The age of the Venezuelan indigenous settlement, according to most archaeologists and scientists, is approximately 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 exactly for the population of Venezuela, so future research must be carried out to obtain a more precise date.
Literally, "indigenous" means "native." Indigenous or native peoples are ethnic groups that settled in a certain 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 and South America are referred to as "Indians (Americans)." This name is based on a misconception: when the first Europeans came to the Americas, they thought it was India, so they called its inhabitants "Indians."
In order to clear up this misconception, the descendants of the original inhabitants of the Americas are sometimes referred to in scholarly circles as "Amerindians."
History of the Venezuelan indigenous people and the settlement
Upon arriving in Venezuela, the Spanish conquerors encountered a diversity of settled indigenous groups, as well as nomads and semi-nomads.
Historians estimate that there were between 350,000 and 500,000 indigenous Venezuelan 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 mestizo, even though they identify as white. But those who identify as indigenous, being raised in those cultures, represent only about 2% of the total population. Venezuelan indigenous peoples speak about 29 different languages and many more dialects.
As some of the ethnic groups are very small, their native languages are in danger of extinction. The most important indigenous groups are Yekuana, Wayú, Pemón and Warao.
The most advanced indigenous people to have lived within the limits of present-day Venezuela are believed to have been the Timoto-cuicas, who lived mainly in the Venezuelan Andes.
Indigenous peoples are concentrated in the state of Amazonas, 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 inhabitants live in the sparsely populated southeastern states of Amazonas, Bolívar and Delta Amacuro. There are at least 26 indigenous groups in Venezuela, including the 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 there may have been around a million people. In addition to the aforementioned indigenous peoples, groups such as the Arutani, Caquetío, Mariche, Piaroa and Timoto-cuicas were also included.
The number declined much after colonization, mainly through the spread of new diseases from Europe. The pre-Columbian population produced corn in the west and manioc in the east.
The continental colonization of Venezuela began in 1522. Indian chiefs such as Guaicaipuro and Tamanaco tried to resist Spanish incursions, but the newcomers eventually subdued them. Historians agree that the founder of Caracas, Diego de Losada, was the one who killed Tamanaco.
In the 16th century, Venezuela imported a considerable number of African slaves to work on cacao plantations. In the mid-18th century, the Spanish pushed further inland along the Orinoco River. During the remainder of the 19th century, governments did little for indigenous peoples and they were driven from the agricultural center of the country to the periphery.
In 1913, Colonel Tomás Funes took control of the San Fernando de Atabapo de Amazonas, killing more than 100 settlers. In the next nine years - in which Funes controlled the city - the colonel destroyed dozens of Ye'kuana villages, killing several thousand.
In 1989, the National Indian Council of Venezuela (CONIVE) was formed, representing the majority of indigenous peoples, with 60 members representing 30 peoples. In September 1999, indigenous peoples protested at the National Congress in Caracas to pressure the Constituent Assembly.
They demanded the inclusion of important laws in the new constitution with pro-indigenous provisions such as the right to property, free movement across international borders, nationality and the demarcation of lands, giving a two-year limit.
According to the XIV National Population and Housing Census - carried out in 2011 - the Venezuelan indigenous population amounts to 725,128 people, which indicates 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 by individuals belonging to 51 indigenous peoples of the country. Among them are: the Wayú (58% of the total indigenous population); Warao (7%); Kariña (5%); Pemón (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). Recovered from: www.refworld.org
- Minorities Rights Group International. World directory of minorities and indigenous peoples - Venezuela (2007). Recovered 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.