Approximately 370 million people belong to indigenous communities in some 70 countries around the world. They are the descendents of the first people to inhabit their native lands, long before colonization, and generally adopt lifestyles that incorporate their ancestral traditions. As their survival is often closely tied to access to the natural resources around them, indigenous peoples in many countries are frequently dispossessed, impoverished, ignored or exploited by modern business practices. Fortunately, some Architects of Change have decided to treat indigenous groups with respect, by joining forces with them and trying to build bridges between peoples.