There are 36 recognized peoples in Bolivia. With the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples and a new Constitution, Bolivia took the name of plurinational state.
There are 36 recognized peoples in Bolivia. With the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples and a new Constitution, Bolivia adopted the status of a plurinational state. However, the country's Indigenous Peoples still face challenges, especially in terms of seismic work in search of new oil and gas reserves and hydroelectric projects.
The UN Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous Peoples was approved by Law in November 2007. Since 1991, Bolivia is a signatory of ILO Convention 169, an international legal instrument dealing specifically with the rights of indigenous and tribal peoples.
The Quechua, Aymara and other Indigenous groups
According to the 2012 National Census, 41% of the Bolivian population over the age of 15 are of Indigenous origin, although the National Institute of Statistics’ (INE) 2017 projections indicate that this percentage is likely to have increased to 48%.
There are 38 recognised peoples in Bolivia, the majority in the Andes are Quechua-speaking peoples (49.5%) and Aymara (40.6%), who self-identify as 16 nations. In the lowlands, the Chiquitano (3.6%), Guaraní (2.5%) and Moxeño (1.4%) peoples are in the majority and, together with the remaining 2.4%, make up 20 recognised Indigenous Peoples.
Main challenges for Bolivia’s Indigenous Peoples
A major challenge for the Indigenous Peoples of Bolivia relates to the seismic work in search of new oil and gas reserves, as well as hydroelectric projects. They directly impact the people inhabiting the territory of the projects, often Indigenous Peoples and peasants.
Progress for Bolivia's Indigenous Peoples
To date, the Indigenous Peoples have consolidated 23 million ha. of collective property under the status of Community Lands of Origin (TCOs), representing 21% of the country’s total land mass.
Thanks to the Framework Law on Autonomies 031/10 of 22 July 2010, a number of Indigenous Peoples are now forming their own self-governments. Thirty-six Indigenous autonomies have commenced the process for accessing self-government, 21 by means of municipal conversion and 15 by territorial means or TIOC. Three of them have already established their self-government, and another five have achieved their autonomous status through a declaration of constitutionality.
In 2017, the government of Bolivia decided to revive the conflict over the building of the Villa Tunari-San Ignacio de Moxos highway through the Isiboro Sucre National Park and Indigenous Territory (TIPNIS) by approving Law No. 969/17 on 13 August. However, the VIII Indigenous March, supported by all of the country’s Indigenous organisations, stopped this construction of the highway.
BY EFRAÍN JARAMILLO AND COLECTIVO DE TRABAJO JENZERÁ FOR INDIGENOUS DEBATES
Indigenous Peoples of the Bolivian lowlands and ethnic peoples of the Colombian Pacific share the trauma of evangelization, the rubber industry, and the expansion of logging, cattle ranching and coca cultivation. Understood as individual suffering of anguish and hopelessness in the context of a collective disorder, the trauma of Indigenous and Afro-descendant peoples leads to the devaluation and assimilation of other identities, including those of their aggressors. Faced with the feeling of inferiority, ethnic peoples have the opportunity to recreate their identities within their ancestral territories.
One of Bolivia's main social and historical debts relates to the impact of traditional mining on women's health. Feminicides, physical and psychological violence, and mercury contamination are the most common of its consequences. In turn, the domination of men in communities in new mining regions, due to the migration of male workers, has led to the growth of human trafficking, prostitution, and alcoholism. As the problem deepens, there are no systematic studies on the health effects of heavy metal accumulation in the body.
Despite the achievements of the Plurinational State, racism and racial disparities persist in Bolivia. In this regard, the absence of accurate statistical data on self-identification hinders the development of policies that promote equality. Afro-Bolivian women, in particular, experience intersectional discrimination wherever racism and sexism converge, worsening the conditions in which they live. Although the political constitution of the state institutionally recognizes their presence in the national political space, no significant progress been yet made in the participation of Afro-Bolivians in decision-making.
Gold mining is booming on the banks of the rivers that cross Indigenous territories and national parks in the Bolivian Amazon. Faced with mercury contamination, the Indigenous Peoples of northern La Paz won a constitutional court action that puts a stop to illegal mining activities. The ruling allows a discussion of the way in which free, prior and informed consultation and consent are being applied, and reflection on the collective use of the commons. Looking to the future, this historic resolution strengthens the development of autonomous protocols and the position of the territories that have decided to declare themselves free of mining.
According to the 2012 National Census, 41% of the Bolivian population over the age of 15 is of Indigenous origin, although 2017 projections from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) indicate that this percentage is likely to have now increased to 48%. Of the 36 recognized peoples in the country, the majority live in the Andes and are Quechua- or Aymara-speaking (49.5% and 40.6% respectively) and they self-identify as one of 16 nationalities.
BY LILIAN PAINTER, ZULEMA LEHM, OSCAR LOAYZA AND ROBERT WALLACE FOR DEBATES INDÍGENAS
The experience of the Wildlife Conservation Society in Bolivia, biodiversity conservation has evolved from a focus on wildlife protection to collaborative alliances with Indigenous communities. What at the beginning was an isolated conservation effort, has been transformed into an essential cooperation, where conservation and Indigenous Territorial Management converge in the Madidi Landscape.
IWGIA - International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs - is a global human rights organisation dedicated to promoting and defending Indigenous Peoples’ rights. Read more.
