Indigenous peoples in Paraguay, or Native Paraguayans, include 17 ethnic groups belonging to five language families."Paraguay."
''Pan-American Health Organization.'' (retrieved 12 July 2011)
''Countries and Their Cultures.'' (retrieved 12 July 2011) While only a 1.7% of

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

's population is fully indigenous, 75% of the population identifies as being partially of indigenous descent;"Paraguay: Ethnic Groups."
''CIA: The World Factbook.'' (retrieved 12 July 2011) however, the majority do not identify as being indigenous but as Mestizos. Most of the native population lives in the northwestern part of the country, the

Gran Chaco The Gran Chaco or Dry Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semiarid lowland natural region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, western Paraguay, northern Argentina, and a portion of the Brazilian states of Mato Gro ...

History

The indigenous peoples of Paraguay have lived a rural semi-nomadic lifestyle for thousands of years. In the beginning of the 1990s, philosopher and curator

Ticio Escobar Ticio Escobar (born February 9, 1947) is a Paraguayan lawyer, academic, author, museum director, and former Minister of Culture of Paraguay. He has championed the rights of Indigenous peoples of Paraguay, writing about and curating shows on the t ...

joined two human rights movements of the indigenous peoples for the conservation of tribal art.

Population

The Second National Indigenous Census, conducted in 2002, recording approximately 87,099 people, or 1.7% of the country's population, as being indigenous; however, as many as 75% of the

an population is

mestizo (; ; fem. ) is a term used for racial classification to refer to a person of mixed Ethnic groups in Europe, European and Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous American ancestry. In certain regions such as Latin America, it may also r ...

, that is of partial Indian descent. Since the late 20th century, the indigenous population is growing faster than the rest of the population. As of 2002, 47.1% of the native population was 14 years old or younger.

Settlement

An increasing percentage of the registered indigenous population lives in the northwestern region of Paraguay. The 1981 census reported 32.8% of the indigenous peoples living there, while 44.2% lived there in 1992, and 50.7% in 2002. The majority of indigenous peoples live in rural areas in 412 indigenous communities.

Languages

Indigenous Paraguayan languages belong to five language families: Guarani,

Guaycuru Guaycuru or Guaykuru is a generic term for several ethnic groups indigenous to the Gran Chaco region of South America, speaking related Guaicuruan languages. In the 16th century, the time of first contact with Spanish explorers and colonists, t ...

, Maskoy,

Mataco-Mataguayo Matacoan (also ''Mataguayan, Matákoan, Mataguayo, Mataco–Mataguayo, Matacoano, Matacoana'') is a language family of northern Argentina, western Paraguay, and southeastern Bolivia. Family division Matacoan consists of four clusters of languag ...

, and Zamuco. The

Guarani language Guaraní (), specifically the primary variety known as Paraguayan Guarani ( "the people's language"), is a South American language that belongs to the Tupi–Guarani family of the Tupian languages. It is one of the official languages of P ...

, along with Spanish, is an official language of Paraguay and is spoken by 90% of the population.

Social issues

Literacy rates are low among indigenous peoples in Paraguay, who have an illiteracy rate of 51% compared to the 7.1% rate of the general population. Access to clean drinking water is a major challenge. Only 2.5% of Paraguay's indigenous population has access to drinking water and only 9.5% have electricity.

Tribes

Aché The Aché ( ) are an indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous people of Paraguay. They are hunter-gatherers living in eastern Paraguay. From the earliest Jesuit accounts of the Aché in the 17th century until their peaceful outside contac ...

Abipón The Abipones ( es, Abipones, singular ) were an indigenous people of Argentina's Gran Chaco region, speakers of one of the Guaicuruan languages. They ceased to exist as an independent ethnic group in the early 19th century. A small number of sur ...

"Native American Tribes of Paraguay."
''Native Languages.'' (retrieved 12 July 2011) * Ayoreo * Chané *

Chamacoco The Chamacoco people (Ishír) are an indigenous people of Paraguay. “''Now our territory is that of the company''”, a ''tomáraho'' man said, “''we live there but it isn’t ours; it does not belong to us and has become an enemy place that ...

( Ishir) **

Ebytoso The Chamacoco people (Ishír) are an indigenous people of Paraguay. “''Now our territory is that of the company''”, a ''tomáraho'' man said, “''we live there but it isn’t ours; it does not belong to us and has become an enemy place that ...

Tomáraho The Chamacoco people (Ishír) are an indigenous people of Paraguay. “''Now our territory is that of the company''”, a ''tomáraho'' man said, “''we live there but it isn’t ours; it does not belong to us and has become an enemy place that ...

* * Chorote * Guana * Guaraní * Lengua (

Enxet The Enxet are an indigenous people of about 17,000 living in the Gran Chaco region of western Paraguay. Originally hunter-gatherers, many are now forced to supplement their livelihood as laborers on the cattle ranches that have encroached upon ...

) *

Nivaclé The Nivaclé are an indigenous people of the Gran Chaco. An estimated 13,700 Nivaclé people live in the President Hayes and Boquerón Departments in Paraguay, while approximately 200 Nivaclé people live in the Salta Province of Argentina. A ver ...

( Chulupí) * Macá *

Mbayá The Mbayá or ''Mbyá'' are an indigenous people of South America which formerly ranged on both sides of the Paraguay River, on the north and northwestern Paraguay frontier, eastern Bolivia, and in the adjacent province of Mato Grosso do Sul, Braz ...

* Pai-Tavyter * Sanapaná * Toba * Zamuco

Notes

External links

Instituto Paraguayo del Indigena

"Paraguay's Indigenous Peoples in Peril"
Amnesty International
Indigenous Squatter Communities Organise Self-Help
InterPress Service Agency {{DEFAULTSORT:Indigenous Peoples In Paraguay

Ethnic groups in Paraguay