Indigenous peoples around the world continue to face overwhelming marginalisation, discrimination and exclusion. Rooted in colonialism and patriarchy, these profound disparities are sustained by a deeply held resistance to recognising and respecting the rights, dignity, and freedoms of indigenous peoples. Throughout modern history, indigenous peoples have been robbed of their lands and territories, of their political and economic autonomy, and even of their own children. Their cultures and languages have been denigrated and extinguished.

– United Nations Secretary General António Guterres

Oftentimes the discussion surrounding indigenous peoples is muted or, worst, not spoken about in the Caribbean. This silence around indigenous people is unacceptable. The lack of a comprehensive plan to make history education compulsory in our schools is to a great extent responsible for this erosion of our history.

Most of the indigenous peoples of the Caribbean were exterminated by the arrival of the Europeans in the 15th century. The Tainos, as we now know, came to Jamaica travelling from the South American mainland somewhere between 700-1000 AD. The Tainos differed from the original Arawak peoples of the mainland, having developed a distinct Taino language and culture. Some scholars estimate the Taíno population may have reached more than three million on Hispaniola alone as the 15th century drew to a close, with smaller settlements elsewhere in the Caribbean in the pre-Columbian period.

Near extinction and assimilation

While the Tainos left no written records we know something of their lifestyle, culture, and world view from remains unearthed by archaeologists and markings, tools, and other implements, but also from the reports of Columbus himself and from the diaries of the first clerics and other pioneers who came to settle on the island during the first decades of Spanish occupation.

The Taíno towns described by Spanish chroniclers were densely settled, well organised, and widely dispersed. Robert M Poole of the Smithsonian Magazine states that Christopher Columbus established the first American colony at La Isabela on the north coast of Hispaniola in 1494. He added that after a brief period of coexistence, relations between the newcomers and natives deteriorated. Spaniards removed men from villages to work in gold mines and colonial plantations. This kept the Taíno from planting the crops that had fed them for centuries. They began to starve; many thousands died from smallpox, measles and other European diseases for which they had no immunity; some committed suicide to avoid subjugation; hundreds fell in fighting with the Spaniards, while untold numbers fled to remote regions beyond colonial control.

Over time some Taíno women married conquistadors, combining the genes of the New World and Old World to create a new mestizo population, which took on Creole characteristics with the arrival of African slaves in the 16th century. By 1514, an official survey showed that 40 per cent of Spanish men had taken Indian wives; inevitably Taíno as a living language died.

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples

The United Nations has sought to highlight the importance of indigenous peoples and their contributions by declaring The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples which is commemorated on August 9.

According to the United Nations, there are over 476 million indigenous peoples living in 90 countries across the world, accounting for 6.2 per cent of the global population. Indigenous peoples are the holders of a vast diversity of unique cultures, traditions, languages, and knowledge systems. They have a special relationship with their lands and hold diverse concepts of development based on their own world views and priorities.

Although numerous indigenous peoples worldwide are self-governing and some have been successful in establishing autonomy in varying forms, many indigenous peoples still come under the ultimate authority of central governments who exercise control over their lands, territories, and resources. Despite that reality, indigenous peoples have demonstrated extraordinary examples of good governance, ranging from the Haudenosaunee to the existing Sámi parliaments in Finland, Sweden, and Norway.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has exposed and exacerbated many existing inequalities, disproportionately affecting populations all over the world that were already suffering from poverty, illness, discrimination, institutional instability, or financial insecurity. It can be argued that the inequalities brought on by the pandemic have added to the existing discrimination indigenous peoples experience. In many of our societies, the social contract, at the very least, needs some revision. The 2021 theme for the celebration of indigenous peoples is ‘Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract’.

What is a social contract?

A social contract is an unwritten agreement that societies make to cooperate for social and economic benefits. In many countries where indigenous peoples were driven from their lands, their cultures and languages were denigrated and their people marginalised from political and economic activities. They were never included in the social contract to begin with. The social contract was made among the dominant populations. Over recent years and decades, various societies have sought to address this through apologies, truth and reconciliation efforts, legislative reforms, as well as constitutional reforms.

The United Nations adds that despite the existence of international instruments to respond to these inequalities, not all are embarked on the collective journey to ensure that no one is left behind, including indigenous peoples. Therefore, the building and redesigning of a new social contract as an expression of cooperation for social interest and common good for humanity and nature is needed. The new social contract must be based on genuine participation and partnership that fosters equal opportunities and respects the rights, dignity, and freedoms of all. Indigenous peoples’ right to participate in decision-making is a key component in achieving reconciliation between indigenous peoples and States.

Inequalities in the indigenous populations

The United Nations declared that more than 86 per cent of indigenous peoples globally work in the informal economy, in contrast to 66 per cent for their non-indigenous counterparts. Additionally, indigenous peoples are nearly three times as likely to be living in extreme poverty, in contrast to their non-indigenous counterparts. Globally, 47 per cent of all indigenous peoples in employment have no education, in contrast to 17 per cent of their non-indigenous counterparts. This gap is even wider for women.

As we celebrate International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, let us be mindful that the stories of the indigenous peoples must be told. Oftentimes indigenous peoples are forgotten and their culture is ridiculed. Too often indigenous peoples are absent from the seat of power where decisions are taken, which has a negative impact on their culture. The culture of the indigenous people should be viewed as an asset and wherever it is possible governments should make the effort to protect this distinct way of life which adds to our cultural diversity.

Unfortunately, the Taino culture has disappeared in many islands of the Caribbean. It is noteworthy that a few pockets of Taíno culture remain in eastern Cuba.

In Jamaica we should lobby the Government to restore the Arawak Museum in Spanish Town, as well as make a concerted effort to protect and or restore our cultural sites. We all have a role to play in ensuring that the rights of the indigenous peoples are protected.

In the words of Tashka Yawanawa, chief of the Yawanawa: “We are tired of anthropologists, environmentalists, church-related organisations, and other specialists speaking for us and using us for their self-interest. Please respect our self-determination to make our own decisions.”

Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. Send comments to waykam@yahoo.com