Myth: Ukrainians are the indigenous people of Ukraine.
True: Crimean Tatars, Karaites, Krymchaks are the indigenous peoples of Ukraine, Ukrainians are the titular nation.
On July 23, 2021, the Law of Ukraine On the Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine came into force. But what is this law about? Who are the indigenous peoples of Ukraine?
Many people believe that the indigenous people of Ukraine are, namely, Ukrainians and do not understand what the Crimean Tatars, Karaites and Krymchaks have to do with it. But in fact, this is a myth, and we will try to explain to you why.
Well, let’s see what signs an ethnic group should have in order to be recognized as an indigenous people. Three main criteria are generally recognized:
– an ethnic group does not have its own statehood;
– an ethnic group identifies itself as an indigenous people and seeks to preserve its identity;
– the ethnic group has strong historical and cultural ties with the territory of residence.
Based on this, we conclude that the Ukrainian people cannot be indigenous, since they have their own state. So, who are the Ukrainians?
Ukrainians are the titular nation, that is, the nation that formed the state.
And now let’s return to the aforementioned law of Ukraine On the Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine, which clearly states who are the indigenous peoples of our state – the Crimean Tatars, Karaites and Krymchaks. It was these peoples that were formed on the territory of the Crimean peninsula and have no other homeland except Crimea.
We hope that now you understand the difference between the titular nation and the indigenous peoples.