The United Nations General Assembly in 1994 established the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People to be observed on August 9 to mark the day of the first meeting, in 1982, of the UN Working Group.
Today as we set aside this day as International Day of the World’s Indigenous People may our indigenous people enjoy the blessing of who they are, stewards of the Planet earth.
I support the indigenous people anywhere in the planet – Edward James Olmos. We are seeing healing among the stolen generations, and initiatives which are enabling Indigenous people to make their distinctive contribution to our national life. This is good news.
In India, 461 ethnic groups are recognized as Scheduled Tribes. These are considered to be India’s indigenous people. In mainland India, the Scheduled Tribes are usually referred to as Adivasis, which literally means indigenous people. With an estimated population of 84.3 million, they comprise 8.2% of the total population.
There are complex problems involving these innocent human beings, men, women and children. Sometimes these “other people” as we are tempted to see them or call them the ‘No where people’ face a lot of difficulties in today’s world and they are at times the ‘unmade in their India’.
Zarina Katun who was busy luring her children indoors, with a promise of hot rotis and fried fish, when the police arrived before her husband, a van richshaw puller came home. She was taken away; the 37 year old found herself in judicial custody on suspicion of being illegal migrant, leaving her children in a trauma screaming and crying when the father arrived. There is not a single violation of the dignity of a woman or a man or children that can be justified in the name of any other thing or idea not a single one. Molani Devi says they are the original tribal’s Assamesse indigenous to their hills. Indigenous people or native people are groups protected in the international or national legislation as having specific rights based on their linguistic and historical distinctiveness. Indigenous rights are those rights that exist in recognition of the specific condition of the indigenous peoples. This includes not only the most basic human rights of physical survival and integrity, but also the preservation of their land and language religion and other elements of cultural heritage that are a part of their existence as a people.
The monthly Pastoral Bulletin of the Archdiocese of Goa, Daman and Diu (June16th. 2016) places before us facts about these people often thought of as the “ Primary Stewards’’ of the planet biological resources and then society is built on a foundation of equality with respect for all forms of life including plants trees and animals, with them there is a deep recognition between earth and the human society ,
Their way of life is in complete consonance with nature and their faith revolves around mother earth and everything that evolves out of it.
These people are historical subjects and citizens of the nation, the state and society should generate the social conditions that promote and act as guardians of their rights and allow them to be builders of their own destiny and their culture.
