Aboriginal People

The term ‘Aboriginal people’ is used to indicate groups of people who are Indigenous to the land. Its official definitions vary between countries, nations, and clans. Aboriginality tends to be determined based on enduring traditions and the continuity of culture and heritage. For instance, a United Nations Indigeneity definition refers to Indigenous people as ‘inheritors and practitioners of unique cultures and ways of relating to people and the environment, [who] have retained social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live’ (UN DESA, n.d.). This entry looks at who is considered Aboriginal or Indigenous in various parts of the world and then discusses their representation in the overall population and in higher education and their ...