This term belongs to the category of well-known. It is actively used both in scientific circulation and in colloquial vocabulary. Meanwhile, not everyone has a clear idea of its original origin and semantic shades. Therefore, there is reason to think about the question: aborigines - who are they? And how are they different from other population groups?
From the history of civilization
The population of territories and continents has never been stable. Over the centuries, there have been processes of displacement of significant ethnic groups to new habitats. This process is due to a number of economic and political reasons. People fled from hunger, wars and epidemics, or simply looked for new habitats that favorably differed in climate and the possibility of increasing prosperity. And on the way of immigrants almost always met the so-called "natives". These are people who have previously lived in the area. Relationships with them were different. Sometimes they were quite peaceful. But during the period of the colonial division of the world, from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, these relations often acquired the character of an armed conflict. For the colonialists, the natives are, first of all, those who prevented them from seizing new lands.
From the history of the term
The very name of the indigenous peoples is quite ancient, the word was used even before the Christian civilization. This term, like much in scientific and professional vocabulary, is of Latin origin. Aborigines are those who already lived in those territories before they were taken under control by the legions from the "capital of the world". The Roman Empire is long gone, but the term has outlived it for a long time and is widely used. It can be heard both in modern political practice and in scientific circulation. Often it is used in a variety of figurative meanings. Has this word and synonyms. Aborigines are the same people who are designated by the terms "autochthonous" and "natives". Also, the commonly used global designation for Aboriginal people is the phrase "indigenous peoples".
Natives of the New World
Indigenous peoples are most often remembered when it comes to the history of the development of North America. Perhaps nowhere was the fate of the natives so sad as in the continental United States. The population of the vast territories of the American continent was actually destroyed by the European civilization approaching from across the ocean. And not always the American Indians were subjected to physical extermination. Mostly they died out from expulsion from their original habitats and forced separation from the traditional way of life. This inevitably led to the abuse of alcohol brought by white people. And as a result - to social and personal degradation withsubsequent degeneration. The situation was not the best for the natives during the development of the Australian continent.
Significantly happier was the fate of the indigenous population of South America. The natives of the Amazon today constitute a very significant ethnic group in terms of numbers on the continent. Moreover, they live mainly in the same natural habitat as many generations of their ancestors, while maintaining their language, cultural, religious and everyday traditions. Among other things, they attract numerous tourists from all over the world to the continent. Aboriginal people, whose photos adorn the promotional materials of many tourist structures, are one of the main attractions of South America.
Aborigines in Russia
The fate of the indigenous peoples, who traditionally lived in the northeastern expanses of the Russian Empire, was much more prosperous. It cannot be said that the colonization of Siberia took place completely without conflict. Many conquerors of the trans-Ural expanses, such as Yermak, periodically entered into armed conflicts with the natives. But still, most of the indigenous peoples integrated into Russia quite voluntarily. A lot was done for their development and well-being both in pre-revolutionary times and in the Soviet period of history. But at the same time, the number of indigenous peoples of the north has a steady downward trend. Not all of these people want to preserve the traditional way of life, many choose the path of assimilation and gradual dissolution in largerethnic groups.
