Apologies to Indigenous peoples refer to apologies extended by political leaders or representatives, acting on behalf of a political entity or nation, to acknowledge and express remorse for a mass atrocity that has been committed against Indigenous peoples.
Background
During the era of colonization, European empires colonized territories inhabited by Indigenous peoples and the colonies created new countries that would contain Indigenous peoples within their new political borders. In such processes, there were a series of atrocious crimes against Indigenous populations. Given that the dominant group has held political and economic power, these facts had not been officially investigated and recognized.
During colonialism, many Western officials have expressed concerns, enacted laws to protect Indigenous peoples, and have punished a few colonial agents for some of their colonial atrocities. Widely known examples are the Laws of Burgos and the New Laws in the Spanish Empire, which were poorly implemented. On occasion, some Indigenous government agencies committed atrocities, as is the case of the Indian Protection Service in Brazil as described in the Figueiredo Report, or the Office of Indigenous Affairs in the United States, who acknowledged its systemic shortcomings.
Indigenous groups have publicly requested apologies from a number of states and Christian churches for their historical or contemporary role in atrocities committed against Indigenous peoples. No country has ever voluntarily acknowledged committing genocide.
In 2023 Indigenous leaders from Antigua and Barbuda, Aotearoa (New Zealand), Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines issued an open letter. The signed letter requests King Charles III to acknowledge at his coronation the "horrific impacts" of colonization.
Apologies to Indigenous peoples
Government apologies to Indigenous peoples
In recent decades governments have acknowledged past atrocities or apologized for the policies of previous governments. In their apologies, some state officials do not always agree with scholarly characterization of the atrocities.
| From | To | Scope | Year of apology | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Toba and Mocoví | Napalpí massacre, 1924 | 2022 | |
| Australia | Indigenous peoples | Stolen generations, 1905-1970s | 2008 | |
| Belgium | Belgian Congo | Colonial abuse | 2020 | |
| Canada | Indigenous peoples | Canadian Indian residential school system, 1867-1998 | 2008, 2017 | |
| Canada | Inuit | Forced relocation, mistreatment, dog slayings | 2019, 2024 | |
| California | Indigenous peoples | California genocide, 1846-1873 | 2019 | |
| Catalonia | Indigenous peoples | Colonial abuse in Mexican conquest | 2019 | |
| Chile | Mapuche | Colonial abuse | 2017 | |
| Germany | Tanzania | Colonial killings | 2023 | |
| Germany | Herero and Nama | Herero and Nama genocide, 1904-8 | 2021 | |
| Mexico | Maya peoples | Historical injustice and contemporary discrimination | 2021 | |
| Mexico | Yaqui | Marginalization, injustice and abuse | 2021 | |
| Netherlands | Suriname | Slave trade and atrocities committed against the Indigenous populations | 2023 | |
| Netherlands | Indonesia | Excessive violence, 1945-1949 | 2020 | |
| Netherlands | Indonesia | Rawagede massacre | 2011 | |
| New Zealand | Moriori | Expropriation, slavery, and treaty breaking | 2020 | |
| Norway | Sámi | Norwegianization (forced assimilation) | 1997, 2024 | |
| El Salvador | Indigenous peoples | Oppression and extermination | 2010 | |
| United Kingdom | Tainui | Land appropriation and invasion | 1995 | |
| United Kingdom | Kĩkũyũ | Colonial abuse | 2013 | |
| United States | Guatemala | Role in Guatemalan Civil War in support for military government, 1960–96 | 1999 | |
| United States | Native Hawaiians | Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom, 1893 | 1993 | |
| United States | Indigenous peoples | Violence, abuse and negligence | 2000, 2010 | |
| United States | Indigenous peoples | American Indian boarding schools, 1819-1969 | 2024 |
Apologies from religious institutions
Pope Francis apologized for the Catholic Church's role in colonization and for "crimes committed against the native peoples during the so-called conquest of America". He has also apologized for the Church's role in the operation of residential schools in Canada, qualifying it as genocide. In 2023, the Vatican rejected the Doctrine of Discovery.
In 2022 Justin Welby, the Primate of the Church of England, apologized to the Indigenous peoples in Canada for the role of the church in the Canadian Indian residential school system, adding to similar apologies by other churches in Canada such as the Anglican Church of Canada.
Other apologies
Scouts Canada has issued an apology for "its role in the eradication of First Nation, Inuit and Métis people for more than a century".
In 2016 the Australian Psychological Society apologized to Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders. In 2023, the American Psychological Association issued an offer of apology to First Peoples for more than a century of harmful practices. In 2024, the Canadian Medial Association issued an apology for mistreatment and unethical experimentation.
Criticism of the apologies
Professor Alice MacLachlan has criticized the apologies of the Australian and Canadian governments as they have apologized for specific policies, "avoiding the broader question of apologizing for a much longer history of genocidal appropriation and displacement." Francesca Dominello has said official apologies from Canada and Australia have done little to change the status quo for Indigenous peoples.
Indigenous historian Gary Foley has criticized the Australian government's apology for the Stolen Generations, as there is lack of compensation.
