Afro-Indigenous peoples

Garínagu studying historical documents in Belize.

Afro-Indigenous peoples, or Black Indigenous peoples, are ethnic groups in the Americas that are both Black and Indigenous.

Background

Afro-Indigenous peoples can have Native American ancestry or kin ties. Others were adopted into pre-existing tribes throughout the Americas. Afro-Indigenous peoples can experience Anti-Black racism due to their appearance, and can also feel ostracized from Indigenous communities.

Some Afro-Indigenous peoples are the Garínagu, the Afro-Seminoles, and a portion of the Miskito.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Colvin, Chandra (27 February 2026). "New children's book explores Afro-Indigenous identity through family and history". MPRNews. Saint Paul, MN: Minnesota Public Radio. Retrieved 21 August 2026. In the book, Meeka's father explains what Afro-Indigenous means. He says Afro means African and Indigenous means first peoples, and that Meeka is both.
  2. 1 2 Arden, Etanda (28 January 2021). "Writing Myself into Existence: An Essay on the Erasure of Black Indigenous Identity in Canadian Education". Yellowhead Institute. Toronto, Canada: Toronto Metropolitan University. Archived from the original on 11 April 2026. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  3. ↑ Beals, Ann Marie; Wilson, Ciann L.; Persaud, Rachel (24 June 2025). "Proclaiming Our Roots: Afro-Indigenous Identity, Resistance, and the Making of a Movement". Religions. 16 (7). Waterloo, Canada: MDPI: 828. doi:10.3390/rel16070828. ISSN 2077-1444. Retrieved 22 August 2026. ...necessary space for affirming Afro-Indigenous identities, explicitly resisting colonial racial binaries that force individuals to identify either as Black or Indigenous, but not both. Rolta's reflection emphasizes this, as they shared the power of explicitly naming themselves as Afro-Indigenous without external justification.
  4. ↑ Vernon, Karina (5 January 2024). "In the early 1900s, Canada put out ads to attract white American farmers. Black Indigenous settlers came too". cbc.ca. Ottawa, Canada: CBC/Radio-Canada. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  5. 1 2 Wamba, Liam M. (28 March 2023). "Asserting Identity: An Afro-Indigenous Community Demands Recognition". Yes! Magazine. Poulsbo, WA: YES! Media / Positive Futures Network. Archived from the original on 15 August 2026. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "We Are in Danger Daily: Honduran Afro-Indigenous Garífuna Demand Return of Kidnapped Land Defenders". Democracy Now!. New York City, NY. 17 August 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  7. ↑ Bell, Beverly; Bartlett, Stephen (16 December 2014). "Photos: The Indigenous Fight for Lands and Cultural Survival in Honduras". Foreign Policy in Focus (FPIF). Washington, D.C.: Institute for Policy Studies. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  8. ↑ Multiple sources:
    Mollett 2006, pp. 76, 91
    p. 76
    "For the purpose of this paper I will refer to the Miskito and Garifuna as indigenous and Afro-indigenous peoples respectively. Reference to the Miskito as an indigenous group does not mean that I am erasing their African ancestry."
    Herlighy 2007, p. 144
    "During the colonial era, Afro-indigenous Miskitu society developed along with foreign economies."
    Wade 2018, p. 99,
    p. 99
    "A long-standing distinction developed between the so-called Sambo Miskito – more 'Afro' and more northerly – and the Tawira Miskito – more 'indigenous' and more southerly – which became entangled with British-Spanish colonial rivalries."
    p. 115
    "This kind of interethnic cooperation can also be seen further south on Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast, with its mix of indigenous peoples (including the Afroindigenous Miskitu), Garifuna, and black Creoles (Hooker 2009, ch. 4)."

Bibliography

Further reading