- "Indigenous peoples are the first inhabitants of an area and their descendants."
Referring to people who are descendants of the original inhabitants of a particular region, such as Native Americans, First Nations, Inuit, Maori, Aboriginal Australians, and Pacific Islanders. Indigenous groups often have a unique language, culture, and history that are distinct from mainstream society.
History of Indigenous Peoples: A comprehensive overview of the history of Indigenous peoples, including their migration, colonization, and interactions with other cultures.
Traditional Knowledge: Indigenous peoples possess unique knowledge systems that have been developed through generations of living in close proximity to the land, environment, and natural resources around them.
Art and Culture: The visual, performing, and literary arts have been a significant part of Indigenous culture for centuries, often serving as a vehicle for storytelling, healing, and celebration.
Philosophy and Spirituality: Many Indigenous peoples have developed rich spiritual traditions and beliefs that are often grounded in their relationship to the natural world.
Environmental Stewardship: Indigenous peoples have long been proponents of sustainable land use and environmental stewardship, often based on the concept of “Seven Generations.”.
Contemporary Issues: Indigenous peoples continue to face numerous challenges and contemporary issues, including sovereignty, land rights, social justice, and cultural preservation.
Health and Wellness: Indigenous communities have unique health challenges and approaches, including traditional medicine and healing practices, as well as access to modern healthcare.
Language: The preservation and revitalization of Indigenous languages is central to maintaining cultural identities and traditions.
Education: Indigenous education has been historically based on oral traditions and the transmission of knowledge from elders to youth, but modern education can present opportunities and challenges for Indigenous learners.
Politics and Governance: The political and governmental structures of Indigenous communities vary across regions and cultures, but many have experienced issues of colonization, assimilation, and marginalization.
- "The term Indigenous was first used by Europeans, who used it to differentiate the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the European settlers of the Americas, as well as from the sub-Saharan Africans the settlers enslaved and brought to the Americas by force."
- "The term may have first been used in this context by Sir Thomas Browne in 1646."
- "Peoples are usually described as Indigenous when they maintain traditions or other aspects of an early culture that are associated with the first inhabitants of a given region."
- "Not all Indigenous peoples share this characteristic, as many have adopted substantial elements of a colonizing culture, such as dress, religion, or language."
- "Indigenous societies are found in every inhabited climate zone and continent of the world except Antarctica."
- "There are approximately five thousand Indigenous nations throughout the world."
- "Indigenous peoples continue to face threats to their sovereignty, economic well-being, languages, ways of knowing, and access to the resources on which their cultures depend."
- "Indigenous rights have been set forth in international law by the United Nations, the International Labour Organization, and the World Bank."
- "In 2007, the UN issued a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)."
- "UNDRIP guides member-state national policies to the collective rights of Indigenous peoples, including their rights to protect their cultures, identities, languages, ceremonies, and access to employment, health, education, and natural resources."
- "Estimates of the total global population of Indigenous peoples usually range from 250 million to 600 million."
- "Official designations and terminology of who is considered Indigenous vary between countries, ethnic groups, and other factors."
- "In the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand, Indigenous status is often applied unproblematically to groups descended from the peoples who lived there prior to European settlement."
- "In Asia and Africa, definitions of Indigenous status have been either rejected by certain peoples or applied to minorities and oppressed peoples who may not be considered 'Indigenous' in other contexts."
- "The concept of indigenous peoples is rarely used in Europe, where very few indigenous groups are recognized, with the exception of groups such as the Sámi."