Today is the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People.
The 9th August each year offers the world community an
opportunity to reaffirm the principles of respect and protection
of minorities. Created by the United Nation General Assembly in
1994, this year’s commemoration theme is: “Indigenous designs:
celebrating stories and cultures, crafting our own future”. Who
are indigenous people? There is no ‘official’ definition of the
term but the generally accepted description on Indigenous People
refers to them as The First People. They are characterised by a
common culture and language, common spiritual ideas, an
identifiable territory and a certain economic structure. Today
there are some 5,000 distinct groups in some 90 countries. They
make up more than 5 per cent of the world’s population, around
370 million people. Indigenous peoples, ’natives’, are ethnic or
cultural groups who are native to an area, especially before the
arrival and intrusion of a foreign and possibly dominating
culture. They are a