Race and Ethinicity
Ecuador is an immensely diverse nation not just ecologically, but culturally and ethnically. The most recent Ecuadorian census reports that 71.9% of the population of Ecuador is ethnically mestizo, or European and indigenous. While mestizo populations make up the ethnic majority in Ecuador, a large portion of the nation's peoples is made up of indigenous, Afro-Ecuadorian, Montubio, and white citizens. The exact of the proportion of citizens belonging to each of these minorities is contested, especially because the line between an "indigenous" and "mestizo" person is often subjective and dependant on citizens' identity politics and self-identification. It estimated that around 6.8% of the nations' population is indigenous, although the Confederation of the Indigenous Nations of Ecuador (CONAIE) has contested that indigenous peoples make up between 25 and 30 percent of the national population (Minority Rights Group 2014). Moreover, within the label of "indigenous" in Ecuador an estimated fourteen different tribes exist, each with distinctive cultures and several different languages. While Spanish is the most commonly spoken language among Ecuadorians, there are ten different indigenous languages which are also spoken within the nation, the most common of which are Kichwa and Shuar. Poverty and income/education inequality still disproportionately affect indigenous, mixed race, and rural populations in Ecuador. Creating balanced opportunity and political representation for all of the ethnic/cultural groups present within the nation has been one of the longest standing issues in Ecuador, especially given the country's colonial history, and continues to be one of the most pressing dialogues occurring within the nation.
Prior to Inca invasion in the early 16th century and Spanish colonization in the late 16th century, Ecuador was populated by a diverse array of indigenous tribes which were highly distinctive based on their geographical location. Inca entrance into Ecuador occurred primarily in the Northern Highlands of the country and resulted in intermixing of indigenous Ecuadorians and people of Incan descent. The Inca were relatively unsuccessful at entering the southern rainforested regions of Ecuador, although later during Spanish colonization many northern indigenous peoples migrated to these areas. The Spanish created a deeply racially stratified social system which essentially enslaved indigenous persons to labor on their former land which had been reclaimed as Spanish hacienda land.
While the role of indigenous persons was clearly defined under Spanish rule, the stratification of black Ecuadorians was not so clearly defined. Many enslaved Africans were brought to labor on plantations and used for yeoman skills during Spanish rulership. Yet, at the same time free and affluent black communities also existed within Ecuador. The most salient example of this was the community of Esmeraldas which was formed by blacks from a shipwrecked slave ship which crashed in the region (Whitten).
Ecuador existed under Spanish rule until 1822, but indigenous citizens remained the property of hacienda owners until the 1960's. Author Albert Franklin describes the nation as, "the threshold between the feudal world and the modern world" in the 20th century. A collapse of the Ecuadorian economy in 1960's and the ensuing crumbling of the hacienda system marked the beginning of the country's push towards equality and representation for indigenous peoples. Between 1960and 1993 the number of indigenous representatives in the Ecuadorian government doubled (Jameson).
Another economic collapse in the nation in the 1990's resulted in another major shift in indigenous rights. During this decade indigenous Ecuadorians began to push for an alternative to capitalism. There was a call for a "plurinational state" which incorporated consultatory indigenous representative governments into the traditional democratic government of the nation (Jameson). Indigenous representative organizations such as CONAIE were formed and began to demand reforms such as agrarian reform. The ancient Andean cosmovision of Sumak Kawsay was transformed to become a political vision which was used to, "reconfigure the use and accessibility of resources" (Zimmer). In 2003, an indigenous political party called Pachakutik was formed and which has become one of the major political parties of the nation (Jameson). This time period was also revolutionary for other minority communities in Ecuador. Black citizens began to protest against widespread cultural racism and in 1995 Monica Chala became the first black Miss Ecuador, although some criticized the lack of black politics in her public platform (Muteba).
These gains were major changes for these communities but minority groups continue to be more disadvantaged than white and mestizo communities in the nation. The pursuit of respect of indigenous rights and Sumak Kawasay by the government and large businesses continue to be a major issue in Ecuador. Racism towards Afro-Ecuadorians is prevalent and many feel that indigenous consultatory governments are given little legislative sway (Pena).
Works Cited
Prior to Inca invasion in the early 16th century and Spanish colonization in the late 16th century, Ecuador was populated by a diverse array of indigenous tribes which were highly distinctive based on their geographical location. Inca entrance into Ecuador occurred primarily in the Northern Highlands of the country and resulted in intermixing of indigenous Ecuadorians and people of Incan descent. The Inca were relatively unsuccessful at entering the southern rainforested regions of Ecuador, although later during Spanish colonization many northern indigenous peoples migrated to these areas. The Spanish created a deeply racially stratified social system which essentially enslaved indigenous persons to labor on their former land which had been reclaimed as Spanish hacienda land.
While the role of indigenous persons was clearly defined under Spanish rule, the stratification of black Ecuadorians was not so clearly defined. Many enslaved Africans were brought to labor on plantations and used for yeoman skills during Spanish rulership. Yet, at the same time free and affluent black communities also existed within Ecuador. The most salient example of this was the community of Esmeraldas which was formed by blacks from a shipwrecked slave ship which crashed in the region (Whitten).
Ecuador existed under Spanish rule until 1822, but indigenous citizens remained the property of hacienda owners until the 1960's. Author Albert Franklin describes the nation as, "the threshold between the feudal world and the modern world" in the 20th century. A collapse of the Ecuadorian economy in 1960's and the ensuing crumbling of the hacienda system marked the beginning of the country's push towards equality and representation for indigenous peoples. Between 1960and 1993 the number of indigenous representatives in the Ecuadorian government doubled (Jameson).
Another economic collapse in the nation in the 1990's resulted in another major shift in indigenous rights. During this decade indigenous Ecuadorians began to push for an alternative to capitalism. There was a call for a "plurinational state" which incorporated consultatory indigenous representative governments into the traditional democratic government of the nation (Jameson). Indigenous representative organizations such as CONAIE were formed and began to demand reforms such as agrarian reform. The ancient Andean cosmovision of Sumak Kawsay was transformed to become a political vision which was used to, "reconfigure the use and accessibility of resources" (Zimmer). In 2003, an indigenous political party called Pachakutik was formed and which has become one of the major political parties of the nation (Jameson). This time period was also revolutionary for other minority communities in Ecuador. Black citizens began to protest against widespread cultural racism and in 1995 Monica Chala became the first black Miss Ecuador, although some criticized the lack of black politics in her public platform (Muteba).
These gains were major changes for these communities but minority groups continue to be more disadvantaged than white and mestizo communities in the nation. The pursuit of respect of indigenous rights and Sumak Kawasay by the government and large businesses continue to be a major issue in Ecuador. Racism towards Afro-Ecuadorians is prevalent and many feel that indigenous consultatory governments are given little legislative sway (Pena).
Works Cited
·
Franklin,
Albert B. “Portrait of a People” in The
Ecuador Reader. 159-162.
·
Zimmerer,
Karl. 2012. “The Indigenous Andean Concept of Kawsay, the Politics of Knowledge
and Development, and the Borderlands of Environmental Sustainability in Latin
America”. Proceedings of the Modern
Language Association of America 127(3): 600-606.
·
Jameson,
Kenneth P. “The Indigenous Movement in Ecuador: The Struggle for a
Plurinational State”. Latin American
Perspectives 176(38-1): 63-73.
·
Whitten,
Norman E., Jr. 2008 “Emerald Freedom: ‘With Pride in the Face of the Sun’” in The Ecuador Reader. 302-320.
·
Rahier,
Jean Muteba. 2008. “National Identity and the First Black Miss Ecuador
(1990-1995)” in The Ecuador Reader.
341-349.
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