Customs and traditions of the peoples of North America. The most unusual traditions and rituals of the peoples of the world Traditions and customs of South America

The population of South America is more than 350 million people.
Until the end of the 15th century, South America was inhabited by Indian tribes and peoples who spoke languages ​​such as Tipigua Rani, Quechua and Chibcha. They inhabited mainly the Central Andian Highlands (its high mountain valleys). But with the advent of Europeans (Spaniards, Portuguese), the indigenous population began to be exported to Peru and Venezuela as slaves to work on plantations and mines, and immigrants from Italy, Germany and other European countries began to settle in the countries of South America.
For the most part, the modern population is of Indian-European and Negro-European origin. In addition, large Indian peoples live in many countries of South America, for example, in Peru and Ecuador - the Quechua, and in Chile - the Araucanians.

Ethnic composition:

• Indians;
• Europeans;
• immigrants from Asian countries;
• black people.

On average, 10-30 people live per 1 km2, but the fewest people live in the Amazon rainforests and some mountainous areas of the Andes. As for densely populated areas, one such area is Pampa (it occupies the whole of Uruguay and northeast Argentina).
The official language is Spanish, but, for example, in Brazil it is Portuguese, and in Trinidad, Guyana and Tobago it is English.
Large cities: Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Lima, Bogota, Salvador.
The population of South America professes Catholicism, Protestantism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam.

Lifespan

On average, residents of South American countries live to 65-70 years. For example, in Chile this figure is 76, in Ecuador – 71, and in Suriname – 69 years.
Despite fairly high life expectancy rates, the continent is characterized by a fairly elevated mortality rate among young people and people of pre-retirement age.
The main causes of mortality in the population: cancer, cardiovascular, infectious diseases, as well as poisoning, injuries and accidents.

Traditions and customs of the peoples of South America

Rituals are the main traditions of the peoples of South America. For example, in Brazil, the marriage of young people must be consecrated in the church, and at the holiday itself there must be a “sorcerer” whose task is to help the young people protect themselves from the evil eye.
Venezuela is famous for its main traditions - festivals, which are accompanied by dances and songs. In addition, the calendar of Venezuelans is full of various holidays, which they celebrate cheerfully and noisily.
The traditions of the inhabitants of Bolivia - the Indians living here and descendants of mixed marriages - deserve close attention (their traditions are the personification of the true traditions of South America). They express their feelings through songs and dances (popular folk dances are auchi-auchi, kueka, tinki).
Bolivians practice folk art - weaving and knitting (this has not changed at all over the past 3000 years).
Another local custom is the use of coca leaves in everyday life - it is customary to chew them, infuse them, make tea from them and season some dishes with them (in European countries, coca leaves are considered a drug, and in Bolivia they are a tonic).
If you decide to go to South America, you will make the right choice - you will be able to plunge into the mysterious life of this continent.

What connects children all over the world with Indians? Chocolate, popcorn, chewing gum and the ability to run freely with battle cries across any space! All of the listed delicacies were invented by the Indians: popcorn, having discovered the ability to “self-explode” in maize grains, chewing gum from the juice of Hevea (rubber), the word “chocolate” was first heard from the lips of the Mayan tribe, and was invented by the Aztecs. The Aztecs discovered that if you crushed cocoa beans into a paste and added spices, you got a drink that was served only to the leader, because it was worth its weight in gold.

Despite such funny inventions, the eyes of an Indian are always sad, they are a sad people, and even when looking through photos in search engines you will rarely find a smiling representative of the indigenous population of America. But incredible natural depth and an amazing desire to preserve their history - this can be found in any Indian.

Indians today

Indians are settled throughout South and North America, from Alaska to Argentina, some of them live on reservations (example: the Navajo tribe), some are full citizens of the country (Mayans, 80% of the population of Guatemala), and others are still They live in the Amazon jungle (Guarani) and have no connection with civilization. Therefore, everyone’s way of life is different, but the traditions of raising children and relationships with adults are surprisingly preserved.

The Indians of North America are mostly Catholics and Protestants, the Indians of Latin America are mostly Catholics. For most Indians in South and Central America, pre-Hispanic beliefs were inextricably fused with Christianity. Many Indians maintain traditional cults. Nowadays, as a rule, these are theatrical performances accompanied by dancing in masks, including during Catholic and Protestant holidays.

Each tribe has its own dialects, many speak two languages, their own and English, but some tribes do not even have their own written language, so the most respected adults and beloved children in the tribe are the elders. They teach wisdom, preserve and tell stories and legends, know the intricacies of any craft - weaving carpets, making dishes, fishing and hunting. They monitor the observance of all rituals, and in wild tribes even the daily routine.

Life traditions

The Indians have preserved the tradition of sitting down, forming a circle, and sharing with everyone what is in their hearts. Some tribes gather in a circle on certain days, while others daily share everything that happened during the day, ask for advice, tell stories and sing.

Since childhood, a song is like air for an Indian; they can talk to nature through songs, express their emotions and convey the history of an entire people. There are ritual songs, holiday songs, and everyone in the Cofan tribe has their own song.

The same “FigVam” that Sharik drew on the stove from the cartoon “Prostokvashino” and that we build when playing Indians is not actually a wigwam, but a portable tipi dwelling used by steppe nomads.

A wigwam is a hut on a frame, covered with straw. Visually, this dwelling looks like a large haystack and is traditional for the Indians of North America. The tribes of the Amazon live in such wigwams or houses on stilts, covered with straw or leaves. Indian peoples on US reservations, for example, the Navajo tribes, who are closer to civilization, live in houses similar to our ordinary Russian log cabins or mud huts.

Let me point out that wigwams are usually built by women and children. In wild tribes, almost all work in the village is considered feminine - cooking, sewing, raising children, all agricultural work, searching for firewood. The man's task is to hunt, to learn military skills every day in order to confidently use a spear, a bow and a pipe with poisonous arrows. Because the necklace of jaguar fangs is a document, the only document of the Indians living in the jungle, certifying his fearlessness. Only boys become shamans; the shaman teaches many in the village and passes on his knowledge, but after his death, one of his young patients becomes a shaman, and not a student, because it is believed that along with the healing energy, all the knowledge of the shaman is transferred to the patient.

The main food is what is obtained by hunting, and in families that engage in farming, the main dishes are potatoes, porridge, rice, chicken, turkey and, naturally, all types of legumes, favorite dishes are pumpkin and corn. Sweet maple syrups and dried wild berries occupy a special place in the Indian diet.

"All children are our children"

Attitudes towards strangers vary among tribes, but “whites” are definitely unwelcome guests for all Indians. As for inter-tribal and clan relations, for example, for the Kofans, the concept of their own and other people’s children does not exist at all. Kofan parents take the name of their firstborn and use it until their wedding. Then they take the name of the next children who are not yet married. Studying family relationships in this case becomes a rather difficult task.

Natural Indian Parenting

Even those Indian women who live in large cities adhere to the natural course of childbirth. More often they give birth at home, sometimes in the presence of an obstetrician or in a hospital, observing the basic principles of natural childbirth - without caesarean section, stimulants and anesthesia. Tribes where the standard of living does not allow giving birth with the help of an obstetrician, much less in a hospital, childbirth takes place in the sand or in water, often a woman gives birth alone. Indians feel great affection for children and take great care of them. According to people who have studied Indian morals and customs for a long time, “the best character traits of Indians are revealed in the attitude of parents towards children.”

From birth, children are present during any parental activity; the baby is carried in a scarf, a manta (a special sling for carrying not only children, but also food, any things), or in a portable crib made of wood or reed made by the father.

According to the researchers, some tribes did not allow children to drink colostrum and gave breastfeeding only when a steady flow of milk appeared. Children always have access to milk; at any time of the day or night they are not denied feeding and drink their mother’s milk until the milk runs out. Even if an Indian woman has given birth to several children over the course of several years, the older ones are not weaned.

Indian women rarely punish their children, but they introduce them to work early, believing that there is no better way to learn about life. From an early age, children are taught that being noisy and loud is very bad, and that they must respect their elders. Therefore, Indian children are not capricious, not loud and not whiny, very independent and friendly.

Nothing is forbidden to children, and adults are so confident in them that nothing happens to children. The relationship between parents and children is so close that they are truly one. The kids themselves know what they need, and Indian parents allow them to get it and taste life, to live in unity with nature and its laws.

Now Indian “natural parenthood” is a whole science that gained popularity in America and Europe in the 70s. Jean Ledloff, who made an expedition to Indian tribes, was so amazed by what she saw that she devoted her entire life to studying Indian “methods” of raising children, wrote the book “How to Raise a Happy Child” and became the founder of the so-called “natural parenting”.

Before Ledloff, Dr. Benjamin Spock reigned in the world of pedagogy, everyone read his works and “raised children according to Spock” ​​- they fed by the hour, talked about the lack of connection between the child’s health and the type of feeding, did not spoil him, followed a daily routine, prohibited and restricted the child from many things , believing that a child should have authorities. The new theory of Jean Ledloff has turned upside down the idea that one needs to be strict and restrained with a child, wean him early, not indulge his whims, and set his own, adult rules. Ledloff watched the Indians and saw that everything was the opposite for them, and there were no happier children.

Indian supporters of “natural parenthood” adhere to the following basic rules:

Natural childbirth;

During the so-called “manual period” until the child learns to crawl, he can be in his mother’s arms as much as he wants. For this, slings or other devices that make carrying easier are used;

Frequent breastfeeding, at the request of the child, and for at least two years;

The presence of the child in all the affairs of the mother, and later the father, is important so that the child gets used to and observes the activities, socializes faster;

The Indians believe that there is no need to take too much care of the baby. Overly caring mothers teach us to treat the world with fear, as if there are many dangers in it and only them;

Most Indian languages ​​do not have words for time. Until old age, Indians know only the concept of “now.” As, indeed, are all the children of the world. Therefore, you need to treat their requests with understanding, without postponing until tomorrow or some “later”;

Don't criticize or compare children. Moreover, in front of everyone, in private, you can then tell him that some action is wrong and what it can lead to;

It is important to always come to the child’s aid, to be nearby so that he feels protection and love. This will give him confidence for life;

Indians treat all children's desires and actions with respect, which is taken as the basis for the “natural parenting” method.

Both boys and girls up to the age of five participate in family life helping their mothers; after five years, sometimes a little later, fathers begin to teach boys. From this moment on, the separation of the upbringing of boys and girls begins. Girls are taught to respect men, take care of them, and even be afraid of them. In many tribes, initiation rites are performed (girls at 13, boys at 15) when a child becomes an adult. Now these are ordinary holidays with ritual dances and songs.

Favorite games of Indians

Ball game- this is both football and a game similar to volleyball, where the ball is hit with the palms, elbows, and hips;

Flying kites- the Indians even have a holiday of kites, it takes place simultaneously with All Saints Day (Halloween), this is a joyful holiday (!) in memory of dead children. Indians have a very positive attitude towards death; children even play with it, acting out scenes of death. Kites on this holiday have their own characteristics - they are round, reach up to 6.5 meters in diameter and soar in the air for up to two hours.

Chunky- previously a game with a disc and a spear. A stone disk was launched into the sky and the players had to hit it with a spear. Now it's a game of rings and a pole: you need to catch as many rings thrown up on the pole as possible.

Puluk- a board game with chips for points.

Today in America it is fashionable to be an Indian. Indian schools are opening, many communities are opening to preserve the culture and traditions of this “sad people,” radio, newspapers, television in several dialects. Those who go to live in big cities have an inextricable connection with the reservations, return there and try to change the difficult situation. The first task is the opportunity to educate Indian children. All “white” teachers working in Indian schools note their intelligence and special disposition to the exact sciences.

Indian wisdom

When the last tree is cut down, when the last river is poisoned, when the last bird is caught, only then will you understand that money cannot be eaten.

In the first year of marriage, the newlyweds looked at each other and wondered if they could be happy. If not, they said goodbye and looked for new spouses. If they were forced to live together in disagreement, we would be as stupid as the white man.

You can't wake up a person who's pretending to be asleep.

The Great Spirit is imperfect. He has a light side and a dark side. Sometimes the dark side gives us more knowledge than the light side.

Look at me. I'm poor and naked. But I am the leader of my people. We don't need riches. We just want to teach our children to be right. We want peace and love.

Even your silence can be part of prayer.

Knowledge is hidden in every thing. Once upon a time the world was a library.

We don't want churches because they will teach us to argue about God.

Why do you take by force what you cannot take by love?

What is a man without animals? If all animals are exterminated, man will die from great loneliness of spirit. Everything that happens to animals also happens to humans.

One “take” is better than two “I will give.”

Don't walk behind me - I may not lead you. Don't go ahead of me - I may not follow you. Walk side by side and we will be one.

Truth is what people believe.

Even a small mouse has the right to be angry.

Strive for wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is the past. Wisdom is the future.

It doesn't take many words to tell the truth.

Love the earth. It was not inherited by you from your parents, it was borrowed by you from your children.

Everything in the World has its own song

Reflections of Indian Elders

“Peace... comes to the souls of people when they realize their interconnection, their unity with the Universe and all its forces, and when they realize that Wakan-Tanka lives in the center of the universe, and that this center is actually located everywhere, inside everyone from U.S".
(Black Deer [Hehaka Sapa], Oglala Sioux)

“Many people hardly ever feel the real earth under their feet, see plants growing except in flower pots, or find themselves far enough from street lights to catch the charm of a star-studded night sky. When people live far from the places created by the Great Spirit, it is easy for them to forget His laws.”
(Tatanga Mani (Walking Buffalo), stoney)

“Training is for everyone, not just Indians... White people have never wanted to learn before. They considered us savages. Now their understanding has changed and they want to learn. We are all children of God. The tradition is open to anyone who wants to learn.”
(Don Jose Matusuwa, Huichol)

“As elders, we in turn must show respect to our young people in order to receive respect from them.”
(Grace Ezek, Nisga'a)

“We create evil among us. We create it; and then we try to call him the devil, Satan, evil. But it is created by man. There is no devil. Man creates the devil."

“We have a biological father and mother, but our real Father is Tunkashila (Creator) and our real Mother is the Earth.”
(Wallace Black Deer, Lakota)

“The spiritual power that I serve is much more beautiful and much greater. We call it wisdom, knowledge, power and gift, or love. These are the four parts of spiritual power. And I serve them. When you serve this power, it makes your mind and spirit beautiful. You are becoming beautiful. Everything that Tunkashila (the Creator) creates is beautiful.”
(Wallace Black Deer, Lakota)

“Silence is the absolute stability or balance of body, mind and spirit.”
(Charles Eastman (Ohayesa), Santee Sioux)

“If you believe in something and you believe in it long enough, it happens.”
(Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

“We are responsible for the condition of the Earth. We are the ones who are responsible for it and who can change it. If we wake up, it will be possible to change the energy. It is possible to change everything."
(Unbatz Men, Maya)

“People need to be responsible for their thoughts in order to learn to control them. It may not be easy, but it is possible."
(Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

“Race and language don’t matter. Barriers disappear when people unite on a higher spiritual level.”
(Rolling Thunder, Cherokee)

“In the end, nature will teach.”
(Tom Porter, Mohawk)

Protection of projects Group I – Indians – indigenous people of South America. Ancient civilizations Indians Group II – Colonization of South America and its consequences Colonization Group III – The process of miscegenation. Geography of ethnic groups. The process of miscegenation Group IV – Customs and traditions of the peoples of South America. Customs and traditions of the peoples of South America

The indigenous people of South America are the Indians. They appeared here presumably thousands of years ago. Indian tribes were at different levels of development. They were engaged in hunting, farming, terraced slopes in the highlands, and built water pipelines. It was they who first began to grow potatoes, corn, tomatoes, pumpkins, beans. Ancient civilizations existed among the Incas (the territory of modern Peru). They built cities and powerful pyramids, processed metals, made fabrics, even performed craniotomy in the field of medicine, mummified the dead, and had knowledge of space. The development of writing is assumed (bean finds).

Consequences of colonization of the mainland. The conquest of the mainland by Spain and Portugal brought innumerable troubles to the indigenous people: the Indians were exterminated and pushed into the interior of the mainland, ancient civilizations were destroyed. But along with cruelty and greed, Europeans still contributed to the development of culture and spread Christianity.

The population of South America is very diverse and colorful. It consists of representatives of a wide variety of races who, at different periods of history, mastered this continent. A characteristic feature is racial mixing, which is proceeding at a very rapid pace in all South American countries.

Population of mainland South America

The racial composition of the inhabitants of South America is very complex, and this is due to the peculiarities of the history of the development of the continent. More than 250 different peoples and nationalities live here, who have been in close interaction with each other for many years.

Representatives of three major races live in South America:

• equatorial (indigenous population - Indians);
• European (descendants of immigrants from European countries);
• Negroid (descendants of black slaves brought from African countries).

In addition to pure races, several mixed groups also live on the mainland:

• mestizos - a mixture of Europeans and Indians;
• mulattoes - a mixture of Europeans and Africans;
• sambo - a mixture of Indians and blacks.

It is noteworthy that during the colonial system, a special social hierarchy reigned in local society, dominated by Creoles - descendants of European conquerors, born in America. All mixed groups belonged to the lower classes.

History of development

A distinctive feature of the formation of the population of South America is its relative immaturity - only a few centuries. Before the continent was conquered by Spanish and Portuguese invaders in the late 15th century, it was home to Indian peoples and tribes who spoke the languages ​​of Quechua, Chibcha, Tupigua Rani and others. However, after the capture of the mainland by the Spaniards and Portuguese, the main population began to rapidly mix.

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The ethnic structure of South America began to change seriously after the importation of large numbers of black slaves from the African continent. They made a great contribution to the original culture of the peoples inhabiting the mainland.

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Another leap in the development of the ethnic structure occurred after the recognition of the independence of the countries of South America. During this period, the continent became a refuge for numerous refugees from Eastern and Western Europe, India, and China.

Despite the great mixture of nationalities within the continent, in some South American countries the original Indian peoples are still preserved: Quechua, Aymara, Araucans. They managed to preserve not only racial purity, but also numbers. Their main occupation is agriculture.

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Population distribution of South America

The average population density ranges from 10-25 people per 1 sq. km. This data differs only for French Guiana, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname - these regions are less populated than all the others.

The peculiarities of nature and climate are such that the population of the continent is uneven and unequal. Most people live in large cities. For example, in Argentina, per 1 sq. km there are more than 100 people, and in Patagonia this figure is 100 times less - only 1 person per 1 sq. km. km.

The least populated areas of the continent are its interior regions - the vast forests of the Amazon, as well as some areas of the Andes. Some of these spaces are completely deserted. This indicates poor development of much of South America.

It is impossible to describe the population of South America using only criteria of ethnic origin. It is too much of an oversimplification to describe Guyanese society as one of various racial groups. Terms such as Indo-Guyanese and Afro-Guyanese refer to ethnic identity. But significant physical and cultural differences exist between ethnic communities. This division may lead to the mistaken belief that there are two Guyanas with completely different origins, behavior and political and economic interests in the same country.

All immigrant groups adapted to the dominant British culture in the colony. In many ways, the descendants of different immigrant groups are more similar to each other than to their distant ancestors. In addition, the descendants of immigrants have moved beyond their previous social niches. Indo-Guyanese can be found not only in the sugarcane and rice plantations, but also in the cities, where some of them have become entrepreneurs, professionals or simply workers. Afro-Guyanese can also be found at all levels of Guyanese society.

All immigrants in Guyana share a common experience. They all worked on plantations. With the abolition of slavery, the nature of the labor force changed, but not the work itself. The Indians did the same work as the African slaves before them, and lived in the same housing as the former slaves. All immigrants were exposed to the dominant influence of the British value system and had nowhere to preserve their values.

Africans consider themselves to belong to different cultural groups, and Indian society has also been differentiated by religion and caste. For the English, however, race was the only characteristic, and all Indians were classified into one group and all Africans into another.

The greatest influence on assimilation was the use of language. English became the primary language of all Guyanese, with the exception of some old people and some Amerindians. The universal use of English has proven to be a powerful unifying cultural force.

The descendants of immigrant groups became increasingly anglicized. Cultural differences weakened. And even physical differences were blurred through intermarriage. Cultural differences retain their symbolic meaning. Many of these cultural differences were not inherited, but arose locally. For example, Guyanese Hinduism is closer to Islam and Christianity than in the homeland of Hinduism itself. Humanity tends to think in stereotypes. So the population of South America is divided into stereotypical groups by the population of South America itself.

Racial stereotypes developed in Guyana early in the founding of the colony. British planters characterized Africans as physically strong but lazy and irresponsible. Indians were characterized as hardworking, but clannish and greedy. To some extent, these stereotypes were recognized by the immigrants themselves, with positive stereotypes readily attributed to themselves and negative stereotypes to others.

In the process of the country's development, stereotypes explained the behavior of representatives of different nationalities. Africans were characterized as short-sighted when they refused to work for low wages on plantations or enter into long-term contracts with planters. Indians were called selfish when all efforts were directed towards maximizing the acquisition of capital.

In modern Guyana, ethnic characteristics are less susceptible to stereotypes. Other differences matter more now. There is a gradation into “metropolitan” manners and “coolie” manners. However, what is considered metropolitan manners in the provinces can at the same time be recognized as coolie manners in the capital itself.

Along with these stereotypes, the colonial attitude towards European countries also persists, when all British customs, morals and behavior were idealized. The British education system contributed to the preservation of Eurocentrism. The idea of ​​the superiority of British culture was recognized and accepted among slaves. In particular, former slaves still believe that adherence to Christianity is a sign of human civilization.

The middle class, which was formed from the end of the nineteenth century from among Afro-Guyanese and Indo-Guyanese, was also based mainly on British values, the idea of ​​which was the most progressive and civilized.