Indigenous, tribal, ethnic group, nation: what the words mean and who decides
Four words are often used as if they meant the same thing. You will learn how they differ, and why the right to name yourself sits at the centre of the answer.
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Start with the widest word. An ethnic group is any group of people who see themselves as sharing ancestry, culture and usually a language. Bengalis, Italians, Zulus and Māori are all ethnic groups. The term says nothing about power, land or history. It simply describes a shared identity that passes from one generation to the next.
Indigenous
Indigenous means originating in a place. In law and politics, indigenous peoples are those whose ancestors lived on a territory before others arrived to colonise or dominate it, and who still keep a distinct identity, institutions and tie to that land. They are usually not the group that controls the state. The Sámi in northern Europe, the Ainu in Japan and the Quechua in the Andes are examples.
The United Nations has deliberately not adopted a fixed definition. Peoples themselves argued that a strict definition would be used to exclude some of them. Instead, the United Nations lists features that usually apply and treats self-identification as the key test: a people that sees itself as indigenous, and is accepted as such by its community, should not have that identity denied by outsiders.
- They identify themselves as indigenous.
- They have historical continuity with societies that existed before colonisation or settlement.
- They have a strong link to particular territories and natural resources.
- They have distinct social, economic or political systems, and distinct languages, cultures and beliefs.
- They form a non-dominant group in society and want to maintain their own ways.
Tribal
Tribal describes how a society is organised, not when its ancestors arrived. The main international treaty on the subject, Convention 169 of the International Labour Organization, covers both 'indigenous' and 'tribal' peoples. It describes tribal peoples as those whose social, cultural and economic conditions set them apart from the rest of the nation and who are governed wholly or partly by their own customs.
Nation and people
A nation is a people with a shared political identity. It does not have to be a country. In Canada, First Nations chose that name to make a point: they were self-governing societies before Canada existed. In international law, 'peoples', with an s, is a weighty word, because all peoples have the right to self-determination, meaning the right to decide their own political status and path of development.
- Defined by priority in a place and by self-identification
- Usually non-dominant in the state
- Example: Māori in New Zealand
- Defined by shared culture and ancestry
- May be the majority or a minority
- Example: Punjabis in India and Pakistan
Who decides?
Three parties each claim a say. The people themselves decide who they are and who belongs. States decide who gets legal recognition, and they use their own lists and tests. International bodies set standards and urge states to respect self-identification. These three do not always agree, which is why a community can be indigenous in the eyes of the United Nations yet unrecognised at home.
In Africa and Asia the word indigenous is often contested, because almost everyone is native to the continent. There, the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights uses it for particular groups, such as the San, the Batwa and pastoralists like the Maasai, whose ways of life and lands have been pushed aside by more powerful neighbours and by the state.
For a reader, the practical lesson is simple. These words overlap, and none is perfect. Indigenous stresses history and rights. Tribal stresses social organisation. Ethnic group is neutral and broad. Nation stresses self-government. Choose the word that the people in question use, and say which sense you mean if it matters.