Colombian Australians () are Australian citizens who trace their nationality or heritage from the
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
n nation of Colombia.
Causes of migration
Economic problems and violence led to an emigration of Colombians to Australia in the 1980s. Colombians are one of the largest South American migrant groups to Australia. Like other South American immigrants and unlike Central American and Caribbean Hispanic immigrants, Colombians tend to come from urban areas.
Ethnic composition of Colombians in Australia
Ethnically, Colombians are a diverse population including Colombians of
Indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology)
In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...
descent,
Afro-Colombians
Afro-Colombians (), also known as Black Colombians (), are Colombians of total or predominantly Sub-Saharan African ancestry. Colombia has one of the largest Afro-descendant populations in South America, with government estimates being ...
, Colombians of European descent (mainly Spanish ancestry). However, most Colombians are mix of the three ethnicities.
Cultural traditions
The main musical interests are
vallenato
Vallenato () is a popular folk music genre from Colombia. It primarily comes from its Caribbean region. ''Vallenato'' literally means "born in the valley". The valley influencing this name is located between the ''Sierra Nevada de Santa Mar ...
and
cumbia
Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, Europeans, and Africans during colonial times. Cumbia is said to have com ...
, Mi hermano y yo Vallenato y Folclore is a traditional folk band that aims to share and preserve these interests in Australia. The vast majority of Colombians are Roman Catholic; younger Colombians are significantly more
secular
Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin , or or ), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. The origins of secularity can be traced to the Bible itself. The concept was fleshed out through Christian hi ...
than the older generation.
Colombian food is highly varied. Popular dishes are ''
bandeja paisa
Bandeja paisa (; ), with variations known as bandeja de arriero, bandeja montañera, and bandeja antioqueña, is one of the most representative meals in Colombian cuisine, especially of the Antioquia department and the Paisa region, as well as ...
'', ''
sancocho
Sancocho (from the Spanish verb ''sancochar'', "to parboil") is a traditional stew in several Caribbean and Latin American cuisines. Latin variations represent popular national dishes in Dominican Republic, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Mexico, Pana ...
'' (stew), ''
empanada
An empanada is a type of baked or fried turnover (food), turnover consisting of pastry and stuffing, filling, common in Culture of Spain, Spain, other Southern European countries, North African countries, South Asian countries, Latin American c ...
s'' (meat-filled turnovers), ''
pandebono
Pandebono or pan de bono is a type of Colombian bread made of cassava starch, cheese, eggs, and in some regions of the country, guava paste. Traditionally, it is consumed with hot chocolate, still warm a few minutes after baking. It is very po ...
'' (a type of cheese-bread), and ''
arepa
''Arepa'' () is a type of flatbread made of ground maize dough stuffed with a filling, eaten in northern parts of South America since pre-Columbian times, and notable primarily in the cuisine of Colombia and Venezuela, but also present in Bolivi ...
'' (corncake). Like most immigrants raised in Australia some children will seek Australian sports. Another popular pastime, especially among the older generation, is ''
parqués
Parqués () is the Colombian version of a board game in the cross and circle family (the category that includes Pachisi). The game is described as a "random thinking" game: the moves depend on the roll of the dice but players must consider possib ...
''.
Notable people
*
Adam Garcia
Adam Garcia is an Australian actor who is best known for lead roles in musicals such as '' Saturday Night Fever'' and '' Kiss Me, Kate''. He is also a trained tap dancer and singer. Garcia has been nominated twice at the Laurence Olivier Award ...
, actor
*
Amyl
Amyl may refer to:
* Amylum or starch, a carbohydrate
** Amylopectin, a polymer of glucose found in plants; one of two components of starch
** Amylose, a helical polymer made of α-D-glucose units; one of two components of starch
* Pentyl, a fiv ...
, drag queen
*
Kat Hoyos, actress
*
María Fernanda Cardoso
María Fernanda Cardoso (born 1963) is a Colombian artist based in Australia. Her contemporary art references many types of ready-made material, including plastic, trash, plants, dried and living animals, bones and styrofoam. One of her most fa ...
, artist
*
Gustavo Giron Marulanda
Gustavo is the Latinate form of a Germanic male given name with respective prevalence in Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian.
It is derived from Gustav /ˈɡʊstɑːv/, also spelled Gustaf, a Swedish name, likely from Slavic Gostislav.
People with ...
, footballer
See also
*
White Colombians
White Colombians () are Colombians of total or predominantly European or West Asian ancestry. According to the 2018 census, 87.58% of Colombians do not identify with any ethnic group, being either White or Mestizo (of mixed European, African, ...
*
Mestizo Colombians
Mestizo Colombians () are Colombians of mixed European (mostly Spanish) and Indigenous ancestry.
Numbers and distribution
The 2018 census reported that 87% of the population did not consider themselves part of a listed ethnic group, instead bein ...
*
Colombian diaspora
Emigration from Colombia is a migratory phenomenon that started in the early 20th century.
Overview
Immigration from Colombia was determined mostly by security issues linked mainly to the Colombian armed conflict. From 1980-2000, emigration fro ...
*
European Australians
European Australians are citizens or residents of Australia whose ancestry originates from the peoples of Europe. They form the largest panethnicity, panethnic group in the country. At the 2021 census, the number of ancestry responses categor ...
*
Europeans in Oceania
Age of Discovery, European exploration and settlement of Oceania began in the 16th century, starting with the Spanish people, Spanish (Crown of Castile, Castilian) landings and shipwrecks in the Mariana Islands, east of the Philippines. This was ...
*
Hispanic and Latin American Australians
*
Immigration to Australia
The Australian continent was first settled when ancestors of Indigenous Australians arrived via the islands of Maritime Southeast Asia and New Guinea over 50,000 years ago.
European colonisation began in 1788 with the establishment of a B ...
References
{{Ethnic groups in Australia
*
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Aus ...
Colombian
Australia–Colombia relations