Mayangna people facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mayangna

Aurelio Martinez representing the Tawahka subgroup of the Sumo people in Honduras at a conference at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras.
Total population
27,000
Regions with significant populations
Nicaragua  Honduras
Languages
Panamahka, Twahka, Ulwa, Spanish, Miskito
Religion
Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Cacaopera, Miskito

The Mayangna are an indigenous group of people. They are also sometimes called Sumu or Sumo. However, "Mayangna" is their preferred name. The word "Sumo" was often used by the Miskito people in a negative way.

The Mayangna live on the eastern coasts of Nicaragua and Honduras. This area is known as the Mosquito Coast. Their culture is similar to that of indigenous groups in Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia. In the 16th century, the Mayangna lived across much of the Mosquito Coast. Over time, they became less powerful as the Miskito people grew stronger.

Where Mayangna People Live

Today, the Mayangna people are divided into three main groups. These are the Panamahka, Tawahka, and Ulwa. They mostly live in quiet, remote villages. These villages are found along rivers like the Coco, Waspuk, Pispis, and Bocay in northeastern Nicaragua. Some also live across the border in Honduras, along the Patuca River. Others are far south, along the Río Grande de Matagalpa.

Because these communities are so isolated, the Mayangna have kept their language and culture safe. They are away from the larger Miskito group, who live closer to the Atlantic coast. They are also separate from the Spanish-speaking Mestizos, who are the main population in Nicaragua.

Mayangna History

Early Times

Experts have studied the Misumalpan languages. These languages include Mayangna, Miskitu, and older languages like Matagalpan and Cacaopera. This study shows that these groups have lived in the region for a very long time. They have been there since about 2000 BC.

In the 17th century, the British arrived on the Caribbean coast. They settled in the eastern parts of what is now Nicaragua and Honduras. At that time, the Mayangna were split into at least nine different groups. Their lands stretched far into Nicaragua's interior. Many place names in the Mayangna language still exist in this area.

However, another indigenous group, the Miskitu, became friends with the British. The Miskitu were a related group. They lived on the northern Atlantic Coast. They became important because they helped connect the Europeans with other local indigenous groups.

The Miskitu Kingdom

The Miskitu people got firearms from their trade with the Europeans. They were also allies of the British in their fights against the Spanish. The Mayangna and Miskitu had always raided and traded with each other. But the new weapons gave the Miskitu a big advantage.

Miskitu raids into the interior increased. They captured many people, mostly Mayangna. Women were often kept, and men were sold to the British. These men were forced to work on plantations in Jamaica. The Miskitu population grew quickly. They became the most powerful group in the area. In 1660, the British even crowned a Miskitu leader named Oldman as their "Miskitu King."

In the 18th century, the Spanish tried to move into the central Nicaraguan highlands. They converted many native Matagalpa Indians to Christianity. But the Mayangna groups resisted these efforts. They often raided the new Spanish communities, sometimes with Miskitu war parties.

During this time, the Mayangna also faced more attacks from the better-armed Miskitu. They began to move deeper into the interior. They went towards the sources of the rivers where many groups had originally lived. Even though they moved away, the Mayangna still traded with others. They controlled the production of high-quality wooden canoes. These canoes were ironically used by the Miskitu in their raiding trips.

Early 20th Century Changes

The Mayangna population kept shrinking after 1860. This was when the British gave up their claim to the Mosquito Coast. Diseases, wars among groups, and pressure to become like the Miskitu or the new Nicaraguan state all contributed to this decline. From possibly over 30,000 people before European contact, only about 5,000-6,000 remained by 1862.

A big change for the Mayangna came in the early 1900s. Missionaries from the Moravian Church converted them to Christianity. These missionaries arrived in 1847 but had a bigger impact after the British left. The Moravians encouraged the Mayangna to stop their traditional, semi-nomadic lifestyle. They wanted them to settle in new, permanent communities around a church.

This change in lifestyle affected their traditional culture. The new settlements were often near Miskitu communities. Also, the missionaries taught and preached only in the Miskitu language. This led to more contact between the Mayangna and Miskitu culture. Many Mayangna started to marry outside their group or stop speaking their own language. They wanted to fit in better with the Miskito, who had a higher social standing. By the mid-20th century, many new Mayangna communities saw themselves as Miskitu.

For those who still identified as Mayangna, the new religion became a key part of their identity. The Moravian Church took the place of old leaders and traditional healers.

In the 1920s, rebel forces led by General Augusto Sandino arrived in the region. Even the most remote Mayangna communities became involved in the conflict. Mayangna men were often hired as guides and boatmen by both Sandino's men and the Marines. Some even fought.

However, the biggest threat to the Mayangna in the early 20th century was losing their land. Settlers from western Nicaragua took their lands. Their natural resources were also destroyed or stolen. For example, a new copper mine opened in 1959. It made a lot of money for its American owners. But the toxic waste from the mine polluted local rivers. This harmed the ecosystems that Mayangna communities relied on for food.

Revolution and Civil War

The Nicaraguan Revolution brought big changes to the Atlantic Coast. This area had long been treated like a colony by the government. The government used the region's resources but didn't care much about its people. The Sandinistas, who led the revolution, wanted to "integrate" the Atlantic Coast. They greatly increased the government's presence in remote areas.

At first, the Mayangna had good experiences with the Revolution. New roads and clinics were built. The Sandinista-led 'Literacy Crusade' taught many Mayangna to read and write. This included teaching in local native languages. Mayangna even became a written language.

However, fighting started between the Sandinista government and the Miskitu Indians. Some Mayangna joined the Miskitu guerrilla forces. They were pressured by the Moravian Church and MISURASATA, which were both led by Miskitu. Because of this, the Sandinistas arrested Mayangna leaders and took over some Mayangna communities.

More than 3,000 Mayangna, about half of their total population, fled to refugee camps in Honduras. Many were then forced to join MISURA, the main Miskitu guerrilla group. Those who stayed in Nicaragua were moved by the Sandinista government. They were taken from their homes, which were now war zones, to other camps.

The Mayangna guerrillas were unhappy with how they were treated by Miskitu leaders and soldiers. In 1983, a key Mayangna rebel commander named Ampinio Palacios left MISURA. He and about 200 other Mayangna soldiers joined the FDN. Most other Mayangna guerrillas soon left too. But MISURA was angry and tried to force them back into their ranks.

The Mayangna could only escape the conflict when the Sandinistas changed their approach. They started to truly accept the differences on the Coast. In December 1984, President Daniel Ortega announced that the Sandinistas would recognize the Atlantic Coast's right to self-governance.

After this, the Mayangna organization SUKALWALA began talking directly with Tomás Borge. He was the head of the Northern Zelaya Autonomy Commission. They won an exemption for the Mayangna from the military draft. Soon after, in April 1985, a law was passed that offered amnesty to Miskitos, Sumos, Ramas, and Creoles. This helped the Mayangna trust the Sandinistas again. It also allowed Mayangna refugees and former fighters to return to Nicaragua from Honduras.

Autonomy Today

In the Mayangna language, 'autonomy' means "alas yalahnin lani." This translates to "to live our system of life." However, the current system of self-governance doesn't fully meet this ideal for the Mayangna. They feel stuck between two problems. On one side, Mestizo farmers are moving onto their communal lands and destroying their forests. On the other side, Miskitu leaders often ignore the Mayangna's unique problems. Yet, these leaders still claim to represent all indigenous people on the Coast. This makes it hard for the Mayangna to be heard.

The Mayangna see the Sandinista government as their only ally. They hope that the ongoing process of marking and officially owning their lands will bring true self-governance for them.

In 2001, the Mayangna community of Awas Tingni won an important court case. The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ruled that indigenous peoples have rights to the land where they have traditionally lived. However, problems with land ownership still continue.

Mayangna Language

The groups once known as 'Sumu' never spoke just one language. The language spoken around Rosita and Bonanza is called 'Mayangna'. It has two closely related dialects: Twahka and Panamahka. The people of Karawala speak a related language called Ulwa. Both of these languages belong to the Misumalpan language family.

Today, most Mayangna people speak Mayangna at home. But they also speak Miskito to communicate with other communities. The Ulwa language is becoming more and more threatened as people switch to Miskito.

See also

In Spanish: Mayangna para niños