Native American Nations and Indigenous Peoples in South America

The descendants of the pre-Colombian native peoples live in Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, northwestern Argentina, and Chile, all along the top portion of the continent of South America.

The native South Americans are located all along the continent from Panama to Tierra del Fuego. An estimated 30 million people were living there when the Europeans arrived. The nations of the Mochica, Chimu, and Nazca in Peru, the Chibcha and Aymara of the Andes Mountains, and the Araucanos and Mapuche of the country of Chile wer original pre-Columbian peoples with complex societies. All of them were surpassed by the Inca civilization, however.

Quecha is the language that was spoken by the Inca and is used the most widely of any native language in South America today. It is as popular as Spanish and Portuguese. Most of the native peoples on the continent live in small groups, similar to the independent bands or communities of Native Americans and First Nations peoples living together in North America. This fracturing of larger groups is a result of the advent of the European on both continents, driving back the indigenous peoples that were not equipped to deal with them and killing them off with foreign diseases inadvertently, or even purposefully at times. In North America, the explorers wanted the land and its resources, while in South America, the Europeans wanted particularly gold and the fountain of youth.

Native South Americans remain largely isolated or work as low wage laborers. A few groups related to the Arawaks and Caribs live in Venezuela, the Guianas, and Northern Brazil.

The Guaran' in Brazil are very few, but their language is well spoken in Paraguay. Guaran' is even the official national language of Paraguay.

Other indigenous peoples include the J'varo in the country of Ecuador and the Yanomami in Brazil and Venezuela. The Colorado people live in Western Ecuador and the Puelches and Tehuelches are very few. A tiny number of Fuegians, \near Tierra del Fuego, hunt and fish for their living.

Native South American Groups in VENEZUELA include 28 different tribes.

• Amerindians of Venezuela
• Comunidad Indígena de Wayuu
• Fundación Jayuir
• Orinoco

ECUADOR

• Achuar
• Afroecuatoriano
• A'I
• Awa-Kwaiker
• Chachi
• Cayambe
• Cotopaxi
• Chimborazo
• Cañar
• Epera
• Huaorani
• Otavalo
• Salasaca
• Saraguro
• Sionas and Secoyas
• Quichuas
• Shuar
• Tsáchila
• Zápara

COLOMBIA

• Arhuaco
• Awa
• Bari
• Catio
• Garifuna
• Kogi
• Kuna
• Mestizos - Indian and white
• Nasa
• Nukak
• Paez
• Ticuna
• U'wa
• Wiwa
• Yucuna
• Zambos - Indian and black
• and several others

Caribe Languages of Kalihna, Carib, Cariña, Kalinya, and Galibi are used in four countries: Venezuela, Suriname, Guyana, and French Guiana among the bands of native South Americans found in these countries.

GUYANA

• Amerindian Peoples Association
• Amerindians of Guyana Caribbean Amerindian Centrelink
• Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology

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SURINAME & FRENCH GUIANA

• Amerindians of Suriname
• Amerindians of French Guiana