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Aborigines (adjective: aboriginal) are in general the peoples who were the first inhabitants of a land, or with some identified pre-existing or prior association to a land (see indigenous peoples). Other similar descriptions include native peoples, tribal peoples, First Peoples, First Nations and autochthonous.

Various meanings

The term Aborigine can mean:

Generally

• Aborigine, the peoples who were the first inhabitants of a land, or with some identified pre-existing or prior association to a land.

Specific cultural groups referred to as Aborigines

Peoples commonly (but perhaps not neutrally) referred to as Aborigine (by English speakers) notably include:

Canada

• Aboriginal peoples in Canada, indigenous peoples recognized in the Canadian Constitution Act, 1982.

Taiwan

• Taiwanese aborigines, the indigenous peoples of Taiwan.

Australia

• Indigenous Australians, also referred to as Australian Aborigines are the people who lived in the Australia and its nearby islands before the arrival of European settlers in 1788. The Australian Aborigines continue to exist as a political, and cultural, ethnological and sociological group. It is believed their ancestors had first arrived on the continent by at least 40,000 years ago (most widely-held conservative view); other scholars place the arrival at 50,000 years ago or even considerably earlier.

Word origin

The word derives from the Latin: ab origine, "from the origin"; applied originally to refer to the inhabitants of the region of Latium or more generally Italy as a whole, and thereafter to indigenous inhabitants of any given region.

see also:

Indigenous peoples for more information about these and other aboriginal or indigenous peoples, as well as discussion on some common themes.

• Indigenous peoples
• Signpost articles