Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Indigenous Peoples
Harry Anthony Patrinos
April 2009
Motivation
• Recent research for Latin America finds:– 28 million indigenous peoples– higher poverty rates among indigenous– little to no improvement in poverty rates over
time despite national gains– improvements in health and education
• gap remains, though in some cases narrowing
(Hall & Patrinos 2006)
• No comparative work across other regions, though some data exist
Who are Indigenous Peoples?
World Bank (OP 4.10): “Because of the varied and changing contexts in which Indigenous Peoples live and because there is no universally accepted definition of “Indigenous Peoples,” this policy does not define the term. Indigenous Peoples may be referred to in different countries by such terms as "indigenous ethnic minorities," "aboriginals," "hill tribes," "minority nationalities," "scheduled tribes," or "tribal groups”.
“…the term “Indigenous Peoples” is used in a generic sense to refer to a distinct, vulnerable, social and cultural group possessing the following characteristics in varying degrees:
• (a) self-identification…• (b) collective attachment to geographically distinct habitats…• (c) customary cultural, economic, social, or political institutions
…• (d) an indigenous language,…
Who are Indigenous Peoples?
• UN Permanent Forum: self-identification
• National governments: debate often over who is & is not ‘indigenous’
• Indigenous peoples: some feel strong identity as belonging to individual group (e.g. Quechua, Navaho, Adivasi); some disavow it as a means to pass into larger society, or as a means of survival (Maya in Guatemala)
“Becoming Indigenous”
• Joining together under a common identity as indigenous peoples is relatively new phenomena
• Born of common differences, with tremendous variety in individual & group characteristics
• Best seen as political identity & social movement
• Four R’s of the indigenous movement: demands for representation, recognition, resources, rights.
(Levi & Maybury-Lewis 2009)
How Many Indigenous Globally?
Some Rough Estimates:
• More than 5,000 different groups living in more than 70 countries (IFAD)
• Approximately 250-350 million worldwide, 5% of world’s population (IWGIA)
How Many Indigenous?
• Identity
• Right to self-identify
• Measurement issue
• Common measures include:
– Language (native tongue, ability to speak)
– Self-identification
– Geographic concentration (location, perception)
• Data availability
INDIGENOUS POPULATION ESTIMATES
Indigenous Population (millions)China 91.0South Asia 60.0Former Soviet Union 28.0Southeast Asia 26.5South America 16.0Africa 14.2Central America/Mexico 12.7Arabia 5.0USA/Canada 2.7Japan/Pacific Islands 0.8Australia/New Zealand 0.6Greenland/Scandinavia 0.1
257.6Source: Stephens et al. 2005 in the Lancet, based on David Maybury-Lewis, Indigenous peoples, ethnic groups and the state, 2002
Indigenous Population (millions)China 105.2South Asia 94.9Former Soviet Union 0.4Southeast Asia 29.8South America 19.5Africa 22.0Central America/Mexico 19.1Arabia 15.4USA/Canada 3.3Japan/Pacific Islands 0.0Australia/New Zealand 0.5Greenland/Scandinavia 0.1
310.2Source: Compiled from IWGIA (2008)—International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs, The Indigenous World 2008
Indigenous Population (millions)China 106.4South Asia 94.9Former Soviet Union 0.4Southeast Asia 29.8South America 10.9Africa 22.0Central America/Mexico 11.8Arabia 15.4USA/Canada 3.3Japan/Pacific Islands 0.8Australia/New Zealand 0.6Greenland/Scandinavia 0.1Total 296.4Sources: Our estimates (China, India, Latin America) supplemented by Stephens & IWGIA
USA/Canada
South America
Mexico/Central America
Arabia
Africa
Southeast Asia
South Asia
China
1
4
4
5
7
10
32
36
Percent Indigenous by Country/Region
Indigenous Peoples of Latin America, circa 1491
• Estimates of population vary from low of 8 million to high of 113 million
• 1976 (geographer William Denevan) "consensus count" of 54 million
• Death toll of 80% at end of 16th century (recovered only in 19th century)
• Maya population estimated at 6 million, which is same as at end of 15th century
• Indigenous far more widespread than previously believed, much more advanced
Indigenous population of Latin America (%
indigenous)
0.0
0.4
0.9
1.1
1.5
1.6
1.7
1.7
1.8
2.0
4.6
6.1
6.4
7.5
8.0
8.3
17.0
41.7
62.0
Uruguay
Brazil
Argentina
Honduras
Venezuela
Colombia
Costa Rica
Paraguay
Nicaragua
Belize
Chile
Ecuador
Guyana
Mexico
El Salvador
Panama
Peru
Guatemala
Bolivia
Indigenous population of Latin America (millions)
0.00
0.00
0.04
0.05
0.06
0.07
0.09
0.19
0.35
0.35
0.50
0.54
0.69
0.73
0.74
3.14
3.48
3.75
7.28
Uruguay
Belize
Guyana
Honduras
Costa Rica
Nicaragua
Paraguay
Panama
Venezuela
Argentina
El Salvador
Colombia
Chile
Brazil
Ecuador
Bolivia
Guatemala
Peru
Mexico
Indigenous Poverty as Proportion of Total
Income Poverty ResultsLatin America
Income Poverty Trends, Latin America
Income Poverty Trends, Latin America
Improve Data Collection Efforts
• Include identification questions for cultural diversity– But more than a single question
• Standardize questions
• Add special survey modules
• Also do separate surveys– And supplements to national census
• Regular identification questions in household & labor force surveys
