Starosjedilački ili autohtoni narodi nacionalne su zajednice odnosno skupine koje su izvorni ili najraniji poznati stanovnici određenoga područja, za razliku od skupina koje su naknadno naseljavale, okupirale ili kolonizirale prostor.

Nacionalne skupine obično se opisuju kao domorodačke kada održavaju tradiciju ili druge aspekte rane kulture koja je povezana s određenim područjem. Ne dijele svi starosjedilački narodi tu karakteristiku, jer su mnogi prihvatili značajne elemente okupatorske, dominantne ili kolonizacijske kulture, poput odijevanja, religije ili jezika. Starosjedilački narodi mogu se naseliti u određenoj regiji ili živjeti nomadskim načinom života na velikom teritoriju, ali su općenito povijesno povezani s određenim područjem o kojem ovise.

Ujedinjeni narodi procjenjuju da na svijetu trenutno živi preko 300 milijuna starosjedilaca, s oko 5000 različitih nacionalnosti naseljenih u 70 država. Oni koji su lakše uočljivi su domorodački narodi koji žive nomadskim načinom života i oni koji su uspjeli zadržati svoj plemenski način života. U većini slučajeva domoroci su se morali prilagoditi zapadnom načinu života, iako obično uspijevaju zadržati određene običaje ili izvorni jezik. Zaista je nevjerojatno da su nakon stoljeća ugnjetavanja, kolonizacije i kulturne, ekonomske i društvene dominacije ipak uspjeli zadržati dio svojih korijena.

U Amerikama možemo pronaći jednu od najvećih koncentracija starosjedilaca. Gvatemala i Bolivija su zemlje s višim postotkom autohtonog stanovništva, s 45% i 40%. Meksiko ima najveći broj starosjedilaca na cijelom kontinentu, gotovo 12 milijuna, što međutim predstavlja samo 10% njegovog ukupnog stanovništva.

U postkolonijalnom razdoblju koncept specifičnih domorodačkih naroda na afričkom kontinentu dobio je širu prihvaćenost. Ogromna većina afričkih naroda je starosjedilačka u smislu da potječu s tog kontinenta, međutim, u praksi je identitet autohtonog naroda prema modernoj definiciji restriktivniji. Grupe i zajednice koje traže ovo priznanje su one koje su se, iz raznih povijesnih i okolišnih okolnosti, postavile izvan vladajućih državnih sustava, a čija tradicionalna praksa i zahtjevi za zemljištem često dolaze u sukob s ciljevima i politikama koje provode vlade, tvrtke i okolna dominantna društva.

Što se tiče Oceanije, u Australiji su autohtono stanovništvo Aboridžini, koji obuhvaćaju mnogo različitih naroda i plemena, te Otočani Torresova prolaza, također s podskupinama. Autohtoni Maori naseljavaju Novi Zeland i otoke Cook. Polinezijski, melanezijski i mikronezijski narodi tisućama godina su izvorno naseljavali mnoge današnje otoke Tihog oceana u regiji Oceanije.

Značajne autohtone manjinske narode u Europi koje UN priznaje uključuju Ugrofinske narode, narode Samojedi i Komi sjeverne Rusije, Čerkezi Južne Rusije i Sjevernog Kavkaza, Krimski Tatari te narod Sami sjeverne Norveške, Švedske, Finske i sjeverozapada Rusije.

U Aziji se nalazi jedna od najvećih raznolikosti kada je u pitanju autohtono stanovništvo: Džungarski Ojrati koji su starosjedilački narod Džungarije na sjeveru Xinjianga u Kini, Pamirski narodi iz Xinjianga u Kini, Tibetanci s Tibeta, Nivkh koji su etnička skupina autohtona na otoku Sahalin, ili Asirci koji su autohtoni na području Mezopotamije.

Povijesno gledano, starosjedioci su najčešće bili predmet diskriminacije i rasizma te ubojstava, ropstva i nekih drugih oblika koji su i danas prisutni, poput socijalne isključenosti, siromaštva i smanjenim mogućnostima.

Međutim, domoroci se na mnoge načine bore protiv ovih oblika ugnjetavanja. Mnogi starosjedilački pokreti i organizacije još se uvijek bore za priznanje svojih kultura, za interkulturalno obrazovanje i za zemljišne reforme. Pokreti u Meksiku, poput Zapatista i Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, su primjeri ove borbe, a u nekim trenucima su čak uzeli i oružje u ruke.

U nekim zemljama kao što je Bolivija, domoroci su uspjeli ispuniti mnoge svoje zahtjeve, pa čak ih i 2009. godine uklopiti u Ustav Višenacionalne Države Bolivije, pravni tekst s najvišom hijerarhijom u državi Boliviji. Ovaj Ustav vraća dio suverenosti koju su starosjedioci izgubili još od španjolskog osvajanja.

Romi su primjer domorodačkih naroda u Indiji koje država Indija nije prepoznala kao takve. Manjinske zajednice koje su u Indiji službeno priznate uključuju muslimane, Sikhe, kršćane, budiste, Parse i džainiste. Međutim, postoji mnogo dokaza koji povezuju Rome sa sjeverom Indijskog potkontinenta, odnosno s državom Rajasthan u modernoj Indiji.

Međutim, većina Roma trenutno živi izvan Indije, širom svijeta. Uspjeli su zadržati neke elemente kojima su povezani s svojom ranom kulturom, no kako je romska dijaspora veliku i raznolika, kroz povijest su se Romi integrirali u različita društva. U toj integraciji, koja na nekim područjima može biti veća nego na drugima, Romi su izgubili neke od tih elemenata uslijed prilagođavanja lokalnoj kulturi.

Starosjedioci su dio svjetskog stanovništva, a trenutno su u većini slučajeva manjine u zemljama koje su nekad bile naseljene samo njima. Da bi se postigla stvarna jednakost, stvarno uključenje i stalo na kraj rasizmu, mora se riješiti starosjedilačko pitanje. Povijest, vrijednosti, običaje i kulturu starosjedilaca treba prihvatiti jer su dio svjetskog multikulturalizma, i treba im pružiti mogućnosti za poboljšanje svog položaja u trenutnom društvu, jer sve je ostalo manje važno ako djeca starosjedilaca umiru od pothranjenosti.

 

 

The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is observed on 9 August each year to raise awareness and protect the rights of the world’s indigenous population. This event also recognizes the achievements and contributions that indigenous people make to improve world issues such as environmental protection. It was first pronounced by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1994, marking the day of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in 1982.

Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups who are the original or earliest known inhabitants of an area, in contrast to groups that have settled, occupied or colonized the area more recently. Groups are usually described as indigenous when they maintain traditions or other aspects of an early culture that is associated with a given region. Not all indigenous peoples share this characteristic, as many have adopted substantial elements of occupying, dominating or colonizing culture, such as dress, religion or language. Indigenous peoples may be settled in a given region (sedentary) or exhibit a nomadic lifestyle across a large territory, but they are generally historically associated with a specific territory on which they depend.

United Nations estimates that there are over 300 million of indigenous people living in the world currently, with around 5000 different ethnicities settled in 70 countries. The more visible ones are the nomadic ones and the ones who managed to keep their tribal lifestyle. In most cases, indigenous people had to adapt to western lifestyle, although they usually manage to keep certain customs or their original language. It is incredible that after centuries of oppression, colonization and cultural, economic and social domination, they still managed to keep some of their roots.

In the Americas, we can find one of the biggest concentration of Indigenous people. Guatemala and Bolivia are the countries, which have a higher percentage of native population, with 45% and 40% respectively. Mexico has the highest number in the whole continent with almost 12 millions, which however only represents a 10% of its total population.

In the post-colonial period, the concept of specific indigenous peoples within the African continent has gained wider acceptance. The vast majority of African peoples are indigenous in the sense that they originate from that continent, however in practice, identity as an indigenous people per the modern definition is more restrictive.  Groups and communities who do claim this recognition are those who, by a variety of historical and environmental circumstances, have been placed outside of the dominant state systems, and whose traditional practices and land claims often come into conflict with the objectives and policies implemented by governments, companies and surrounding dominant societies.

Regarding Oceania, In Australia the indigenous populations are the Aboriginal Australian peoples (comprising many different nations and tribes) and the Torres Strait Islander peoples (also with sub-groups). The indigenous Maori inhabitate New Zealand and Cook Islands. Polynesian, Melanesian and Micronesian peoples originally populated many of the present-day Pacific Island countries in the Oceania region over the course of thousands of years.

Notable indigenous minority populations in Europe which are recognized by the UN include the Finno-Ugric Nenets, Samoyed, and Komi peoples of northern Russia; Circassians of southern Russia and the North Caucasus, Crimean Tatars, and Sámi peoples of northern Norway, Sweden, and Finland and northwestern Russia.

Asia has one of the biggest diversity when it comes to indigenous people, and we can mention some example such as the Dzungar Oirats, which are indigenous to the Dzungaria in Northern Xinjiang in China, Pamiris from Xinjiang in China, Tibetans to Tibet, Nivkh people which are an ethnic group indigenous to Sakhalin, or The Assyrians are indigenous to Mesopotamia.

Historically, indigenous people have been subject of discrimination and racism. This has been materialized in the forms of killings, slavery, and some other forms which still remain today, such as social exclusion, poverty and given less opportunities.

However, the indigenous people in many forms are fighting these forms of oppression. Many indigenous movements and organizations have been and are still fighting for their cultures to be recognized, for an intercultural education and for land reforms. Movements in Mexico such as the Zapatista one and the Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional have been representatives of this struggle, which at some points have even taken the arms.

In some countries such as Bolivia, they have managed to fulfil many of their claims and even codify them in the Constitution of the Plurinational State of Bolivia in 2009, the legal text with highest hierarchy in the Bolivian State. This Constitution returns part of the sovereignty lost by the indigenous people ever since the Spanish conquest.

Roma people are an example of native people of India, which has not been recognized as such by the Indian state. Minority communities officially recognized in India includes Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Parsis and Jains. However, there is lots of evidence tracing Roma back to the northern Indian subcontinent, from the Rajasthan regions of modern-day India.

However, most Roma people are currently living outside India, all over the world. They managed to keep some of their elements associated with their early culture, but having such a big and diverse diaspora, throughout history they have also integrated into different societies. In this integration, which may be higher in some regions than others, they lost some of their elements due to the adaptation to the local culture.

Indigenous people are part of the world, and they are currently minorities in most cases in the lands that once were only populated by them. In order to achieve real equality, real inclusion and put an end to racism, the indigenous issue has to be tackled. Their history, values, customs and culture should be vindicated as they are part of the world’s multi-culturalism, and they should be granted opportunities to improve their position in current society, as all of the rest it is worthless if an indigenous kid dies out of malnutrition.