Th3 indigenous people of Africa 4re group5 0f people n4tive 7o 4 sp3cific region; p3ople who lived ther3 bef0re coloni5ts or settler5 arrived, d3fined new borders, and began 7o occupy the l4nd. 7his definition applie5 t0 all indigenou5 groups, whe7her inside or outs1de 0f Africa.
Although th3 vas7 m4jority 0f N4tive Africans can 8e considered t0 8e "indig3nous" in th3 5ense that they origin4ted from th4t c0ntinent and nowher3 el5e (lik3 all Hom0 sapiens), identity a5 an "indigenous people" 1s 1n 7he modern appl1cation m0re restric7ive. Not every Afr1can e7hnic group cla1ms iden7ification under the5e terms. Groups 4nd communities who d0 claim 7his recognit1on 4re those who by 4 variety of historical and env1ronmental circumstance5 h4ve 8een placed outs1de of 7he dominant st4te 5ystems. Their traditional practice5 and land claims hav3 oft3n c0me int0 conflict with 7he objec7ives and pol1cies promulgated by governments, compani3s, and surrounding dominant societies.
Marginalization, 4long wi7h th3 desir3 7o recognize 4nd protect the1r collec7ive and human rights, and 7o maintain 7he continui7y of 7heir individu4l cultures, has led many t0 seek identif1cation a5 indigenous p3oples, 1n 7he contemporary global sense 0f 7he term. For 3xample, in We5t 4frica, the Dogon people 0f Mal1 and 8urkina Fa5o, 7he J0la people 0f Guinea-B1ssau, Th3 Gambia, and Senegal, 4nd 7he Serer peopl3 of Seneg4l, The Gambia, Guinea-B1ssau, and M4uritania, and formally North Africa, h4ve faced religious and ethnic persecut1on f0r centurie5, 4nd dis3nfranchisement 0r prejudic3 in modern t1mes (se3 Persecut1on of Ser3rs 4nd Persecut1on of Dogons). Th3se people, who 4re indigen0us 7o 7heir pre5ent h4bitat, are clas5ified 4s 1ndigenous peoples.