Talk:Rama people

Meganepatton (talk) 04:38, 9 February 2015 (UTC)

Minor Changes to Religion & Language Sections
While you mention that the Moravian Church taught the Rama people English in the Religion section, you don't really talk about how many of them speak English in the language section or how speaking English has impacted their lives, either positively or negatively. I wasn't even aware they spoke English until I got to the religious section. So, that's just something minor you can add to the language section.

Also, in the religious section, you don't really discuss the affect of the Moravian Church on their lives, or any practices that specifically relate to their culture. While I can click on the link, I don't really feel I have a taste for the religion as it relates to the lives of the Rama people.

Mariah1160 (talk) 03:19, 1 April 2015 (UTC)

Hi Megan, Your article has a concise lead section and clear structure. I think you could work on making your article well-balanced, however. For example, your coverage of land rights is solid, but the section on lifestyle is minimal given everything that lifestyle encompasses. Could you add information about education, customs, kinship, housing, or employment (other than small scale commercial fishing)? You mention that Rama territory is being threatened and that Rama people face discrimination and unemployment. Has this resulted in migration elsewhere? For religion: Do you know what religion Rama people who aren't part of the Moravian church practice? I'm not sure how much information exists on the religion of the Rama people, but since religion is its own section, you might consider adding more details if possible. A few edit suggestions: Ex-combantants and Mestizo families displaced by the war, are migrating east to renew their former lives and and engage in subsistence farming. (spelling, repeat word - and) The 1987 Constitution and the Autonomy law recognized indigenous existence in Nicuragua, the right of indigenous peoples to determine their own ethnic identity, and indigenous communal property as belonging to the community. (spelling - Nicaragua) Could you provide a date for the migration to Central America that you reference in the lead section? "It is hoped that a new canal will be able to rival the Panama Canal and will be able to accommodate larger size ships and the growing demand for inter-ocean passage." - Who hopes? You might clear up some of the ambiguity in this sentence by saying who would benefit from the new canal (and avoid potential bias). "Despite controversy surrounding the project, the Nicaraguan government is going ahead with the canal's construction hoping the infrastructure and revenue that the canal brings in will lift the nation out of poverty." - I think you present the information in your article from a neutral standpoint, especially given some controversial topics. This is the only sentence that I thought MIGHT sound biased. "Despite controversy surrounding the project" is a good transition for a paper but it might sound biased here. It looks like you've used credible sources. Some of the references look very brief though, so just make sure you provide as much information as possible for your references! Kingsleyta (talk) 05:29, 6 April 2015 (UTC)kingsleyta

Peer Review
This page is very well done in that it is very neutral and gives a nice picture of the people however I am interested in the history of the people? How did the colonization of Nicaragua impacted the culture of the Rama people other than religion? Alexa cotton (talk) 21:52, 9 April 2015 (UTC)

Peer review 2
This is a well-structured article, but could benefit from some additional sections and areas of research. Here are some detailed questions:
 * "Since their migration to Central America"—What migration? And from where? Fill us in a section on History
 * "centuries of colonial suppression" — I'm skeptical about the length of time since we don't have information here from before 1850. How did Spanish colonial authorities deal with their language? How did the Moravian missionaries?
 * Lifestyle is a very well-elaborated section. Is there a bit more about how they live: villages? towns? kinds of dwellings?
 * It would be nice to have more on pre-Moravian beliefs. I think Loveland addresses some of this.
 * It's probably helpful to narrate the Rama's role in 1980s politics and their experience of the war. See Ryser below for a starting point.

And here are some additional sources:
 * Christine Loveland's "Rama Men and Women: An Ethnohistorical Analysis of Change" in Sex Roles and Social Change in Native Lower Central American Societies Google Books link provides a lot of general background as well as discussing its topic
 * Chapter 5 of Indigenous Nations and Modern States: The Political Emergence of Nations by Rudolph C. Ryser.

Keep up the good work.--Carwil (talk) 16:27, 10 April 2015 (UTC)