Check the GA Image Library for
more images on this theme!

Explanation: Abya Yala  

WWW.GLOBALAWARE.ORG

Indigenous peoples

Abya Yala, the indigenous name for the Americas.

Abya Yala comes from the Kuna (Cuna) Indians of Panama who used the phrase to refer to both continents of the Americas. The words mean ‘land in its full maturity.’ Indigenous leader, Aymara Takir Mamani, proposed that all indigenous peoples of the Americas use this name to refer to their homelands arguing that, “placing foreign names on our cities, towns and continents is equal to subjecting our identity to the will of our invaders and to that of their heirs.”
The Abya Yala institute in Ecuador sponsors indigenous cultural events and publishes works relevant to indigenous culture and history. Link to website of the Abya Yala Institute, Quito. It is also part of Native Web which hosts links to indigenous groups from Mexico south to Tierra del Fuego. Native Web site

     info@globalaware.org

Back to top

All content © The Global Aware Cooperative and the individual authors.