Title: Who Are the Native Americans?
Headings: Who Are the Native Americans?
Who Are the Native Americans?
The Definition of Indigenous
Federal Recognition
Tribal Membership
Indigenous Hawaiians

Content: A person (or animal or plant) can be born in a region or country, but not be indigenous to it if his or her ancestors did not originate there. The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues refers to Indigenous peoples as groups who: Self-identify as Indigenous at the individual level and are accepted by the community as their member. Have historical continuity with pre-colonial or pre-settler societies. Have a strong link to territories and surrounding natural resources. Exhibit distinct social, economic or political systems. Have a distinct language, culture, and beliefs. Form non-dominant groups of society. Resolve to maintain and reproduce their ancestral environments and systems as distinctive peoples and communities. The term "Indigenous" is often referred to in an international and political sense, but more and more people who self-identify as Native American are adopting the term to describe their "native-ness," sometimes called their "indigeneity."