alkuperäiset
Alkuperäiset is a Finnish adjective meaning indigenous or original, used to describe groups whose cultures and populations predate the formation of modern states in a region. Noun forms include alkuaeräiskansa (indigenous peoples), alkuaeräisasukas (indigenous inhabitant), and alkuaeräisväestö (indigenous population). In policy, anthropology and law, the term signals a connection to ancestral lands, distinct cultural traditions, languages, and social structures that persist despite historical colonization or state-building processes.
In Finnish contexts the concept often aligns with international definitions of indigeneity. The phrase alkuaeräiskansat is
Internationally, indigeneity is connected to rights-based frameworks that emphasize self-determination, land rights, cultural and linguistic preservation,
See also: Sámi, indigenous peoples, language rights, land rights.