The Indigenous literature of Colombia Is an artistic expression in which are collected the impressions, customs, expressions commonly used by its authors and the description of the nature where the native communities are settled.
Literature is an art that allows the expression of contents related to the culture of a specific region and times, in a written way, through the use of expressive resources such as metaphor , Hyperbole, personification, onomatopoeia, among others.
It can be found in several departments such as Amazonas, La Guajira, Cesar, Chocó, Guaviare and is written in their respective languages (Quechuas, Camentsá, Wayuu) and in Spanish.
Its theme is based on narrating the customs of the past and present, their dances and oral traditions. The poems arise from the result of listening to older people of different ethnicities.
Themes and characteristics of Colombian indigenous literature
There is a false conception that indigenous literature is of the lowest category, when in fact it is a type of mass not written, which expresses the most nourished of the diversity between the original peoples and those who have arrived from the time of the colony to Present to Colombia.
The myths that arose in indigenous cultures speak of the beginning of the world by supreme beings, who created the day, night, water, mud, animal species and in the end, man is created.
It has similarities with the book of Genesis of the Bible, where the World was created in a gradual way, with creatures (fauna and flora) ending with the man. Also the stages of creation are similar to those of the Popol Vuh .
Nature is the main theme for which Colombian natives show admiration and respect.
The oral tradition is being documented with the purpose of keeping in force the customs that are threatened by the technological advances and the economic exploitation without control.
The leading writers of indigenous literature want to show how their ancestors lived in the colonial stages and the beginnings of the Republic.
They require the support of the State in order to be able to disseminate this literature not only in the university academy but also in the education programs at the primary and secondary levels. Among the most recognized authors are Hugo Jamioy, Wiñay Mallki, Fredy Chikangana.
Documenting the orality of traditions is a very sacrificial activity for writers, who seek to leave material that reflects the diverse Indian art, through transcription, poetry and explanation of cave paintings.
In this way, it is sought to provide material in which the roots of Colombia and its interaction with the non-indigenous population are revealed.
The research carried out by the Academy puts into context what have been the difficulties that have happened and the contributions provided by the indigenous populations within the History of Colombia.
The Yukpa has sought to maintain its customs and nature care for walkers who pass through the Sierra de Perija on both sides of the Colombian - Venezuelan border. The Wayuu people live in unfavorable conditions, such as high temperatures and arid zones at the border.
It has been written about how some indigenous peoples see images in the firmament and on earth attributed to magical powers, but in reality it is the consumption of plants, prepared in potions, which function as hallucinogens, such as coca and others.
These potions generated distortions of reality. Through metaphors this characteristic is evident
Examples
The eighty-four native peoples in Neogranadino soil have organized themselves to be recognized as citizens with rights, since in the past they were marginalized from public policies, lacking the inclusion of indigenous people in the education system.
In 1991, the Constituent Assembly gathered the approaches of the Wayuu and other native peoples. Here are some examples:
- Of the Ethnicity Uitoto , The grandparents are the ones who pass on the stories to the little ones about the origin of the World from their own vision, of heroic characters who give solutions, rituals. All these aspects have more details added with the passage from one generation to another.
- Of the Wayuu Ethnicity Explains how the origin of the World was made, through the elements air, earth and water, heat and cold, light and darkness. Metaphors help explain how the real becomes an evoked action or image. In her dances the woman takes a predominant role on the man.
- Of the Ethnicity Catmensá Is passed by oral tradition on how to make medicines, cooking, rituals, human feelings and the importance of nature is documented through the poems, in their language and in Spanish. This gives non-indigenous readers the opportunity to learn about this ethnic culture.
Diffusion
The content of indigenous literature does not seek to change the world, but to present the ways in which each ethnicity has seen its day to day, generation after generation.
The authors agree that the actions must be conscious and these make possible the necessary changes within the respective realities of the communities, are separated or close to the cities of decision influence.
At the editorial level, there are interesting opportunities to attract qualified talent for the elaboration of texts, in Spanish and the different languages, that can be distributed in all departments of the Republic of Colombia.
With the support of indigenous communities, it would be projected not only to them but to the areas where they live.
Colombian public institutions are interested in disseminating everything related to the work of indigenous writers: their lives, the way they live today, taking into account that Colombia is a diverse country, different cultures and creeds that enrich history .
The Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of the Interior, the Mayor's Office of Bogota and the universities are committed to this important goal of generating information about the indigenous peoples.
References
- Browning, P. (2014). The Problem of Defining 'Indigenous Literacy:' Lessons from the Andes. Medellín, Íkala Journal of Language and Culture.
- Castro, O. (1982). Colombian literature seen by Colombian writers. Medellín, UNAL.
- Myths of Origin of Indigenous Peoples of Colombia. Retrieved from: portalinfantil.mininterior.gov.co.
- Annual Report on Colombia. Retrieved from: unicef.org.
- [Links] Book to the wind. Bogotá, Mayor's Office of Bogotá.
- Sánchez, E., et al (2010). Introductory Manual and Animation Guide to Reading. Bogotá, Ministry of Culture.