Introduction

Indigenous communities (also referred to in some areas as tribal or Aboriginal communities or Natives) are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. The people who make up these communities are sometimes referred to as Indigenous Peoples. They have unique traditions, and many of them have social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are different from those of the wider societies in which they live. The Indigenous community represents 5 per cent of the world’s population; approximately 370 million Indigenous people, comprising 5,000 cultures, live in 90 countries worldwide (see Sangha et al., 2020, and World Bank, 2023, for more information). Indigenous communities’ ways of life — including the buildings in which they live and their daily activities — are naturally woven into the local climate conditions and the natural resources available where they live.

Indigenous communities are rich in practical knowledge that links the survival of every human being to the wholeness of nature and the natural elements — for example, wind, rain, soil and water — that support life.

Outcomes

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:

• recognise and value natural resources and habitats and the need to take conscious action to conserve them.

Terminology

Native: A person born in a specific place or associated with a specific place by birth

Nutrient:  A substance that provides nourishment essential for growth and the maintenance of life.

Nomadic:  Describes someone who travels from place to place in search of work or shelter.

Conservation:  Careful and thoughtful use of a resource.

Manure:  Animal dung used for fertilising land.

Species depletion:  When a certain species of animal and plants is either significantly reduced in number or no longer found.

Interconnectedness:  Linkage and relationships.

Exotic species:  Plants or animals that have been introduced into an area where they do not live or grow naturally.

Reading

Sangha, K., Duvert, A., Archer, R., & Russell-Smith, J. (2020). Unrealised economic opportunities in remote indigenous communities: Case studies from Northern Australia. SSRN Electronic Journal (2020, 12 May).  https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3596050

World Bank (2023, 6 April). Indigenous Peoples. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/indigenouspeoples