10 characteristics of INDIGENIST literature

The characteristics of indigenous literature are its dialogue between cultures, which represents indigenous communities, denounces discrimination, etc. At unProfesor we tell you!

The literary trends They have been used over the years, so that the authors could choose the branch with which they felt most identified when expressing their ideas. There are many literary movements and one of the least known, but most interesting, is indigenous literature. Literary indigenism is a current of literature that is based on explaining the life, problems and culture of indigenous peoples.

In this lesson from a TEACHER, we are going to explain in detail what the characteristics of indigenous literature and why these important works were born. Join us to discover it!

Index

1. What is indigenous literature
2. What are the characteristics of indigenous literature?
3. History of indigenous literature
4. Authors of literary indigenism and works

The indigenous literature It is the literary current that focuses on the original populations of the territory of Latin America. Some of the countries are Chile, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Mexico, among others. This type of writing is known from the year 1511 and focuses on explain the problems and culture of the civilizations that lived on that continent.

Through their literary works, indigenous authors want give voice to communities, in addition to denouncing some of the historical injustices that have haunted them for many years. It seeks to promote the appreciation of their traditions and the specific perspective from which they see the world.

In aProfesor we tell you What is indigenism and its characteristics?.

In general, we can say that the main characteristic of literary indigenism is that they are works with critical reflections that revolve around society. Most of the time we find reports of situations of marginalization suffered by the indigenous population and the exploitation of the inhabitants. We present some of the most notable characteristics of indigenous literature:

• Dialogue between cultures: Literary indigenism is not a unilateral monologue, but rather encourages dialogue between indigenous cultures and the rest of society. It seeks mutual understanding, in order to build bridges between nations that see the world through different eyes.
• Indigenous communities are represented: This literature portrays, in an authentic way and always with respect, the life of indigenous peoples, their history, their customs, beliefs and the challenges they face.
• Talking about identity: This is another of the main characteristics of indigenous literature. And the construction of the identity that the authors talk about is based on cultural mixing and shows the richness and complexity of this union.
• Discrimination complaint: The writers of literary indigenism denounce the injustices and marginalization that their people have faced throughout history.
• Different voices: This type of writing does not have a single narrator, but rather different indigenous voices and perspectives that speak. This allows the stories to be multiple and the worldviews to expand.
• Value to indigenous cultures: One of the main objectives is to recognize and value the richness of the culture and contributions of indigenous peoples. Walls of stereotypes and negative prejudices that have existed and that are still valid in society, unfortunately, are torn down.
• Indigenous languages ​​are used: Some of the texts of indigenous literature are written in their native languages. It is possible that we find them mixed with Spanish, or completely pure, as a way of fighting and revitalizing their native languages. Without a doubt, another of the most outstanding characteristics of indigenous literature.
• Human rights are defended: The topics discussed in literary indigenism are closely related to the fight for human rights. For example: land, autonomy, identity, decision-making capacity, etc.
• Seek social justice: Another characteristic of indigenous literature is that it promotes equality, putting into manifest the need for fair and respectful treatment of all peoples, including tribes natives.
• Colonialism is criticized: Indigenous authors talk about the effects that colonization brought to indigenous communities. The social, economic and cultural consequences are analyzed.

Now that you have known the characteristics of indigenous literature, we are going to offer you a summary of the history of indigenous literature which has its origin approximately in the year 1511. Antonio Montesino was a friar and missionary of Spanish origin and mentioned this term, for the first time, in his sermons. From that moment, indigenism began to be directly related to the time of Spanish colonization of America.

From that moment on, a series of dynamics related to indigenism began to develop in different spaces. When these ideas arrived in Mexico, during the country's revolution, that is when the first texts of the literary movement.

Furthermore, we must take into account that the conquest and colonization brought, as a direct consequence, the elimination of cultural traditions, social and religious of the people who lived on the American continent, initially. The testimonies of the people were what made it possible to avoid the disappearance of their languages ​​and a large part of their identity.

Literary indigenism helped them write poems, songs, speeches, sacred texts, etc.

Some of the Authors of literary indigenism were:

• Fuentes, B. traven
• Miguel Angel Menendez
• Ermilo Abreu Gómez
• Antonio Mediz Bolio
• Eduardo Luquin
• Andrés Henestrosa
• Gregorio Lopez
• Mauricio Magdaleno
• Ramon Rubin
• Ricardo Pozas
• Francisco Rojas González
• Eraclio Zepeda and Rosario Castellanos
• Alcides Arguedas
• Jorge Icaza
• Ciro Alegría
• Mauricio Magdaleno
• Manuel Scorza
• José María Arguedas
• Among others...

Some of his most notable works and that, today, continue to have an impact are:

• bronze race by Alcides Arguedas
• Balun Canan by Roserio Castellanos
• Huasipungo by Jorge Icaza
• The glow by Mauricio Magdaleno
• The World is wide and distant by Ciro Alegría
• Pentalogy The silent war by Manuel Scorza
• Among others.

We hope that this lesson has helped you better understand the characteristics of indigenous literature and the importance that this movement has in indigenous cultures and, in general, throughout the world. If you want to continue learning about more literary trends and discover the way in which each author expresses himself, do not hesitate to consult our history of literature section.

If you want to read more articles similar to Characteristics of indigenous literature, we recommend that you enter our category of History of Literature.

• Polar, A. c. (1978). Indigenism and heterogeneous literatures: their double socio-cultural status. Latin American literary criticism magazine, 4(7/8), 7-21.
• Rodríguez-Luis, J., & Rodríguez-Luis, J. (1990). Indigenism as a literary project: revaluation and new perspectives. Hispanic America, 41-50.