Indigenous peoples of the Americas
Also known as American Indians, Native Americans, Amerindians, Indigenous Americans
peoples indigenous to the Western Hemisphere
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Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the original inhabitants of North, Central, and South America and their descendants who have maintained distinct cultures and communities. Understanding their histories, contributions, and ongoing presence matters because they shaped the continents for thousands of years before European contact and continue to play important roles in their societies today.
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The Indigenous peoples of the Americas are the peoples who are native to the Americas or the Western Hemisphere. Their ancestors are among the pre-Columbian population of South or North America, including Central America and the Caribbean. Indigenous peoples live throughout the Americas. While often minorities in their countries, Indigenous peoples are the majority in Greenland and close to a majority in Bolivia and Guatemala.
There are at least 1,000 different Indigenous languages of the Americas still in use in the 21st century. Some languages, including Quechua, Arawak, Aymara, Guaraní, Nahuatl, and some Mayan languages, have millions of speakers and are recognized as official by governments in Bolivia, Peru, Paraguay, and Greenland.