Аборигены Колумбии и государство

Об авторе Александренков Эдуард Григорьевич – доктор исторических наук, ведущий научный сотрудник Института этнологии и антропологии Область научных интересов – этническая история Латинской Америки; проблемы, источники и методы этнографического изучения Латинской Америки; история этнографии. Автор множества научных трудов, в то числе монографий: «Индейцы Антильских островов до европейского завоевания». М., 1976 и «Стать кубинцем: проблемы формирования этнического самосознания (XVI–XIX вв.)». М., 1998. Summary ALEXANDRENKOV, E.G. ABORIGINES OF COLOMBIA AND THE STATE Colombian population in 2004 was 42 to 44 millions of habitants, including 450.000 to 500.000 aborigines, pertaining to 81 ethnoses. Indigenes of Colombia are not unified in language, economic activities or the intensity of relations with their neighbors. Colombia is divided by sharp social contradictions, emerged in the XIX century still. The most important one is between those who, by different causes, intent to “develop” the nation, and those, who are damaged by this “development”. The essence of this contradiction is an economic one, but it takes the social, cultural and finally ethnic forms. Aborigines are the most suffered part in this situation. They were “civilized” forcibly during the colonial period, when converted to Christianity. Then they were attached to the capitalist mode of production by splitting up their collective land possessions or by expropriating it simply. In spite of assimilation politics realized by the State, aborigines have not disappeared and what is more from 1960-s begun to gain the political importance that has been expressed in the formation of their ethnic and regional organizations. These efforts caused the appearance in 1991 of the new Constitution, which has recognized the multiethnicity of Colombia and declared the aborigines’ rights in areas of culture, landtenure and self-government. Regulations of Constitution and subsequent legislative acts have not turned sufficient for full realization of declared rights. The principle obstacles, as before, are the economic interests of dominant classes, related with international corporations, and the inertia power of the considerable part of society, that is not apt to admit the equality of the “Indian”. Nevertheless, the Colombian Constitution of 1991 is an important event in the life of aborigines of entire Latin America, where the essence of indigenous politics were, until recently, intentions to assimilate the Natives in so called national societies.