Mayan And Brazilian Indians

4 Pages 1091 Words

After viewing Victor Montejo’s presentation on the formation of Maya ethnicity and the creation of Maya identity in Guatemala it has become apparently clear that not only do the Brazilian Indians have hardship, but indigenous people from other locations as well. His people, the Mayans, have gone through and will continue to face many similar problems that the indigenous groups of Brazil have faced.
One of the major reasons that all of these different indigenous groups have such a hard time prospering is a lack of unity, not too mention a number of other things. In Guatemala, the Mayans make up sixty-five percent of the population, which is a very significant amount. They have strength in numbers, but where they fall short is lacking Mayan unity. According to Montejo, there are some 21 different linguistic groups among the Mayans. The numerous amounts of languages disturb the “togetherness” of all of the Mayan population. If the Mayan people had less of a hard time coming together, they would have a much easier time standing as one.
Just as the Mayans have many different languages and groups, all of the indigenous peoples of Brazil are vastly different. The Nambiquara, Kayopo and Yanomoami are just three of many different tribes among the Brazilian Indians. They are not only different tribes, but they are totally different from one another in their cultures too. Each one of the different tribes in Brazil is like a small country in itself. They have their own separate language and culture that is commonly vastly different from the other indigenous tribes around. The indigenous peoples of these tribes are at an even greater disadvantage than the Mayans of Guatemala in this respect, plus in Brazil, the indigenous peoples only make up a small percentage of the total population which hurts them tremendously. At least for the Mayans sake they have a majority of the population, but the Indians in Brazil only make up a smal...