Discusses history of various Central American musical instruments, how the instruments were used then, and how they are used now. Much Indian music today serves to bolster Indian rights, express community pride, and serves as a badge of otherness. (AN)

Traces the different social, ethnic, and racial connotations of the word "mulatto" since the Spanish colonization of the Americas. Stresses the fact that in Spanish America, the word more often referred to individuals of Black and American Indian admixture than to those of Black and White (Spanish) admixture. (GC)

Reviews the life of Columbus and European conditions that led to the age of exploration. Discusses how the ethnocentric legend of the "discovery" of America grew as part of the glorious history of Western civilization. Examines the doctrine of discovery as a European agreement legitimizing exploitation of indigenous peoples. (SV)

Examines the place of Indian people in Mexican society and politics, from the conquest to the 1994 Zapatista uprising in Chiapas (fueled by the threat to rural indigenous communal lands posed by economic reforms). Although Indianness is celebrated as contributing to the idealized mestizo "race," self-identification as Indian threatens…

Argues that, in the current portrayal of Columbus' arrival in America, American Indians have become the new heroes and models to be imitated. Discusses the native peoples and their societies at the time of Columbus including diversity among peoples, development of civilizations, view of the cosmos, and political development. (JB)

Argues for comparative studies focusing on similarities between the Nazi Holocaust of Europe's Jews and the American Indian experience of five centuries of extermination policies. Suggests themes for such studies: causes, events, and consequences of holocausts; perceptions of survivors and outsiders; what holocausts destroy; and impact on…

Profiles Noeli Pocaterra, a Venezuelan Wayuu woman, and her roles as community leader, activist in the struggle for indigenous rights, newly elected president of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples, and University of Zulia faculty member. Discusses community work, international networking, her views on cultural and language maintenance, and…

Trade and communication networks established by Indian groups in the 15th century A.D. linked the Southwest to Mesoamerica, the Plains and the Pacific littoral; these routes were later used by the Spanish and Americans, and today major highways follow ancient Indian routes. The main east-west route had major termini at Cibola (near Zuni) in the…

Examines the history of White-Indian relationships in Latin America and North America and the corresponding fluctuations in loanword borrowing into English from Native American languages. Explores 20th-century attitudes toward Native Americans and the impact of these attitudes on borrowing today, particularly in Alaska where Natives are resisting…

Presents information on the Capac Nan, the highway system of the Incas. Describes its use by the Spanish conquistadors in the destruction of the Incan empire. Includes suggested classroom uses for the article, a homework assignment, and discussion topics. (DK)

The improvement of human relations is generally recognized today as an essential prerequisite to national unity and world peace. Bringing about better human relations, however, presents many important problems, among those of: (1) Providing accurate knowledge about different races and groups; (2) Developing understanding and appreciation of these…