[snaptwisttap]

Hello everyone! I just joined this forum, after reading some of the lastest threads and posts. This is a much more active forum than others that I've been a part of for Colombian adoptions.

A little bit of background for you...my husband and I just started the formal application process with the agency we chose to adopt our first child from Colombia. We are 24 and 25, so are getting all of the paperwork/home study/dossier completed by the time I turn 25. Our agency instructed us that we were in for a long wait, now that we are required to go through ICBF.

I do have one question so far...has anyone heard of "razial" in Colombia? According to some paperwork from the agency, that is a term for an ethnic minority that is located in the Andes region. However, I cannot find any information regarding this. I know that Colombia considers ethnic minorities to be somewhat of a "special needs". Any help anyone has would be great. Thanks!

[mommytoEli]

This is a much more active forum than others that I've been a part of for Colombian adoptions.

that's bc all the COOL people are here lol! anyway, welcome to our forum. i'm sure you will all the answers you are looking for here. these ladies know it all ( i always say ladies....bc i've yet to see a guy here, but i could be wrong

[NashvilleGirl]

Hi and welcome! I'm sorry, I have never heard of the "Razial" ethnic group, so I can't help you there, but I just wanted to congratulate you on your progress so far. You'll be in very good company here!

[FranTastic]

Welcome snaptwisttap! Congratulations on starting your journey. I am not familiar with "razial". I did a little google search and could not find anything. Hopefully someone can shed some light on this for you.

[snaptwisttap]

Thanks everyone so far. It seems strange that they would list an ethnic group that there's no information for!

[Adoption_Ally]

I've never heard of 'razial' either. The indigenous people of Colombia are the Chibchas, sometimes known as muiscas, muyscas, or tairona.

My son is probably Chibchas and does not look Hispanic. He has high cheekbones, almond-shaped eyes and almost kinky hair.

Oh - and he's incredibly handsome!

[meganicolson]

Welcome Snaptwisttap and congratulations on getting started!

I have no info for you on "razial" either. Sorry.

This is a much more active forum than others...and a great, encouraging group of women who are very knowledgable about Colombian adoption and Colombia! It is a treat to share in the excitement and joy of others while we wait.

[Sumerce]

I asked my Colombian husband about this tonight. He said, "I've never heard this word used to describe a specific group of people. It sounds to me like a word that would be used to describe MIXED RACE people from any number of racial backgrounds. RAZA means race and RAZIAL just gives me that impression"."

[snaptwisttap]

Thanks so far. I was just curious to see if anyone else has heard of the term, since I most definitely have not. I too thought that it was a term to describe race, due to "raza". Thanks again!

[snaptwisttap]

For those of you that are interested, the correct spelling of the word is Raizales. And I did finally find some information about it! They had it spelled as razial.

[meganicolson]

So what did you find out? I'm curious. I don't know much about race in Colombia. Maybe you could share with us what you found out and Sumerce and Laura could share what they know as Colombian families as well. I'm alway interested in learning more.

[snaptwisttap]

I found out that los raizales are Colombians that live on San Andres, and nearby islands. From what I've read so far on the history, they are descendents of African slaves and the indigenous people who inhabited the island. In a sense, they are afro-colombiano, having darker features because of their African ancestry. It's pretty interesting to read about current issues with San Andres. It looks like a beautiful region, but there seems to be a political tug of war between Colombia and Nicaragua about "ownership" of the island. The Raizales believe that it is theirs, and they would like independence from Colombia. Here is an article from La Prensa:
LA PRENSA - Nacionales

It's in Spanish, but an interesting article.

[DrLaura]

There is such a range of race and color in Colombia...just like in the US. From very fair skinned to very dark (Afro-Colombian) and while most Colombians have dark hair and eyes, don't be surprised to see natural blondes and even more of the bottled variety.

Its hard to be delicate when talking about issues of race and class...but I will tell you my general impressions. In general the native population and afro-colombians are considered lower class. They also tend to have the darkest skin tones. The lightest skinned Colombians tend to have a more direct lineage to Spain or other European heritage. I wish I could say race isn't an issue in Colombia...or in the US for that matter, but I do think that racism still exists. And I also think that the class differences in Colombia are more extreme than in the US.

I tried to put that as delicately as I could. I sincerely hope that I do not offend anyone here.