agricultural center to the periphery.
In 1913, Colonel Tomás Funes took control of the San Fernando de Atabapo of Amazonas, killing more than 100 settlers. In the next nine years - in which Funes controlled the city - the colonel destroyed dozens of villages of Ye'kuana killing several thousands.
In 1989 the National Indian Council of Venezuela (CONIVE), which represents the majority of indigenous peoples, with 60 affiliates who personify 30 villages. In September 1999, indigenous peoples protested at the National Congress in Caracas to pressure the Constituent Assembly.
They required the inclusion of important laws in the new constitution with pro-indigenous provisions such as the right to property, free transit through international borders, nationality and demarcation of lands giving a limit of two years.
According to the XIV National Population and Housing Census - carried out in 2011 - the Venezuelan indigenous population amounts to 725,128 people, indicating that the population has increased by 41.8% between 2001 and 2011. Of the 30 million inhabitants In Venezuela, only 2.8% self-identify as indigenous.
The census recorded statements from individuals belonging to 51 indigenous peoples of the country. Among them are: the Wayú (58% of the total indigenous population); Warao (7%); Kariña (5%); Pemon (4%); Jivi, Cumanagoto, Anu and Piaroa (3% each); Chaima and Yukpa (2%); Yanomami (1%) and other peoples (9%).
References
- Josephy A, Hoxie F. America in 1942: the world of the Indian people before the arrival of Columbus (1993). New York: Vintage Books.
- Grote R. The status and rights of indigenous people in Latin America (1999). Edinburgh: Max-Planck-Institut.
- Lizarralde M. 500 years of invasion: eco-colonialism in indigenous Venezuela (1992). California: Kroeber Anthropological Society Papers.
- Minorities at Risk Project. Chronology for indigenous peoples in Venezuela (2004). Retrieved from: www.refworld.org
- Minorities Rights Group International. World directory of minorities and indigenous peoples - Venezuela (2007). Retrieved from: www.refworld.org
- Van Cott D. Andean indigenous movements and constitutional transformation: Venezuela in comparative perspective (2001). Washington DC: Latin American Studies Association.
- Van Cott D. Latin America's indigenous people (2007). Washington DC: Journal of Democracy.