It is important, however, to be mindful that in the context of, and for the purposes of the United Nations, the word “indigenous” does not mean “original” or “first.” Given that the UN and the international arena are where a great deal of interpretive work regarding nations and peoples called “Indigenous” occurs, it is important to deeply focus on the fact that the word “Indigenous” is accurately interpreted in the international context to mean “dominated peoples.”

Interpretation is greatly dependent on context and purpose. Thus, words or terms may be interpreted one way in a given context, and for a particular purpose, but interpreted in an altogether different manner in another context and when used for a different purpose.

When, for example, peoples in Africa interpreted their peoples as being held under the dominating and dehumanizing system of Apartheid, they did not respond by working toward a “UN Declaration on the Rights of Apartheid Peoples,” which would have merely enumerated their rights under Apartheid. Instead, they called for an end to Apartheid. It may be disconcerting for those accustomed to working in the international arena to realize it, but the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is synonymous with “the UN Declaration on the Rights of Dominated Peoples,” it enumerates rights under and within a seemingly invisible semantic framework of domination.