Selfdesignations

Self-designations are the names that groups use to identify themselves. They can refer to a people, a community, or a broader cultural or political identity. Self-designations may be expressed in a group's own language or in another language encountered through contact, and they can refer to language, territory, ancestry, or shared practices. They are a core aspect of group identity and can function in social, political, and cultural contexts.

Self-designations are often autonyms or endonyms—the names a group uses for itself. This contrasts with exonyms or ethnonyms coined by outsiders. The choice of self-designation can reflect history, sovereignty, and beliefs about inclusivity or exclusivity, and it may evolve over time through negotiation within the group and with external actors.

Used in governance, education, media, and everyday speech, self-designations can validate political claims such as nationhood, autonomous governance, or cultural recognition. They shape rights, representation, and relationships to land and resources. Self-designations may be contested when groups disagree about scope, inclusivity, or authenticity, or when outsiders appropriate terms without consent.

Examples vary by region and history. Some groups use terms from their own language that translate as "the people" or "our homeland." Others adopt broad terms like "First Nations" or "Indigenous" in official or academic contexts. In linguistics and policy, self-designations interact with standardization, translation, and debates over gender-inclusive forms or regional variants.