A Demographic Profile of the Tawahka Amerindians of Honduras

Bibliographic Data

ID4904922
AuthorsKendra Mcsweeney (0000-0002-7961-3023, The Ohio State University, corresponding author)
Year2010
Volume92
Issue3
Pages398-414
Publication date2010-04-21
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueGeographical Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0016-7428 • E-ISSN: 1931-0846
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/j.1931-0846.2002.tb00150.x
OpenAlexW2037828277
LanguageEN
Citations received19
References cited24

Latin America's lowland indigenous groups have been characterized in contradictory ways. Are populations shrinking or growing? Do groups face cultural extinction, or are they increasingly asserting their ethnic identities? This article uses a case study of the Tawahka Amerindians of Honduras to show how basic demographic techniques can shed light on these issues. A multimethod approach resolves conflicting reports of population growth and ethnic admixture within the 1,000-strong population. Household surveys indicate a contemporary growth rate in excess of 4 percent; a review of historical sources suggests that this rapid growth has been building for more than fifty years. Although genealogical evidence shows high levels of interethnic mixing since 1900, the Tawahka retain their language and identity. The potentially negative effects of rapid population growth on local resources are likely to be mitigated as the Tawahka translate their renewed ethnic identity into political gains, which in turn have increased educational and economic opportunities. Closer attention to microdemographic processes is recommended for those involved in the long-term management of Latin America's indigenous homelands

Biology · Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Ethnic group · Ethnology · Evolutionary biology · Face (sociological concept · Geography · Identity (music · Indigenous · Latin Americans · Political science · Politics · Population · Population growth · Social science · Sociology · Agricultural and Food Production Studies · Anthropology · Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management · Demography · Ecology · Genetics · Indigenous Cultures and Socio-Education · Latin American rural development · Migration, Education, Indigenous Social Dynamics · Regional Development and Innovation