What does "Indigenous" mean to you?

[Maximilian Forte]

Indigenous can be read in many different ways. Some link the idea of indigenous to notions of race, to being "Amerindian", to ideas of ancient ancestry that predates that of all other groups resident in a given territory. Others see indigenous as being local, as belonging here, as being native in a broad sense.

Sometimes the differences in these ideas of indigenous can occasion real struggles, for example, the way the Guyanese Organisation of Indigenous People wants the Guyanese Government to stop using the term Amerindian (as in Minister of Amerindian Affairs) and to use the term indigenous when speaking only of those who have been called Amerindian. The government refuses, thus far, saying that all Guyanese are indigenous, as in native, as in born in Guyana and belonging in Guyana.

There doesn't appear to be a "correct" answer here that everyone will agree with, let alone a simple solution. I think the best we can do is to fully air all possible sides on this issue. Can "indigenous" in the Caribbean today really be a matter of "race"? Is indigenous rooted in DNA percentages? What do you think?

[Keiahani]

Indigenous: produced naturally in a country. This is from:

Latin: indigena - native, marking the bounds or limits within which.

Which derives from: genere - begotten/beget
and indi - strengthen : Hence strongly begotten or to strongly beget

then: beget - bigitan, to find} Hence to be/feel strongly found

[SunBow]

I think we should be mindfull when it comes to such things as labels the terms we use allways seem to alienate someone. To be indigenous to me in actuallaty is just a term which in truth is nonsensical, as we are all in truth indigenous to somewhere.. but the blood that runs through my veins constantly reminds me of the places my ancestors have been and will go to. I am proud to be aware that my native amerindains where people of vision and respect for the there enviroment and that my thinking is a test to the strengh of my ancestrol spirit. Through me and my bloodline I know that a culture that was surposed to of been cut of at the head still survives and dances through me I dont feel like a have dual heritage the european in me dances well with the african in me which in turn compliments my amerindain ancestry quite well.