What or Who Is Indigenous?

The term indigenous has gained a considerable amount of attention within the past decade. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted in 2007 to work alongside the indigenous to resolve global issues including working to identify the term indigenous. People are increasingly self-identifying as indigenous—declaring themselves a part of an indigenous society. However, establishing a definition is a complex task that must account for numerous meanings.

In this Discussion, you consider your current understanding of the term indigenous and provide a definition of indigenous peoples, along with examining the difficulties of establishing a general definition.
To prepare for this Discussion:
Review pages 7–9 of the United Nations Resource Kit on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues article in the Learning Resources.

Think about your current understanding of the term indigenous.
Identify any challenges in crafting a comprehensive definition or characterization of indigenous peoples.

One paragraph in which you define indigenous peoples based on your current understanding. In the second paragraph, examine the potential problems in defining indigenous peoples. Consider the five anthropological perspectives and analyze the role you might choose if you were studying another culture: reformer, critic, scientist, humanist, or cosmopolite. Which perspective would you choose? Explain your reasoning for this selection.
Be sure to support your ideas by connecting them to the week’s Learning Resources, or something you have read, heard, seen, or experienced.