Who is indigenous?
The people of Israel speak the language of this Land, follow the calendar of this Land, retell the myths and stories of this Land, tend and protect this Land, and have considered this Land their ancestral home for 3200+ years.
Most of their descendants were heavily colonized by the empires that came to this Land.
Some of their descendants were exiled from this Land but kept their language, calendar, and religion.
(Are they not indigenous?)
Some of their descendants were allowed to stay on this Land but were forced to adopt their colonizers’ language, calendar, religion, and politics.
(Are they not indigenous?)
Today I met a Native American woman of the Eastern Keresan in what is today called New Mexico, a student of her people’s traditions and an activist on their behalf – who speaks English (while studying Keres), uses the Gregorian calendar (and observes her traditional calendar), and believes in Christianity (as compatible with what she’s been taught of her people’s beliefs).
(Is she not indigenous?)
Hmmm…