Tribal people
A people whose social, cultural and economic life sets them apart from the wider nation and who follow their own customs or laws.
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International law uses 'tribal peoples' for groups who live by their own customs and traditions but who may not be the first inhabitants of the place they live. ILO Convention 169 protects indigenous and tribal peoples in the same way. In everyday use the term overlaps heavily with 'indigenous peoples'.
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Answers that use this word
- What is the difference between a tribe, an ethnic group, an indigenous people and a nation?
- What is ILO Convention 169?