Answers
49 questions people ask about tribes and indigenous peoples, each answered in a few sentences first and in full below.
Presented by ClearTrust Free for classrooms, newsrooms and the curious.
What is a tribe?A tribe is a group of people who share a name, a sense of common descent, a culture and usually a homeland, and who organise much of their life through kinship instead of through a state. The word has no single agreed definition, and many groups prefer 'people', 'nation' or their own name.What is the difference between a tribe, an ethnic group, an indigenous people and a nation?An ethnic group is any people with a shared identity. A tribe is an ethnic group organised mainly through kinship. An indigenous people is one whose ties to a land predate colonisation or the modern state. A nation is a people who claim the right to govern themselves. One community can be all four.Who counts as indigenous, and who decides?There is no official worldwide definition of indigenous. The United Nations relies on self-identification: a people identify themselves as indigenous and are accepted by their own community. Common signs are a link to a land from before colonisation, a distinct language and culture, and a non-dominant position in society. Governments set their own legal rules.How many indigenous people are there in the world?According to the United Nations, there are about 476 million indigenous people living in some 90 countries. That is roughly 6% of the world's population. The figure is an estimate, because countries count indigenous people in different ways and some do not count them at all.How many tribes are there in the world?Nobody knows the exact number, because there is no agreed definition of a tribe. The United Nations speaks of about 5,000 distinct indigenous cultures or peoples, in some 90 countries. Official lists give firmer national figures: over 700 Scheduled Tribes in India and 574 federally recognised tribes in the United States as of 2024.Where do most indigenous people live?Most indigenous people live in Asia and the Pacific. The International Labour Organization estimates that the region is home to about 70% of the world's 476 million indigenous people. Africa has the next largest share, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean. North America and Europe have much smaller numbers.What is the largest tribe in the world?There is no agreed answer, because 'tribe' has no fixed definition. Among communities officially listed as tribes, the Bhil and the Gond of India are the largest, with about 17 million and 13 million people in the 2011 census. If large ethnic groups are counted, many peoples are far larger.What are the largest tribes in India?The Bhil are the largest Scheduled Tribe in India, with about 17 million people in the 2011 census, followed by the Gond with about 13 million. Other large tribes include the Santal, Mina, Oraon and Munda. Together, Scheduled Tribes numbered about 104 million people, or 8.6% of India's population.What are the largest tribes in Africa?Africa's largest peoples, each numbering in the tens of millions, include the Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo of Nigeria, the Oromo and Amhara of Ethiopia, and the Fulani, who are spread across West Africa. Most scholars call these ethnic groups or peoples instead of tribes, because the word carries colonial baggage in Africa.What are the largest tribes in the United States?The Navajo Nation and the Cherokee Nation are the two largest tribes in the United States. Each reports several hundred thousand enrolled citizens. In the 2020 census, Cherokee was the most common tribal identity when people of mixed heritage are included, and Navajo was the largest among people reporting one tribe only.How many Scheduled Tribes are there in India?India has notified over 700 Scheduled Tribes across its states and union territories. The 2011 census counted about 104 million people belonging to Scheduled Tribes, which is 8.6% of the national population. The exact number of tribes changes as parliament adds communities to the lists.What does Scheduled Tribe status mean in India?Scheduled Tribe status means a community is on an official list under India's constitution. Listed communities are entitled to reserved seats in parliament and state assemblies, reserved places in government jobs and education, and special legal protection for their land and customs. The status is a legal category, not a description of a way of life.What does Adivasi mean?Adivasi means 'original inhabitants'. It is a collective name used by and for many tribal peoples of India, especially in the central and eastern parts of the country. It is a term of identity, not a legal one. The Indian constitution uses the term 'Scheduled Tribes' instead.How many federally recognised tribes are there in the United States, and what does recognition mean?As of 2024 there were 574 federally recognised tribes in the United States, including more than 220 in Alaska. Federal recognition means the United States government acknowledges a tribe as a self-governing nation, deals with it government to government, and provides certain services and protections.What is the difference between First Nations, Inuit and Métis?First Nations, Inuit and Métis are the three groups of Indigenous peoples recognised in Canada's constitution. First Nations are the many original peoples south of the Arctic. Inuit are the people of the Arctic. Métis are a distinct people who trace their origins to both First Nations and European ancestors.What is the difference between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples?Aboriginal peoples are the first peoples of mainland Australia and Tasmania. Torres Strait Islanders are the first peoples of the islands between the tip of Queensland and Papua New Guinea. They are two distinct groups, each with their own cultures, languages and histories, and each includes many separate communities.What is an iwi?An iwi is a Māori tribe or nation in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is a large group of people who descend from a common ancestor and are linked to a particular region. Each iwi is made up of smaller groups called hapū, which are in turn made up of extended families called whānau.Do uncontacted tribes still exist, and how many are there?Yes. Well over 100 groups around the world live without peaceful contact with outsiders, according to Survival International and government agencies. Most are in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil and Peru. Others live in Indonesia's part of New Guinea and on North Sentinel Island in India. Exact numbers are unknown.Why should uncontacted peoples be left alone?Uncontacted peoples should be left alone for two reasons. Contact can kill them, because they have no immunity to common illnesses such as influenza and measles. And it is their choice: international standards recognise their right to decide for themselves whether and when to make contact.Who are the Sentinelese?The Sentinelese are an indigenous people who live on North Sentinel Island in India's Andaman Islands. They are hunter-gatherers who reject contact with outsiders. Their numbers are unknown, with estimates ranging from about 50 to 200. Indian law forbids anyone from approaching the island.Is the word "tribe" offensive?It depends on who is speaking and where. Many peoples use 'tribe' proudly, and it is an official legal term in India and the United States. Others, especially in Africa, find it loaded with colonial ideas of backwardness. The safest choice is to use a people's own name and follow their preference.Why do many peoples have two names?Many peoples have two names because one is their own name for themselves, called an endonym, and the other was given by outsiders, called an exonym. Outsider names often came from neighbours, traders or colonial officials. Today many peoples ask to be known by their own name.Are there still hunter-gatherers today?Yes. A small number of societies still get much of their food by hunting, fishing and gathering wild plants. They include the Hadza of Tanzania, San groups of southern Africa, forest peoples of the Congo Basin, the Jarawa and Sentinelese of the Andaman Islands, and some peoples of the Amazon and the Arctic.Are there still nomads today?Yes. Millions of people still live as nomads or semi-nomads, moving with their herds or with the seasons. They include Mongolian herders, the Nenets of Siberia, Bedouin and Tuareg groups of the deserts, Fulani and Maasai herders in Africa, and pastoral communities of the Himalaya. Estimates of the total vary widely.How do tribes govern themselves?Tribes govern themselves in many ways. Common forms are a council of elders that decides by discussion, a chief who leads with the council's support, assemblies of all adults, and clan or lineage heads. Many tribes today also have written constitutions, elected councils, courts and police, alongside older customs.What does a chief do?A chief leads and speaks for a tribe, clan, band or village. Typical duties are settling disputes, guiding shared decisions, looking after community land and resources, leading ceremonies and dealing with outsiders and governments. How much power a chief has differs greatly from one people to another.What are clans and totems?A clan is a group of families who believe they share a common ancestor. A totem is an animal, plant or natural object that stands for a clan and is treated as its relative or emblem. Together they tell people who their relatives are, whom they may marry and what they must protect.What is a matrilineal society?A matrilineal society is one in which family membership, and often names and property, pass through the mother's line. Children belong to their mother's clan. Examples include the Khasi and Garo of India, the Minangkabau of Indonesia, the Akan of Ghana, and the Diné (Navajo) and Hopi of the United States.What is UNDRIP?UNDRIP is the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The UN General Assembly adopted it on 13 September 2007. It sets out the minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of indigenous peoples, including rights to self-determination, land, culture, language and consent.What is ILO Convention 169?ILO Convention 169 is the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, adopted by the International Labour Organization in 1989. It is the main legally binding international treaty on indigenous and tribal peoples' rights. It applies only in countries that ratify it, and about two dozen have done so, most of them in Latin America.What is free, prior and informed consent (FPIC)?Free, prior and informed consent, or FPIC, is the principle that indigenous peoples must agree before a project or law that affects them or their lands goes ahead. The agreement must be given without pressure, before decisions are made, and with full information. It includes the right to say no.What are indigenous land rights, and why does land matter so much?Indigenous land rights are the rights of a people to own, use and control the lands and waters they have traditionally lived on. Land matters because it is the source of food and income, the place of ancestors and sacred sites, and the basis of language, law and identity.What is a treaty with indigenous peoples?A treaty is a formal agreement between nations. Colonial powers and later governments signed treaties with indigenous nations, usually to obtain land or peace in return for reserved lands, payments and protected rights. Many were broken, but they remain legally binding documents, and courts continue to enforce them.What is a reservation?A reservation is an area of land in the United States set aside for a Native American tribe, by treaty, law or executive order, and governed by that tribe. There are about 326 reservations. The land is usually held in trust by the federal government. In Canada the equivalent is called a reserve.How many languages are endangered, and why are they disappearing?There are about 7,000 living languages, and at least 40% of them are considered endangered, according to the United Nations and Ethnologue. Most are indigenous languages with few speakers. They decline when children stop learning them, usually because schools, jobs and prejudice favour a dominant language.What is traditional knowledge, and why does it matter for biodiversity?Traditional knowledge is what a people have learned about their land, plants, animals and seasons over many generations. It matters for biodiversity because indigenous peoples look after a large share of the world's remaining natural areas, and their practices often keep forests, grasslands and waters healthy.How can I visit or learn about indigenous communities respectfully?Go only where you are invited or where the community itself runs the visit. Ask before taking photographs, follow local rules about sacred places, pay fairly, and listen more than you speak. Never try to visit isolated or uncontacted peoples. To learn from home, start with sources produced by the people themselves.How should I write about indigenous peoples respectfully?Use the name a people use for themselves. Write in the present tense about living societies. Be specific about which people you mean. Avoid words such as primitive, backward, stone age and exotic. Capitalise names of peoples, and check current preferences with the people's own organisations.Which continent has the most indigenous peoples?Asia has the most indigenous people by population. About 70% of the world's 476 million indigenous people live in Asia and the Pacific, according to the International Labour Organization. For the number of distinct peoples and languages, the island of New Guinea and its neighbours stand out as the most diverse region.Why does Papua New Guinea have so many languages and peoples?Papua New Guinea has about 840 living languages, more than any other country, according to Ethnologue. The main reasons are very long human settlement, of around 50,000 years, and rugged land. Mountains, swamps and islands kept small communities apart, so each developed its own language and customs.What is the oldest continuous culture in the world?Aboriginal Australians are widely described as having the oldest continuous living cultures on Earth. Archaeological evidence shows people have lived in Australia for at least 50,000 years, and some sites are dated to about 65,000 years. The San of southern Africa are also often named, on genetic evidence.Who are the indigenous peoples of the Amazon?The Amazon basin is home to several hundred indigenous peoples, often estimated at around 400, spread across Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. They include the Yanomami, Kayapó, Tikuna, Asháninka and Shuar. The region also has most of the world's uncontacted peoples.Who are the indigenous peoples of the Arctic?The Arctic is home to more than 40 indigenous peoples. They include the Inuit of Canada, Greenland and Alaska, the Yupik and Iñupiat of Alaska, the Sámi of northern Europe, and the Nenets, Chukchi, Evenki and others of northern Russia. Indigenous people are about a tenth of the Arctic's roughly four million residents.Who are the pastoralist peoples of Africa?Africa's pastoralists are peoples who live mainly by herding cattle, camels, sheep and goats. They include the Fulani of West Africa, the Tuareg of the Sahara, the Maasai, Samburu and Turkana of East Africa, the Somali and Afar of the Horn, the Nuer and Dinka of South Sudan, and the Himba of Namibia.Who are the Sámi?The Sámi are the indigenous people of northern Norway, Sweden and Finland and the Kola Peninsula of Russia. Their homeland is called Sápmi. Estimates of their number vary, commonly between 80,000 and 100,000, with the largest population in Norway. They are known for reindeer herding, though most Sámi do other work.Do Native Americans pay taxes and vote in the United States?Yes. Native Americans are United States citizens. They can vote in tribal, state and federal elections, and they pay federal income tax like other citizens. Some limited exemptions exist: for example, states generally cannot tax the income a tribal member earns on their own tribe's reservation while living there.Do tribal people in India pay taxes and vote?Yes. Members of Scheduled Tribes are full citizens of India. They vote in all elections, and seats are reserved for them in parliament and state assemblies. They pay taxes like other citizens, with one notable exception: an income tax exemption for Scheduled Tribe members living in certain north-eastern areas and Ladakh.What happened in residential schools?Residential schools were boarding schools where indigenous children were sent, often by force, to be separated from their families, languages and cultures. In Canada more than 150,000 children attended them between the 1880s and the 1990s. Many suffered neglect and abuse, and thousands died. Similar schools operated in the United States and elsewhere.What is the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples?The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is observed every year on 9 August. The United Nations General Assembly created it in December 1994. The date marks the first meeting, in 1982, of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations. It raises awareness of indigenous peoples' rights and contributions.