what are indigenous people

Indigenous peoples are distinct social and cultural groups that share collective ancestral ties to the lands and natural resources where they live, occupy, or from which they have been displaced. They often have a special relationship with the land on which they have lived for sometimes tens of thousands of years and possess crucial knowledge about how to sustainably utilize it. Indigenous peoples can be identified by characteristics such as self-identification, historical continuity with pre-colonial societies, a strong link to territories, and distinct social, cultural, and economic systems. They are the descendants of the earliest known inhabitants of a territory that has been colonized and have endured domination and discrimination. Estimates of the global Indigenous population range from 250 million to 600 million, with about 476 million Indigenous people spread across more than 90 countries and belonging to more than 5,000 different Indigenous peoples. They often lack formal recognition over their lands, territories, and natural resources, and face challenges such as discrimination, poverty, and limited access to basic services and infrastructure