How many people know their true roots? Before the arrival of the Incas, a variety of different families of Native American peoples settled in Ecuador (which literally translates as Equator) . They had developed different languages (today there are at least thirteen), as they emerged as ethnicities in different places. Some sailed to Ecuador on rafts from Central America, others came to Ecuador via the Amazon tributaries, others descended from northern South America, and others ascended from the southern part of South America through the Andes or by sailing on rafts. The term Moors is used in Europe in a broader sense to refer to dark skinned people, especially those of African, Arab or Berber descent, whether living in Spain or Africa. During colonial years the Dutch introduced the name Moor, in Sri Lanka. The Bengali Muslims were called Moor. Moors are not a distinct or self-defined people. Medieval and early modern Europeans applied the name to the Berbers, African Arabs, Muslim Iberians, and Sub-Saharan Africans. Earlier, the Romans interacted with (and later conquered) parts of Mauretania, a state that covered northern portions of modern Morocco and much of north western and central Algeria during the classical period. The people of the region were noted in literature as the Mauri. Today such groups inhabit Mauritania and parts of Algeria, Western Sahara, Morocco, Niger (Niggers in America) and Mali. In the languages of Europe, a number of associated ethnic groups have been historically designated as Moors. In the modern Iberian Peninsula, Moor is sometimes colloquially applied to any person from Africa, but some people consider this usage of the term pejorative, whether in the Spanish version moro, or in the Portuguese version mouro.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Apr 2014 05:13:20 +0000