Region
Oceania, Aotearoa and Australia
46 nations of Oceania, Aotearoa and Australia, each with its own name first and checked facts with sources.
46 nations
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Aṉangu
Also known as Pitjantjatjara
Lands Central Australia, including Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa in the Northern Territory and the APY Lands of South Australia
The park's board of management has 12 people, including eight Aboriginal members nominated by Traditional Owners.
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Arrernte
Also known as Aranda
Lands Alice Springs and surrounding lands in Central Australia, Northern Territory, Australia
Lhere Artepe Aboriginal Corporation, their native title body, looks after five Indigenous Land Use Agreements plus a land release agreement.
Source: Lhere Artepe Aboriginal Corporation (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Chuukese
Also known as Trukese
Lands Chuuk State in the Federated States of Micronesia, on the high islands of Chuuk Lagoon such as Weno, Tonoas, Uman and Fefan, and outlying atolls
Chuuk's state constitution says existing Chuukese custom and tradition shall be respected, and lets traditional leaders hold formal roles in government.
Source: Legal Information System of the Federated States of Micronesia (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Cook Islands Māori
Also known as Cook Islanders
Lands the Cook Islands, including Rarotonga and the Southern and Northern Group islands
Te Maeva Nui, held every early August, marks Cook Islands self-governance on 4 August and gathers communities from every island for song, dance, drumming and chant.
Source: Cook Islands Tourism Corporation (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Gadigal
Also known as Cadigal
Lands The southern side of Sydney Harbour (Port Jackson), from South Head to around Petersham, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Descendants of the Eora still live in Sydney today and proudly use the name Eora.
Source: City of Sydney (Sydney Barani) (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Gamilaraay
Also known as Kamilaroi
Lands North-central New South Wales into southern Queensland, Australia
The Australian National University teaches Gamilaraay as a heritage language that its custodians are actively reviving.
Source: Australian National University (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Gunantuna
Also known as Tolai
Lands the Gazelle Peninsula of New Britain Island, East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea
In 2016 a Queensland gallery commissioned A Bit na Ta, a collaborative work made with the wider Tolai community whose music carries the rhythms of Tolai life from 1875 to 1975.
Source: Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Gunditjmara
Lands South-west Victoria, including Budj Bim and Tae Rak (Lake Condah), Australia
Budj Bim, on Gunditjmara Country, holds one of the largest and oldest aquaculture networks in the world and joined UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2019.
Source: Glenelg Hopkins Catchment Management Authority (Victoria) (opens in a new tab) Checked
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I-Kiribati
Also known as Gilbertese
Lands the Republic of Kiribati in the central Pacific, across the Gilbert, Phoenix and Line Islands
In 2010 the Phoenix Islands Protected Area, about 408,250 square kilometres of ocean and islands, became the first World Heritage site in Kiribati.
Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre (opens in a new tab) Checked
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iTaukei
Also known as Indigenous Fijians
Lands Fiji
About 91 percent of all the land in Fiji is iTaukei land, owned by iTaukei landowning groups.
Source: iTaukei Land Trust Board (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Kanak
Lands New Caledonia, including Grande Terre and the Loyalty Islands
Since 2016 every pupil in New Caledonia must be taught the fundamentals of Kanak culture, and every school must offer teaching in Kanak languages.
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Kaurna
Lands The Adelaide Plains of South Australia, from around Crystal Brook in the north, bounded by the Mount Lofty Ranges to the east, Australia
Requests for Kaurna names and translations all go through Kaurna Warra Karrpanthi, an Aboriginal corporation.
Source: State Library of South Australia (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Kosraeans
Lands Kosrae, an island state in the east of the Federated States of Micronesia, with the municipalities of Lelu, Malem, Tafunsak and Utwe
In 2017 Kosraean elders proposed protecting Kosrae's mountain range, seen as the figure Mahkontowe, now the Mahkontowe Conservation Area under Kosrae State law.
Source: Kosrae Island Resource Management Authority (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Larrakia
Lands The Darwin region, from Cox Peninsula in the west to Gunn Point in the north, Northern Territory, Australia
Larrakia Nation is one of the largest private sector employers of Aboriginal people in Darwin.
Source: Larrakia Nation Aboriginal Corporation (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Mā'ohi
Also known as Maohi
Lands French Polynesia, including Tahiti and the other islands of its five archipelagos
UNESCO honours mā'ohi skill in sailing outrigger canoes across long stretches of ocean, navigating by observing natural phenomena.
Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Marshallese
Also known as Ri-Majel
Lands the atolls and islands of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, including Majuro
Waan Aelõñ in Majel, Canoes of the Marshall Islands, is a Majuro program that trains young Marshallese women and men in skills for a sustainable future.
Source: Waan Aelõñ in Majel (WAM) (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Meriam
Also known as Meriam Le
Lands Mer (Murray Island) and nearby islands in the eastern Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia
Meriam Mir is the traditional language of Mer, an island in the far east of the Torres Strait from which the Great Barrier Reef can be seen.
Source: Tagai State College (Queensland Department of Education) (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Moriori
Lands Rēkohu and Rangihaute (the Chatham and Pitt Islands), Aotearoa New Zealand
Moriori are the Indigenous people of Rēkohu and Rangihaute, the Chatham Islands, and are represented by the Hokotehi Moriori Trust.
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Nauruans
Lands the island of Nauru, officially styled Naoero, in the central Pacific
Nauru's government now presents the country as the Republic of Naoero on its official website.
Source: Government of the Republic of Nauru (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Ngāi Tahu
Also known as Kāi Tahu
Lands Te Waipounamu (the South Island), Aotearoa New Zealand
There are 18 Papatipu Rūnanga, local Ngāi Tahu councils, spread throughout Te Waipounamu, the South Island.
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Ngāi Tūhoe
Also known as Tūhoe
Lands Te Urewera, in the eastern North Island, Aotearoa New Zealand
A Treaty settlement signed in 2013 provided for Te Urewera, the Tūhoe homeland, to have its own law and a separate legal identity, governed by Tūhoe and Crown nominees.
Source: Te Kāhui Whakatau (Treaty Settlements), New Zealand Government (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Ngāti Porou
Lands Te Tairāwhiti, the East Coast of the North Island, from Pōtikirua to Te Toka-a-Taiau, Aotearoa New Zealand
The Ngāti Porou pepeha names Hikurangi as their mountain and Waiapu as their river.
Source: Te Rūnanganui o Ngāti Porou (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei
Lands Central Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), Aotearoa New Zealand
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei's shared affairs are looked after by their Trust and two subsidiaries: Whai Māia, the social arm, and Whai Rawa, the commercial arm.
Source: Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Trust (opens in a new tab) Checked
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ni-Vanuatu
Lands the islands of the Republic of Vanuatu in the south-west Pacific, including Malakula and the central and northern islands
Vanuatu Cultural Centre fieldworkers, or filwokas, are volunteers nominated by their communities across the islands to promote, protect and preserve kastom.
Source: Journal of Pacific Archaeology (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Niueans
Lands the island of Niue in the South Pacific, with villages such as Alofi, Mutalau and Toi
Fale Tāoga Niue, home of the Niue National Museum, opened on 19 October 2018, the anniversary of the Niue Constitution Celebrations.
Source: Tāoga Niue (Government of Niue) (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Noongar
Also known as Nyungar
Lands The south-west of Western Australia, including the Perth region, Australia
The South West Native Title Settlement covers about 200,000 square kilometres and affects an estimated 40,000 Noongar people.
Source: South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Palauans
Lands the Republic of Palau in the western Pacific, with 16 states on Babeldaob, Koror and other islands
Palauans still use the Rock Islands Southern Lagoon, a World Heritage site since 2012, for cultural purposes under a traditional governance system.
Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Papuan peoples
Also known as Indigenous Papuans
Lands The Papua region of Indonesia, the western half of the island of New Guinea
Men and women in Papua use the noken to carry garden produce, and it may also be worn at festivities or given as a peace offering.
Source: UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Pohnpeians
Lands Pohnpei State in the Federated States of Micronesia, on Pohnpei island and its outlying atolls
Nan Madol, a World Heritage site since 2016, is traditionally owned and managed under the Nahnmwarki system, a chiefly institution that continues in Pohnpei today.
Source: UNESCO World Heritage Centre (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Rapa Nui
Also known as Easter Islanders
Lands Rapa Nui (Easter Island), in the south-eastern Pacific, Chile
Tapati Rapa Nui, the island's main cultural festival, filled two weeks of February 2026 with ancestral competitions, arts and celebrations of Rapa Nui identity, language and traditions.
Source: Ministerio de las Culturas, las Artes y el Patrimonio (Chile) (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Refaluwasch
Also known as Carolinians
Lands Saipan and other islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a United States commonwealth in the western Pacific
In December 2020 the Matawal Wóól Display Hall opened with photos and crafts made by students of the Tepengi Kkosch Refaluwasch culture program.
Source: CNMI Carolinian Affairs Office (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Rotumans
Lands the island of Rotuma and its islets, about 500 km north of Fiji's main islands, and communities across Fiji
In 2023 Fiji's President said some 2,000 Rotumans live on Rotuma, with more than 10,000 living elsewhere in Fiji.
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Samoans
Also known as Samoan people of Samoa
Lands the Independent State of Samoa, on Upolu, Savai'i and nearby islands
Women and master weavers have formed fine mat committees in their villages, and more young women, and some men, now weave the 'ie Samoa.
Source: UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Te Arawa
Lands Rotorua and the Rotorua lakes district, Bay of Plenty, Aotearoa New Zealand
Rotorua was declared New Zealand's first bilingual district in 2017, and the council has since worked with Te Tatau o Te Arawa on changes like bilingual road signs.
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Tiwi
Lands The Tiwi Islands (Bathurst and Melville Islands), about 80 km north of Darwin in the Arafura Sea, Northern Territory, Australia
The Tiwi Land Council listed the 2026 Tiwi Cultural Festival and Football Grand Final for Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 July.
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Tokelauans
Lands the three atolls of Tokelau, Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo, in the South Pacific
In Tokelau the Taupulega, the village councils of elders, remain the ultimate source of authority, and they grant the General Fono its powers.
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Tongans
Lands the Kingdom of Tonga in the South Pacific, including Tongatapu, Vava'u, Ha'apai, 'Eua and the Niuas
Tonga's 2021 census counted 100,179 people in the kingdom, a young population with a median age of 19 for males and 22 for females.
Source: Tonga Statistics Department (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Torres Strait Islanders
Lands the islands of the Torres Strait between Cape York and Papua New Guinea, in Queensland, Australia, and the Northern Peninsula Area
The Torres Strait Regional Authority, an Australian Government body set up on 1 July 1994, counts recognising and maintaining Torres Strait Islander Ailan Kastom among its functions.
Source: Torres Strait Regional Authority (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Tuvaluans
Lands the nine islands of Tuvalu in the central Pacific, including Funafuti
Tuvaluan has eight dialects from eight of the islands, and the name Tuvalu joins tu, to stand, with valu, eight.
Source: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Waikato-Tainui
Also known as Waikato
Lands The Waikato region of the North Island, Aotearoa New Zealand
Waikato-Tainui describes itself as a growing tribe of over 90,000 people, voyagers and pioneers like their ancestors.
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Whanganui Iwi
Also known as Whanganui
Lands The Whanganui River, from the mountains to the sea, North Island, Aotearoa New Zealand
Since 2017, New Zealand law has recognised the Whanganui River, Te Awa Tupua, as a legal person, with a guardian office that acts as its human face.
Source: OsloMet (Oslo Metropolitan University), River Rights project (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Wiradjuri
Also known as Wiradyuri
Lands Central New South Wales, the country of the Wambool (Macquarie), Kalari (Lachlan) and Murrumbidjeri (Murrumbidgee) rivers, Australia
A Charles Sturt University course shaped by Wiradjuri Elders works to build a living community of Wiradjuri speakers; it won a 2019 MacJannet Prize.
Source: Talloires Network of Engaged Universities (Tufts University) (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung
Also known as Wurundjeri
Lands Melbourne and surrounding lands, including the Birrarung (Yarra River), Victoria, Australia
Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people are the Traditional Custodians of Melbourne and the lands around it.
Source: Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Yapese
Lands the main islands of Yap (Yap, Gagil, Tomil and Rumung) in Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia
Yapese have long been seafarers who sailed vast distances across the Pacific, and in recent times canoes from Yap have sailed to the Marianas, Okinawa and Palau.
Source: Legal Information System of the Federated States of Micronesia (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Yawuru
Lands Broome (Rubibi) and the surrounding lands and seas, Kimberley, Western Australia, Australia
Nine Yawuru adults completed the first full-time course of Walalangga Yawuru Ngan-ga, a two year adult language program.
Source: Yawuru (Nyamba Buru Yawuru) (opens in a new tab) Checked
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Yolŋu
Also known as Yolngu
Lands North-east Arnhem Land, including the Gove Peninsula, Northern Territory, Australia
Dedicated in 2000, Dhimurru became the Northern Territory's first Indigenous Protected Area and the first IPA to cover sea country as well as land.