Ponting’s Definition of “Indigenous Peoples”

1. Ponting’s Definition of “Indigenous Peoples” Indigenous peoplesare those who exhibit most of the following characteristics: Non-state form of political organizat’n Colonization (limited or massive settlement) & appropriation of lands Enduring relations of subordination and marginalization Holistic, non-capitalistic worldview which emphasize integration of the people with the land and water & form basis of sense of solidarity Collective self-definition as Indigenous Engagement in a struggle to maintain or regain their culture & self-determ’n

2. Martinez-Cobo’s Definition of Indigenous Peoples (Coates, p. 6) Indigenous communities, peoples, and nations are those which: have historical continuity with pre-invasion & pre-colonial societies that developed on their territories and consider themselves distinct from other sectors of societies now prevailing in those territories (or parts of them). They form, at present, non-dominant sectors of society and are determined to preserve, develop, and transmit to future generations their ancestral territories and their ethnic identity, as the basis of their continued existence as peoples, in accordance with their own cultural patterns, social instit’ns, and legal systems.