The Charrúa - Resilient Indigenous People of Uruguay

For many years, it was believed that the Charrúa ethnic group was extinct. However, people with this indigenous lineage have recently been coming forward and revealing their Charrúa backgound. Today, it is believed that there are approximately 160,000 to 300,000 Charrúa descendants living in Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil.

Associations have been formed to recognize and pay tribute to this indigenous group. Nowadays, the term Garra Charrúa is often used in honor of the strong Charrúans. “Garra” stems from the word “claw” and Charrúa refers to the tenacious Charrúa people. The term is often used in soccer to describe bravery and tireless determination when faced against the odds of success. In colloquial terms, it refers to achieving one’s goals despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

We have learned that people are announcing their Charrúa ancestry. Let’s pause for a moment to contemplate on some wisdom that Supreme Master Ching Hai (vegan) has shared with the noble indigenous people around the world during World Unity Week in 2020. “May God bless all you, the Indigenous people, everywhere on our planet. May God bless our Mother Earth. It’s good that we have this opportunity to express our unity spirit and gratefulness to Heaven and Earth for our world really needs it. Needs earnest prayers and sincere effort to unite all beings on the planet. Because we are all nourished from Earth and blessed by Heavens. We are brothers and sisters including all non-human beings on Earth. It is the negative force that tries so hard since time immemorial to divide us and to make us hurt each other. But with pure prayers and sincere effort, we will win. However, just prayers and talk are not good enough. We have to act. We have to change our way of life to more benevolent, compassionate, loving and kind towards each other, regardless of race, species and nationalities.”

We pray that all indigenous people around the world will always be respected, and that the Charrúa descendants are also respected as they declare their heritage. Some organizations have been created to assist the Charrúan descendants and protect their rights.