Indigenous (from Latin indigena which means “native to the country”) refers to the earliest known people of a region or country. It is often used to describe the remaining population of a place that was colonized by a now-dominant group.
The indigenous population can be referred to as first peoples, first nations, native peoples, or autochthonous peoples (in reference to a specific location).
[Last updated in March of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]