Anthropologists generally define indigenous societies as groups that share a historical and cultural continuity with pre-colonial or pre-invasion societies in a given region. These societies often have distinct languages, traditions, social structures, and spiritual beliefs that set them apart from dominant national or colonial cultures.
Key characteristics of indigenous societies include:
- Ancestral Connection to Land: They have long-standing ties to a specific geographic area, often predating modern nation-states.
- Distinct Cultural Practices: Their languages, traditions, governance systems, and ways of life are unique and passed down through generations.
- Self-Identification and Recognition: Indigenous groups define themselves as such, and they are often recognized by international organizations like the United Nations.
- Political and Social Marginalization: Many indigenous communities have experienced historical dispossession, discrimination, and efforts to assimilate them into dominant cultures.
- Non-Dominant Status: They typically exist as minority or politically marginalized populations within larger states.
Anthropologists also consider definitions set by organizations like the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), which emphasize self-identification, historical continuity, and a distinct social, economic, and political system.