From the earliest moments of human migration, we find examples of people dividing land according to family, tribe and need rather than the national borders we recognise today. Long before the world was divided into countries, the continents were vast landscapes inhabited by groups with no concept of the borders that would later define nations. To truly understand a nation’s ethnic identity, we cannot ignore the geographical and historical landscape of the pre-colonial era.

A big part of the pre-colonial era were tribal identities. We still see remnants of these ancient ways across Europe today, sign posting us towards a history before borders. Long before modern nations emerged, Europe was home to ancient groups such as the Celts, the Germanic tribes and the Slavs, each with its own culture, language and territorial claims. These communities lived as autonomous tribes, forming shifting alliances and rivalries rather than unified states. The Basque people, for example, have a homeland that now falls within France and Spain. They maintain a language unrelated to any Indo-European tongue and embody one of the oldest surviving ancestral identities on the continent, long predating modern borders. The region of Catalonia, too, retains a distinct linguistic and cultural identity that some people consider completely separate from the rest of Spain. Similar patterns appear elsewhere in the United Kingdom, such as Wales, Scotland and Ireland, where unique languages and enduring cultural heritage reflect deep-rooted tribal histories. Yet this tribal fragmentation became Europe’s weakness. As the Roman Empire expanded, its discipline, unity and centralised power overran the divided tribal landscape, absorbing or displacing many of these groups reshaping Europe as we know it today.

In some parts of the world, tribal history remains especially evident. In North America, nations such as the Navajo Nation preserve language and cultural traditions despite centuries of external pressure. In South America, the Inca civilisation once spanned a vast territory where Quechua was the common language, covering what are now Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina and parts of Colombia, names and borders created by colonial powers who divided this unified civilisation. As well as Spanish being the official language, Quechua is still widely spoken across these regions. My grandfather, fluently speaks both Quechua and Spanish, yet many Indigenous communities maintain only Quechua, preserving their indigenous identity.

Colonisation was driven by the desire for power, ownership and discovery. At its height, the British Empire controlled nearly a quarter of the Earth’s land surface. Spain and Portugal conquered South America, while other European powers, including France, Germany and Portugal, expanded into Africa and Asia. This pursuit of dominion eventually fuelled European colonisation. Colonisation reshaped the world as we know it today and established European languages as the predominant languages in many regions across the world. Powerful nations seized these lands, imposed their authority, unfortunately subjugating native populations to forced labour and enslavement. Over time, these encounters caused populations to mix, creating new ethnic identities.

Africa perhaps provides the richest example of tribal diversity. In some communities tribal ties still influence certain choices such as in marriage or economic alliances. Being married to a Tanzanian man, I have been exposed to the cultural mosaic of his country. Tanzania alone has over 100 distinct tribes with their own languages, traditions and identities. He is part of the Sukuma tribe, the largest tribe in the country. Another significant tribe is the Maasai tribe, who are among the most recognisable tribe in East Africa. Their presence stretches across both Tanzania and Kenya. The Maasai are also known for historically discovering and sourcing Tanzanite, one of the rarest and most valuable gems in the world. Many other countries across Africa are also home to hundreds of tribes, with Sudan having the largest number, around 500. Although each African country now has an official colonial language, many tribal languages are still widely spoken. Tribal identity reminds us that modern borders are artificial lines.

We often refer to the original inhabitants of any place as “indigenous”. According to the Merriam-Webster definition, “indigenous” relates to the earliest known people of a land, especially when that land was later colonised by a dominant group. We must remember that colonisation seized lands already inhabited by peoples with their own languages, cultures and traditions. This raises a compelling question; what would the world look like today if colonisation had never occurred? The lands now called North and South America would have remained a single region, home to countless Indigenous nations, each with its own traditions and languages. Europe’s population would have reflected earlier Eurasian migrations. Australia would have remained predominantly Aboriginal. Africa and Asia would have remained organised around its many tribal nations, each living within their ancestral homelands rather than the colonial borders later imposed by Europeans. Where migration, conquest and displacement have shaped so much of history, it calls into question the originality of a national identity.

Throughout history, colonial pursuits reshaped the world. New borders were drawn, new languages took root and new identities emerged. National identity has never been fixed. It has been shaped by its time and continues to evolve. What is important to remember is that colonisers did not arrive in empty lands. Just as the Israelites encountered established peoples in the land of Canaan, including the Anakim (Numbers 13:33), Europeans found thriving communities in these newly discovered territories. When the British settlers arrived to North America, they did not encounter white people speaking English. They would have met Indigenous nations such as the Iroquois, Cherokee, Sioux, Navajo and Apache, among many others. Similarly, the Spanish encountered powerful civilisations in Central and South America, including the Aztec, Inca, Mapuche, Guaraní and Aymara. This reminds us that a country’s national heritage cannot be understood without looking to its pre-colonial past.

Before modern borders existed, God revealed nations as communities of tribes and clans rather than fixed territories. Genesis 10:5 says that people spread out “by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations,” which emphasises peoples rather than countries. In Genesis 12:2, God also tells Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation” long before giving him any land. This shows that nationhood begins with people. Abraham’s descendants later became the roots of the three major faith traditions in the world today. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all trace their spiritual identity back to him. The story of the nation of Israel makes this clear. They remained God’s chosen nation through slavery in Egypt, through their 40 year long journey in the wilderness and then later in exile. It didn’t matter where they were in the world, they still remained the nation of Israel. Israel remained a nation with distinct cultural identity and heritage because God rooted their identity in lineage and covenant. Perhaps it can be seen that true heritage is found in the people themselves.

The Bible demonstrates this fundamental truth that national identity cannot be rooted in a particular place. As people migrate and integrate into new societies, they naturally bring a part of their culture with them. Personally, I can say my multicultural background has shaped a globalised sense of identity, something I see increasingly among young people today. I recently gave birth to my first son, who is, ethnically speaking, half Tanzanian, a quarter Peruvian, an eighth English and an eighth French. My hope is for him to grow up speaking three languages and experience a richness of different cultures. As a teacher, I’ve noticed that when I ask a class how many languages they all speak, the minimum is usually two, with an average of three or four. When I was their age, I was often the only pupil who spoke more than one language. This highlights how rapidly globalised identities are taking shape. In such a world, grounding your identity in Christ makes all other identities secondary. As we can see, tying identity to earthly borders is not an accurate reflection of true identity. However, Kingdom Citizenship is constant and remains with me wherever I go. Like the Israelites, my Kingdom identity travels with me and strategically works through the cultures I am associated with here on Earth.