Indigenous peoples in Colombia

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The Indigenous peoples in Colombia (pueblos indígenas in Spanish) comprise a large number of distinct ethnic groups who inhabited the country's present territory prior to its discovery by Europeans around 1500.

1 Origins
2 Indigenist Political Organization
3 Territories
4 Major ethnic groups
- 4.1 Highland peoples
- 4.2 Lowland peoples
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Origins

The two main linguistic groups that dominated the territory now known as Colombia during the pre-Colombian period were the Carib and the Chibcha. They possessed different organizational structures and distinct languages and cultures. In upper Magdalene region, from 5th to 8th century, many tumuli with sculptures were raised in San Agustin.The region now occupied by the city of Bogotá was inhabited by the Muisca. The Muisca based their social organization on trade. They exchanged salt, emeralds, beans, maize and other crops with other Chibchan tribes such as the Chitareros, Guanes and Laches.

[edit] Indigenist Political Organization

Individual indigenous groups have a variety of governance structures. A number of indigenous groups are represented through the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC - Organización Nacional Indígena de Colombia).

[edit] Territories

Indigenous peoples hold title to substantial portions of Colombia, primarily in the form of reserves (Spanish: resguardos). The Indigenous Affairs division of the Ministry of Interior has 567 reserves on record, covering approximately 365,004 km² which are home to 800.271 persons in 67.503 families[1].