As common as it is to accept a wide variety of species of plants and animals as indigenous, or naturalised to the biosphere on the island of Ireland, can we also understand humans who inhabit the island over successive generations as indigenous to it?

Primarily those who grow up, dwell, live, procreate and pass on within this biosphere are intricately part of it. The culture of ancestors, who have done similar over centuries, is passed on in traditional language, music, stories, crafts and other expressions, unique to these shores.

To realise indigeneity, as a way of being in the world, or to embody it, a commitment is made to connect with, preserve and protect Mother Earth, including her seas and waterways, as a complex living, sentient Being who provides the essentials of life for us. 

The cultural expressions uniting humans behind this commitment or belief system on this island clearly exist: Gaeilge, the Teanga- or native tongue- is full of the textures, words and idioms connecting to and evoking eco-systems thinking.

Claiming indigeneity on this island as future ancestors means living by indigenous values, modelling them for subsequent generations, and standing with indigenous peoples world-wide to protect, love and nurture healthy habitats.