About International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is observed on 9 August under UN General Assembly resolution 49/214 of 1994. The date marks the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations, held in Geneva in 1982. In India it is widely called Vishwa Adivasi Diwas or World Tribal Day and is marked by Adivasi and Scheduled Tribe communities. In 2027 it falls on Monday, 9 August 2027.
On 9 August in Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Bhopal and dozens of smaller towns, processions move through the streets with drums, dance and community flags. The signs say Vishwa Adivasi Diwas. The same date in the UN calendar is a rights day. In India it is both at once, and a greeting works better if you know which one the person in front of you means.
What is the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples?
It is a United Nations observance on 9 August, established by General Assembly resolution 49/214 of 23 December 1994. The date marks the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations, held in Geneva in 1982, which was the first UN body dedicated to these communities.
The UN counts roughly 476 million indigenous people in 90 countries. They are a small share of the world's population but make up about 15 per cent of the poorest, and they speak the majority of the world's estimated 7,000 languages. The UN picks a theme each year and holds an event at headquarters in New York.
In India the day is usually called Vishwa Adivasi Diwas or World Tribal Day. It is not a central government holiday. Jharkhand, where Scheduled Tribes are over a quarter of the state's population, has in recent years treated it as a state holiday, so check your own state list rather than assuming.
Who does the day cover in India?
In India the communities involved are officially the Scheduled Tribes, listed state by state under Article 342 of the Constitution. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs puts the Scheduled Tribe population at about 10.45 crore, roughly 8.6 per cent of the country, based on the 2011 Census, spread across more than 705 notified groups. Seventy-five of those are classified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, spread over 18 states and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The words people use for themselves differ, and using the wrong one is the commonest mistake in a greeting.
- Adivasi
- Literally "first inhabitants". The usual self-description in central, western and eastern India, and the word on most 9 August banners.
- Scheduled Tribe
- The legal category in the Constitution. It decides reservation, land protections and welfare entitlement, and it varies by state.
- Janjati
- The Hindi term used in official Indian usage, as in Janjatiya Gaurav Divas.
- Vanvasi
- "Forest dweller", used by some organisations. Many Adivasi groups reject it, arguing that it avoids the claim of being first inhabitants.
- Tribal or the community name
- In much of the North East, people use their own community name, such as Naga, Mizo, Khasi, Bodo or Ao, and may not use "Adivasi" at all.
- PVTG
- Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, a sub-category of 75 communities with small or declining populations and low literacy.
| Region | Some communities | How 9 August is usually marked |
|---|---|---|
| Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal | Santal, Munda, Oraon, Ho, Kharia | Large processions, Sarna prayers, community feasts, statewide programmes |
| Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh | Gond, Baiga, Bhil, Korku | Cultural programmes, Gondi language events, Pesa and forest rights meetings |
| Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra | Bhil, Warli, Rathwa, Gamit, Pawra | Rallies, Warli painting and dance displays, land rights gatherings |
| North East India | Naga, Mizo, Khasi, Garo, Bodo, Karbi | Observed unevenly; many communities mark their own days instead |
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Jarawa, Onge, Great Andamanese, Shompen | Little public observance; visitor contact with these groups is legally restricted |
Why is the word "indigenous" contested in India?
This is the part most greeting pages skip, and it is the reason Indian coverage of the day looks different from coverage elsewhere.
India voted in favour of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples when the General Assembly adopted it in 2007. At the same time, the Indian government's stated position at the UN is that the concept of indigenous peoples, as used internationally, does not apply to India. At the 22nd session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in April 2023, India's delegate said the concept was not applicable in the Indian context, arguing that the country's whole population at independence and their descendants could be considered indigenous, so the term does not single out any group.
Adivasi organisations and researchers disagree. They argue that India runs one of the world's largest systems of tribal recognition at home, through the Scheduled Tribes list and the Fifth and Sixth Schedules, while declining to accept the same communities as indigenous peoples in international law. Some also point out that Indian agencies use the international category in World Bank project documents.
India has its own official tribal day as well: Janjatiya Gaurav Divas on 15 November, which the Union Cabinet declared in 2021 on the birth anniversary of the Munda leader Birsa Munda.
What to write on World Indigenous Peoples Day
Wishing you a good Vishwa Adivasi Diwas. Hope the programme at home goes well and someone records the songs this year.
Happy World Indigenous Peoples Day. I read about the Santal script Ol Chiki this week because you mentioned it. Tell me more when you have time.
On World Indigenous Peoples Day, wishing your students a day of listening. Invite someone from the community to speak rather than speaking about them.
Solidarity on the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. Titles under the Forest Rights Act, one family at a time, is slow work and it matters.
Wishing you a good day on 9 August. Every word you record in a language with a few thousand speakers is one that does not disappear.
Best wishes to your members for Vishwa Adivasi Diwas. May the procession be large, the songs be loud and the demands be heard.
Do
- Use the community's own name if you know it, and Adivasi if you do not.
- Ask before photographing dancers, dress or ceremonies, and send the photos back to the people in them.
- Read something by an Adivasi writer on the day, such as Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar, Jacinta Kerketta or Temsula Ao.
- Credit and pay Adivasi artists properly for Warli, Gond, Saura and Sohrai work, which is widely copied without payment.
Avoid
- Don't call a community "primitive", "backward" or "simple". The legal term PVTG is a category, not a description of people.
- Avoid dressing up in tribal costume for a school event or office day; it reads as fancy dress.
- Don't assume every Adivasi person follows the same religion. Sarna, Donyi-Polo, Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism are all represented, sometimes within one family.
- Avoid using someone's community as a debate topic in a greeting.
Language work in India owes a great deal to Adivasi speakers. The Bhasha Research and Publication Centre in Baroda, founded in 1996 by G. N. Devy, set up the Adivasi Academy at Tejgadh and ran the People's Linguistic Survey of India from 2010 with about 3,500 volunteers, identifying 780 languages. A large share of those are spoken in tribal districts and appear in no census list of their own.
Related days on the site include Indigenous Faith Day, which Arunachal Pradesh marks on 1 December, International Mother Language Day on 21 February and Human Rights Day on 10 December.
How to wish someone on International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
A good message on this day names the community and lets its own words lead. Say Santal, Gond, Bhil, Munda, Oraon, Mizo, Ao, Bodo, rather than a blanket label. Many people mark the day as a celebration of language, dress and song; many others mark it as a demand for land, forest and language rights. Wishing someone well for their community's programme is safe. Explaining their identity to them is not.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + recipient language.
When is International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples in 2026 and 2027?
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is on 9 Aug every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
Frequently asked questions
When is International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples in 2027?
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2027 falls on Monday, 9 August 2027.
Why is World Indigenous Peoples Day on 9 August?
The UN General Assembly chose 9 August in resolution 49/214 of 23 December 1994 because it is the anniversary of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations, held in Geneva in 1982. That group was the first UN body set up specifically for these communities.
What is Vishwa Adivasi Diwas?
Vishwa Adivasi Diwas is the common Indian name for the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, observed on 9 August. Adivasi and Scheduled Tribe communities mark it with processions, dance, community prayers and meetings on land, forest and language rights.
Is 9 August a holiday in India?
It is not a central government holiday. Jharkhand has in recent years observed it as a state holiday, and some other states hold official programmes without closing offices, so the position varies from state to state.
Does India recognise indigenous peoples?
India voted for the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007 but has told the UN that the concept of indigenous peoples does not apply in the Indian context, on the argument that all Indians are descendants of the population present at independence. India instead uses the constitutional category of Scheduled Tribes, which Adivasi organisations argue should be recognised as indigenous under international law.
Should you say Adivasi or tribal?
Adivasi is the preferred self-description across central, western and eastern India, and it is the word on most 9 August banners. In much of the North East, people use their own community name and may not use Adivasi at all, so the safest approach is to use the specific community name if you know it.
What is the difference between this day and Janjatiya Gaurav Divas?
The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples on 9 August is a United Nations observance covering indigenous communities worldwide. Janjatiya Gaurav Divas on 15 November is an Indian national day declared by the Union Cabinet in 2021, on the birth anniversary of the tribal leader Birsa Munda.
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