hey guys! i have a (relatively short) essay coming up here in a couple weeks for my anthropology class where we’re supposed to research any indigenous group and write about their language, ethnic identity, economy, political system, kinship, marriage, religion, art, issues they’ve faced due to globalization, and how anthropologists are working with this group. this kinda feels like a weird (and maybe insensitive) question to ask so i’m sorry if the way i’m framing it comes off strange, but does anyone know of any specific indigenous peoples that you’d recommend for me to study? they can be from anywhere, the americas, the arctic, africa, oceania, etc. thanks in advance
If you want an absolute softball, the Kanienkehaka (Mohawk) people are probably one of the best-documented Indigenous groups. They have a semi-oral tradition that vaguely reverse-civilized the European settlers, they were the "border-keepers" for Iroquoian peoples and as such had huge amounts of trade and negotiating and influence in the early colonial world, their lands straddle the US-Canadian border, and to this day they have notable struggles like the Oka crisis.
You could probably find a lot about the Tohono O'odham too, some of their struggles have been higher-profile over the past 5 years. Lesser-known amongst first nations in America, but not for lack of substance.
The Pur'epecha have maintained a lot of their distinction over the centuries and have won a lot of fascination from all different kinds of people. The recent history of Cherán would be a really cool thing to spotlight.
There's a wealth of information out there on the Aymara, the people that originated the Wiphala flag that has become a big part of Bolivian politics and a symbol for indigenous peoples across the Americas.
From medieval times to today there's been a lot of contact with the Kabyle people, who have remained very influential throughout the history of Algeria as we know it.
The Euskara (Basque) would be a really fun one, from a lot of angles.
Most people have a blind spot where the Yezidi people are, but surrounding empires have noticed them for many centuries and there's a lot that makes them really interesting.