Indigenous Peoples: Those people native to a particular country or region. In the case of the United States and its territories, this includes Native Hawaiians, Alaska Natives, Pacific Islanders, and American Indians.
Additional terminology for consideration; information taken from The Inclusive Language Handbook by Jackie Ferguson and Roxanne Bellamy:
Why Indian is not inclusive: “In the United States, using the term Indian to describe Indigenous people took root when Christopher Columbus mistook the Caribbean islands for those in the Indian Ocean. Although this term is still commonly heard today, it is also often associated with the subjugation and decimation of Indigenous people and cultures that began when Europeans arrived in the Americas and continued after the formation of the United States. Note that, in writing, it is correct to capitalize the word ‘Indigenous’ when referring to a specific group or person, just as you would capitalize other ethnic and cultural identities, like Black or Jewish.” (p. 42)
More inclusive terminology:
- Indigenous: Descriptor for a group of people who are native to a specific region.
- Native American: Any person indigenous to North, Central or South America, especially used to refer to folks indigenous to the United States.
- Refer to a person’s specific tribe.
Visit our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Glossary of Terms for more.
