INDIGENOUS GROUPS
IN HONDURASINDIGENOUS GROUPS
IN HONDURAS
There is one main group of indigenous people in Honduras, they are Miskito Indians. They reside in the southeastern section of Honduras. Other indigenous people in Honduras are the Xicaques, torrupan, Lenca, Chorti, Tawanka, and the Garifuna. These groups reside in the western section of Honduras. The Paya and Sumu Indians live in the same region as the Miskitos and some of their tribes have integrated with the Miskitos. Major Miskito, Sumu and Paya settlements are located on the Caribbean coast from Rio Platono to Gracias a Dios.
MISKITO INDIANS
The Miskito Indians are the largest indigenous group in Honduras. They make up approximately more than 50% of the indigenous population in Honduras. Most Miskitos of Honduras speak the Miskito language and English, due to the influence of British settlers. They are Protestants. Miskito workers are either drifting workers or agricultural laborers. Miskito men usually travel away from home for seasonal work. Because of their coastal location Miskitos also fish as a means of employment. Miskito Indians are the poorest in the Honduran society. Because of this they rely on inadequate health care and educational facilities. While other Indians have integrated into urban centers the Miskitos have mainly stayed on the coast and in the rural areas off the coast. The primary organization that represents the Miskitos in Honduras are called the Unity of Miskito. This group represents Miskito needs and objectives to the Honduran government. The Miskito Indians in Honduras have strong ties with the Nicaraguan Miskitos. It has been with the resurgence of the Nicaraguan Miskitos that the Honduran Miskitos have become stronger. The main issues for the Miskito tribe is land rights and development of social programs, especially health care and education.
LENCA INDIANS
The Lencas are one of the seven largest ethnic
groups in Honduras. Numbering 100,000, they live in the central department
of Las Paz, and the western departments of Lempira and Itibuca, as well
as in some smaller communities in the northern part of the country. Their
homes are made form bahareque a mixture of mud and bamboo. Their communities
lack all of the basic services such as running water. Roofs are made of
clay tiles or nylon. In a twenty square meter room there is a bed and a
kitchen. The bed is made from pieces of plywood tied to posts and sunk into
the dirt floor. Eight people usually occupy one bed. At night the cold mountain
air seeps through the cracks in the walls and results in frequent respiratory
illnesses. Many Lencas work on coffee plantations and harvest. Lenca men
are encouraged to educate themselves so that they may move up the social
hierarchy.
CHORTI INDIANS
The Chortis are direct descendants of the people who built Copan, the capitol of the ancient Maya empire, They number between 1500 to 2000 in Honduras and have moved away from tradition in recent years. Only a few elders still speak the Chorti language. Unlike the Maya in Guatemala, the Chortis now wear western clothing and take on western names. Recently a Chorti leader named Candido Amador began pushing for a resurgence of ethnic pride. Working with the larger Lenca Maya group to the south, Amador demanded that the central government turn over nearly 35,000 acres to indigenous peoples as was promised in an agreement with the Spanish colonial government made in the 18th century. Amador was slain in April 1997. Another Maya leader who worked with him was shot and killed less than a month later. The Chortis claim that both men were killed by order of local land owners. If violence was meant to intimidate the Maya movement, it has had the exact opposite effect.
TAWANKA INDIANS
The Tawanka Indians are the smallest of the indigenous tribes in Honduras. Together they are a population of 916 people. They occupy an area of 233 hectares in the center of the Mosquitia, the largest rainforest. Presently they are struggling to have the zone declared an indigenous reservation, and to be considered one of the main biological areas of Mesoamerica. They are peaceful in their lifestyles and dedicated to preserving the forest. They view their forest as a medecinechest with a bounty of natural resources.
GARIFUNA INDIANS
The Garifunas reside on the Carribbean coast in Honduras. Recently they have celebrated their two hundredth anniversary in this country. They came to Honduras because the British expelled them from the island of St. Vincent. Presently there are 250,000 Garifunas residing in this area. With the coastal areas as a natural resource the Garifunas rely heavily on the fishing industry.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Burke, Pam "Indigenous People of Honduras" http://www.bsos.umd.edu/cidcm/mar/indhon.htm (April 1,1998).
Hegstrom, Edward "Maya Bid to reclaim Land at Copan Tourist Site Stirs Violence" Central America NewsPak 12.17(1997):1-2.
Martinez, Oswaldo "Indigenous Groups Want Rights" Latinamerica Press 29.18(1997):3.
Mejia, Thelma "Death Pursues the Tawanka People" Central America NewsPak 11.25(1997):7-8.
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This website was a project for Political Science 416, "Race and Politics in the Americas" at Providence College, Spring '98
Prof. Tony Affigne
