“Indigenous Peoples” is used in a generic sense to refer to a distinct social and cultural group possessing the following characteristics in varying degrees: self‑identification as Indigenous; historical continuity with pre‑colonial and/or pre‑settler societies; occupation of or a strong link to specific territories; distinct social, economic and political systems; distinct language, culture and beliefs; from non‑dominant sectors of society; and, resolved to maintain and reproduce their ancestral environments and distinctive identities.