The terms "tribe", "native", "indigenous" etc.

[Hair Guru]

Can someone explain to me the difference between ethnicity and tribe? Or natives and non-natives?

Seems like whenever I read academic literature, I will see terms like "German ethnic group", or perhaps "English ethnic group", but when it comes to the "Global south", we hear terms like "Igbo tribe" or "Hutu tribe".

Why does one get called a tribe and the other an ethnic group? If anything, i have never heard the English or Irish call themselves "indigenous people" which is remarkable?

Furthermore, if you look at the term "native", we generally don't hear people or migrants call French people as "the native French people" or hear migrants call dutch people the "native dutch people". However, you will hear or read in articles or everyday conversation about foreigners or migrants referring to many communities in Africa as natives, ie. "native Kenyans" etc.

I always referred to somalis as an ethnic group that live in most countries in the HOA, however some communities in Africa refer to themselves as a tribe. Whats the difference?

Language is very powerful and its hard to not notice. Would love an explanation if you have read on this topic

 

[Apollo]

Tribe is for brown and black groups only, mostly. Although lately people are using this term to describe political factions and online polarization as well.

Indigenous is usually used for primitive groups that got conquered and are heavily outnumbered (Amerindians, Khoisan, Australian Aborigines etc.).

The terms native and ethnicity are generally used neutrally.

 

[Hair Guru]

Tribe is for brown and black groups only, mostly. Although lately people are using this term to describe political factions and online polarization as well.

Indigenous is usually used for primitive groups that got conquered and are heavily outnumbered (Amerindians, Khoisan, Australian Aborigines etc.).

The terms native and ethnicity are generally used neutrally.

Isn't it all a bit racist then? I mean, its not used neutrally imo, seems a bit like a diss

 

[Apollo]

Isn't it all a bit racist then? I mean, its not used neutrally imo, seems a bit like a diss

The last two? I don't think so.

Digital native
Native speaker
native born

etc etc.

It is used without bad connotations, unlike tribe.

 

[Hair Guru]

The last two? I don't think so.

Digital native
Native speaker
native born

etc etc.

It is used without bad connotations, unlike tribe.

I think it sort of is a bit of a diss.

For instance, when reading about migrant issues in Germany, we don't read in foreign English/Australian/Canadian articles things like "Native Germans are not pleased with rise of muslim migrants from war torn countries". It's more like "Germans are not happy with muslim migrants...".

Or another example , in WW2 critical analysis essays when discussing annexation of land or any other important historical event, you wont see sentences describing the situation as "Germans have unlawfully annexed land from the native French" by foreign European journalist.

However, if you read Europeans articles about the Ethio-Somali war for the Ogaden , many instead opt and choose terms such as "Somali natives", "Ogaden natives", "Ethiopian natives".

Maybe its because I have read a large bunch of historical analysis on events and documentaries that I've noticed a lot of strange terms excluded (native especially) when it comes to European historians/academics speaking on other European groups.

 

[Hair Guru]

There is even a reddit topic on this: how the term native is not used for Europeans by Europeans lol