Sentence:  The <WSD>autochthons</WSD>' defenders had sought to endow them with a special status in Poland, the better to buttress Poland's claims to the Recovered Territories. In spite of these efforts, the <WSD>autochthons</WSD> remained a small but persistent problem for officials and the population at large. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The earliest inhabitant of an area; an aborigine.