[A] access [B] conquer [C] defeat [D] distinct [E] majority

[F] minority [G] normally [H] original [I] previous [J] properly

[K] represent [L] self-identify [M] sources [N] surroundings [O] total

Since 1994 the UN has decided to set 9 August as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. They can celebrate it with special events, conferences and meetings. Indigenous people are the first people to live in a particular place—the【C1】_____population that first created a community on that land before other people came to live in,【C2】__or colonise the area. People【C3】_____as indigenous, which means they decide for themselves whether they consider themselves to be indigenous.

There are more than 350 million indigenous people living in 90 countries. They【C4】_____5000 different cultures and speak the great【C5】_____of the thousands of languages that are spoken around the world today.

Indigenous communities often have【C6】_____beliefs, culture and customs. Many indigenous people still live in very close contact with the land, with a respect for and understanding of their natural【C7】_____.

Indigenous peoples are not the dominant groups in the societies they live in. The dominant groups are the people that arrived later. This means that indigenous peoples have suffered from many problems related to a lack of economic power, social protection and political representation. Although indigenous peoples make up less than five per cent of the world’s【C8】_____population, they stand for 15 percent of the world’s poorest people. They are more likely to have limited【C9】__to healthcare and education, and members of indigenous communities live shorter lives than non-indigenous groups. Their languages are not【C10】_____taught in schools, and many of these languages are in danger of disappearing. It is estimated that one indigenous language is lost every two weeks.

【C2】