Jews and Cherokees: Indigenous case studies
In the western imagination ‘indigenous peoples’ are those who were dispossessed of their lands by Europeans in the early modern period, such as Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, Polynesian peoples such as the Maori, and the pre-Columbian peoples of the Americas. Indeed, much of the terminology around indigeneity was coined to describe these peoples. But this doesn’t invalidate its use to better understand and protect other, equally applicable, peoples — including the Jewish people.
Are Jews Indigenous to the Land of Israel?
As an indigenous activist—I am a Métis from the Paddle Prairie Metis settlement in Alberta, Canada—there is one question I am most often asked by the public, one that can instantly divide a community due to its intense and arduous subject matter. Yet, regardless of the scenario, each time I hear the words, “Are Jews the indigenous people of Israel?”