culture
Indigenous peoples are the oldest living cultures in the world. They represent 300–500 hundred million people alive today in over 72 countries around the world. They also encompass as many as 5,000 distinct cultures. Their way of life, identity, and existence is threatened because of continued effects of colonization, which began during the exploration of Europeans in the 1400s. Many times, indigenous people are forced to assimilate into the cultures of those who invade them.
Around the world, indigenous peoples make up the major categories of the poor and disadvantage. According to World Council of Churches,
In most indigenous communities, people live in poverty without clean water and necessary infrastructure, lacking adequate health care, education, employment and housing. Many indigenous communities still suffer the effects of dispossession, forced removals from homelands and families, inter-generational trauma and racism, the effects of which are manifested in social welfare issues such as alcohol and drug problems, violence and social breakdown. Basic health outcomes dramatize the disparity in well-being between Indigenous Peoples and European descendants. (WCC Executive Committee, 2012)
Initial Post: Write 100 words within the Discussion Board responding to the following questions. Create a substantive and clear post expression your research, thoughts, and ideas:
Choose a specific group of indigenous people, and briefly describe their culture prior to the arrival of the Europeans and how their culture changed after contact with Europeans.
Please be sure to include academic sources to support your informatio
