Tawahka in Honduras

Although some Paya and Tawahka-Sumu were absorbed within the larger Miskito group, the Tawahka, like the Mayagna Sumu in Nicaragua, had less contact with European trading activities and remained marginalized.

In the 1980s, both Miskito and the few remaining Tawahka communities suffered disruption resulting from the Contra war through the flow of Miskito refugees from Nicaragua, which also increased the focus on indigenous issues in Honduras.

Tawahka are struggling to retain control over the land they inhabit in the Mosquitia rainforest, which has been declared an eco-cultural biological reserve. In Olancho, Tawahka face threats to their land from both drug traffickers and extractive industries. Living as they do along the Patuca river, the Tawahka are also threatened by the Patuca III dam which is planned to be completed by 2018. Tawahka community representatives fear what the dam will do to their fisheries and river-dependent game; depleted water levels will hamper transport links and trade with other communities.