At present, the definition of Indigeneity has evolved to encompass broader aspects of Indigenous socio-cultural situations in the present world. Initially, the term Indigenous applies to the descendants of groups which occupied an ancestral territory at the time when other cultures settled, invaded or arrived to the same territory.

Also, it must be added that Indigenous peoples share cultural ,ethnic and religious traits that reflect their belonging to place. However, this definition poses problems as it relies more on ethnic or cultural "features" than on the way of life. Also, this definition is problematic because it is difficult to establish how long should an Indigenous population have llived i na territory to claim for Indigeneity.

Recent definitions of Indigeneity tend to emphasise Indigenous conceptualisation of the land as sentient. This definition allows to include not only hunter-gatherers but also agro-pastoralists and peasants who share (in addition to their cultural differences) a common understanding of land as humanised, which could be said to exist prior to industrialisation.

Finally, the previous definition allows for the inclusion of urban citizens of Indigenous descent and Indigenous peoples in diaspora as members of the group as the cognitive-cultural conceptualisation of the land as sentient is not incompatible with living in urban contexts as, after all, many "urban" Indigenous maintain a cultural connection with the "country" through their community.