Who are indigenous peoples?

United Nations human rights bodies, the International Labour Organisation, the World Bank and international law apply four criteria to distinguish indigenous peoples:

1. Indigenous peoples usually live within, or maintain an attachment to, geographically distinct ancestral territories.

2. They tend to maintain distinct social, economic and political institutions within their territories.

3. They typically aspire to remain distinct culturally, geographically and institu-tionally rather than assimilate fully into national society.

4. They self identify as indi-genous or tribal.

There is no universal and unambiguous definition of the concept of 'indigenous peoples', since no single accepted definition exists that captures the diversity of their cultures, histories and current circumstances. However, all attempts to define the concept recognise the linkages between people, their land and culture.

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