Етничке мањине и домородачки народи – сличности и разлике
Ethnic Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – Similarities and Differences

Summary/Abstract: The status of ethnic (national) minorities and indigenous peoples could, generally speaking, be described as minority position. Both categories have certain ethnic, cultural, linguistic, historical and other peculiarities and the desire to preserve them, both of them are actually or potentially endangered in the sense that they are facing threat of forceful or at least natural assimilation; etc. Nevertheless, correctly pointing out that they are the aborigine people from whom the newcomers took away the land and imposed on them their own social organization and culture, the indigenous peoples succeeded in their efforts to ensure their legal and actual position being considered separately. The first part of the article points to certain similarities that exist between ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples, such as: being domestic citizens; possession of ethnic, cultural and other characteristics and the will to preserve them; unfavorable treatment; the secession problem. The second part deals first deals with factual or actual differences between ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples (number, autochthonousness, permanence of status, degree of exposure to unfavorable treatment and violence, lifestyle, lack of one’s own state) and after that turns attention to differences in their legal position (definition, regulation of status by international law, rights and obligations, international bodies for protection, other issues). The conclusion is that besides many similarities, different categories are in question, which are rightfully expected and deserve somewhat different treatment and international legal and other protection.

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