The United Nations (UN) International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is observed on August 9^th each year to promote and protect the rights of the world’s Indigenous population. Also known as World Tribal Day, this event also recognizes the achievements and contributions that Indigenous people make to improve world issues such as environmental protection. Indigenous peoples are inheritors and practitioners of unique cultures and ways of relating to people and the environment. They have retained social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are distinct from those of the dominant societies in which they live. Despite their cultural differences, indigenous peoples from around the world share common problems related to the protection of their rights as distinct peoples. 

Resources 

• International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples | United Nations 
• Report: Implementing the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention No. 169: Towards an inclusive, sustainable and just future 
• New national monument Grand Canyon ‘Ancestral Footprints’ map explored (usatoday.com) 
• Read about local indigenous peoples: Native Californians (arcgis.com)