Who are the Indigenous people?
It is estimated that tribes, First Peoples, Native Peoples, and Indigenous Peoples make up approximately 6.2 percent of the global population and speak over 4,000 different languages.
According to the ILO, there are approximately 450 million Indigenous people worldwide, belonging to 5,000 ethnic tribes in 90 countries.
70% of the world's indigenous people reside in Asia and the Pacific, followed by 16.3% in Africa, 11.55% in Latin America and the Caribbean, 1.6% in Northern America, and 0.15% of the world's indigenous people in Europe and Central Asia.
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| The Maori via NDLA |
Using the Indigenous Navigator framework and tools, this research examines the experiences of indigenous peoples in a world of work that is experiencing upheaval in 11 nations. As the COVID-19 epidemic has shown, indigenous peoples confront tremendous challenges in their traditional vocations as well as in gaining access to adequate employment, education, and social protection. It also looks at ways to promote indigenous workers, cooperatives, entrepreneurs as well as indigenous economies based on the goals and viewpoints of indigenous peoples themselves in the research being carried out. To readout the full report of ILO, click here.
Indigenous lads and the land
For indigenous peoples, the land they have lived on for generations, and in some cases, for thousands of years, is sacred. For the future generations, they will serve as guardians or stewards of the land because of their expertise in sustainable resource management. A person's sense of self is irreparably damaged if they lose their land.
The Characteristics of Indigenous People
Indigenous people have a wide range of traits, but there is no widely agreed-upon definition of the word "Indigenous."
- When compared to the mainstream post-colonial culture of their nation, indigenous inhabitants are unique.
- It is common for them to be minorities in post-colonial countries.
- The majority of Bolivians and Guatemalans are indigenous people.
- The language, culture, and customs of indigenous peoples are often shaped by their close ties to their ancestral homelands.
- More than 4,000 different dialects are still spoken by indigenous people today.
- Indigenous people have unique cultural practices that are still carried out today by their communities.
- Indigenous people have (or have had) their own land and territory, with which they are connected in many ways.
- Self-definition: Indigenous people define themselves as such.
Where do indigenous people live?
Depending on the context, some of these traits may be more critical than others. "Native People" and "Aboriginal" are other common terms for indigenous people. The term Adivasis (India) or Janajatis (Japan) is used in several nations (Nepal).
The Inuit of the Arctic, the White Mountain Apache of Arizona, the Yanomami and Tupi People of the Amazon, traditional pastoralists like the Maasai in East Africa, and tribal peoples like the Bontoc people of the upland area of the Philippines are examples of Indigenous Peoples.
International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples theme 2022
This years theme of the International Day is "The Role of Indigenous Women in the Preservation and Transmission of Traditional Knowledge".
This wisdom is passed down from one generation to the next by indigenous women who serve as the foundation of their communities. It is their collective and societal responsibility to protect and preserve natural resources and scientific knowledge. Women's collective rights are an issue that many indigenous women are leading the charge to address in the fight for indigenous peoples' land and territories.
To make matters worse, indigenous women face several forms of discrimination based on their gender, as well as their social and economic standing, as well as their ethnicity.
Poverty, illiteracy, restricted access to health, basic sanitation, credit, and work, and domestic and sexual assault are only some of the hardships faced by indigenous women. Also, their right to self-determination, self-governance, and ownership of resources and ancestral lands has been violated for generations.
Women in indigenous groups have made small but important strides toward greater participation in decision-making processes, gaining leadership positions in their communities and countries, and participating in environmental protests to protect their lands and the planet's diminishing biodiversity. On the other hand, Indigenous women, on the other hand, continue to be underrepresented, severely impacted by choices made on their behalf, and often the targets of many forms of violence and racism.
Our indigenous heroes need to be recognized on this International Day for Indigenous Peoples.
