the original governments of a place, still governing, despite everyone else's paperwork.
means self-governing peoples and their political communities who inhabited a territory before colonization and retain distinct sovereignty, culture, and law.
from from latin nasci, to be born — a nation was originally a people bound by birth and blood, not borders; long before european states existed, these were simply nations, full stop, until colonizers redefined nation to mean themselves and demoted everyone else to tribe.
navajo nation — 27000 square miles, its own courts, larger than 10 us states.
maori iwi — new zealand tribes with treaty-based parliamentary seats since 1867.
sami parliament — elected indigenous body across norway sweden finland since 1989.
haudenosaunee confederacy — six nations whose 1142-founded constitution influenced the us one.