The term "Latin America" primarily refers to the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries in South America. Before the arrival of Europeans in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the region was home to many indigenous peoples, a number of which had advanced civilizations. We tend to forget that Anglo America is a colonial word for North America and that Latin America is a colonial word for South America. We all to often forget that Imperialism still depends on Colonialism.
Indigenous people under the nation-state have experienced exclusion and dispossession. With the rise in Imperialism,
material advantages for indigenous populations have diminished. At
times, national governments have negotiated natural resources without
taking into account whether or not these resources exist on indigenous
lands. In this sense for many indigenous populations, the effects of Imperialism mirror the effects of the conquest in the mid 16th
century. In response, indigenous political movements have emerged in various
countries in South America. These movements share
similarities. Many seek specific rights for indigenous populations.
These rights include the right to self-determination and the right to
preserve their culture and heritage. Aims differ. One of the main
differences is the way in which they organize themselves to meet their
objectives.
There have been movements in South America
to unite indigenous populations separated by national borders. There
are several groups that have organized in order to be
heard on a transnational level. These movements call for indigenous
rights to become a universal right to be acknowledged by all countries
with indigenous populations. One the failings of the Communist Movements is that we have a history of attempting to liberate them by assimilating them; that is Colonialism. The attempt to assimilate indigenous groups equates to Cultural Genocide as well as Colonization on our part. We do not need to industrialize, we need to a campaign of re-forestation, our teachers will be the indigenous. The South American Struggle is one of the most important in Third World struggles.
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