indígena

indigenous, native

adjective een-DEE-heh-nah Less Common

Usage Note

Indígena is both adjective and noun (los indígenas, indigenous people) and is invariable for gender (el pueblo indígena, la comunidad indígena). It is the respectful, standard term in Spain and Latin America; indio can be perceived as pejorative. The accent falls on the antepenultimate syllable, making it a proparoxytone.

Examples

"La comunidad indígena protege sus tradiciones ancestrales."

Natural Translation

The indigenous community protects its ancestral traditions.

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