Ikoots, Kunajts | |
|---|---|
 The four Huave settlements | |
| Total population | |
| 29,931 (2010) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Mexico (southeast coast:Juchitán District, Oaxaca) | |
| San Dionisio del Mar | 4,940 (2000)[1] |
| San Francisco del Mar | 3,900 (1990)[2] |
| San Mateo del Mar | 12,000 (1990)[3] |
| Santa María del Mar | 500 (1993)[4] |
| Languages | |
| San Dionisio del Mar Huave,[1]San Francisco del Mar Huave,[2]San Mateo del Mar Huave,[3]San María del Mar Huave,[4] andSpanish | |
| Religion | |
| Indigenous religion,Roman Catholicism | |
TheHuave (autonyms:Ikoots andKunajts) are anIndigenous people ofMexico. They have lived theIsthmus of Tehuantepec for more than 3,000 years, preceding theZapotec people in settling the area. Today they live in several villages (most notablySan Mateo del Mar, in theTehuantepec District, and Santa María del Mar,San Dionisio del Mar andSan Francisco del Mar, in theJuchitán District) on thesandspits of the Pacific Ocean and trade marine products with inland neighbors.
According to the 2000 census, 13,687 people declared themselves to be Huave speakers; however, many non-speakers still identify as Huaves or Mareños. Their language is calledHuave, ombeayiüts, or umbeyajts, depending on the dialect.
The Huave are all called the Huavi, Huazantecos, or Wabi. Their autonym isIkoots orKunajts (the first-person inclusive pronoun, thus meaning "Us"), orMareños (meaning "Sea People" in Spanish).[5]
Many Huave people work as fishermen and agriculturalists.[3]
Huave families arepatrilocal and reside in homes with thatched roofs. Male members of each Huave village belong to theescalafón, which is a community organization for civic and religious affairs.[6]
Huave people speak four languages, some of which are mutually intelligible:San Dionisio del Mar Huave,[1]San Francisco del Mar Huave,[2]San Mateo del Mar Huave,[3] andSan María del Mar Huave.[4] They also speakSpanish.[2]
| More than 100,000 people | ||
|---|---|---|
| 20,000 – 100,000 people | ||
| 1,000 – 20,000 people | ||
| Less than 1,000 people | ||
