Dispossession of indigenous groups

Dispossessed tribes

Nature

Indigenous groups may be deprived of land (especially arable land) and resettled onto marginal lands, or into a condition of homelessness. In the process the relationship to their sacred sites may be broken, their valued cultural artefacts (through which their collective identity is articulated) may be scattered or acquired by collectors, to whom they may be forced to sell. Their local knowledge may result in patenting of products from which they do not benefit. In this process their particular language may be endangered to the point of extinction.

Background

The global significance of indigenous dispossession emerged in the late 20th century, as international forums such as the United Nations began documenting land loss, cultural erasure, and legal marginalization faced by indigenous peoples. Landmark reports, including the 1987 UN Study on Indigenous Populations, highlighted recurring patterns across continents. Growing advocacy and scholarship have since deepened understanding of dispossession’s enduring impacts, prompting international legal instruments like the 2007 UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Incidence

Dispossession of indigenous groups remains a pervasive global issue, affecting millions across continents including the Americas, Australia, Africa, and Asia. Large-scale land seizures, resource extraction, and forced relocations continue to undermine indigenous rights, livelihoods, and cultural survival. Despite international legal frameworks, such as the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, reports indicate ongoing violations, with indigenous communities disproportionately impacted by development projects, deforestation, and climate change adaptation measures.
In 2023, the Maasai people in Tanzania faced forced evictions from ancestral lands in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Authorities justified the action as necessary for wildlife conservation, but human rights organizations documented violence and loss of homes among the Maasai.

Claim

Language and land are considered by most dispossessed indigenous peoples as equally constitutive of their identity as soveriegn peoples, and of their right to live as such.