It is too early to pronounce that Easter manifesto has failed. Two millennia are too short a span of time in the wide spectrum of human evolution since the Paleolithic when the early phases of human species made their appearance leading to a slow transition of hominids to humans. That was nearly 100 millennia ago.
The human diaspora moved incredibly far and fast despite the rudimentary technological aids at the disposal of the few thousand primitive world migrants. The diaspora was certainly provoked by needs of survival, further complicated by climatic changes and lack of food in all seasons. It may have all started as migrating families leaving the cradle of humanity, the Great East African Rift, which had turned dangerous with its unstable plate tectonics, causing dreadfully active volcanic and seismic activity.
The migrant families or clans were probably separated along the way by internal dissentions and by external threats, predominant among them being the natural hazards. My own search for deep ancestry through DNA testing revealed that my paternal and maternal ancestors initiated their journey from Sudan-Ethiopia border zone around 60,000 to 80,000 years ago.
Their journey with long and very long stops took them through what we now know as Egypt, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, before entering India and moving down till Goa. It is very likely that many stayed behind at different stages while others moved forward in different directions to the East and West, including towards Italy, Greece and continental Europe. Not very different from what the Middle Eastern refugees are doing these days.
Their common origins and links are currently being traced with the help of
Genographic projects. A Switzerland-based Goan from Aldona, Bernardo Elvino de Sousa, has published his The last Prabhu (2011) giving us a glimpse of these primitive migrations that concerned some early settlers of Goa, establishing themselves as ganvkars of his home village.
According to Bernardo de Sousa, whom I allowed access to my DNA tests, we shared a common ancestor about 90 generations ago, or roughly 2000 years ago. Beyond this exciting and happy revelation about our deep ancestral relationship, there remain several issues that need to be clarified. In the meantime, we are led to conclude that DNA testing does not provide ready answers to all identity constructions that have surged over time.
Why did some cousins become Prabhus of 4th vangodd in Aldona and Kamat of 5th vangodd in Moirá? Besides, the occupational difference determined the family surname. We can also find Sousas from Aldona registered as Calvenkar in the Zonn (share of revenue surplus among primitive settlers or ganvkar) registers of Moirá. Calvenkar were known to be experts in building bunds and sluice gates that were essential for maintaining khazan lands that were administered or supervised by the Kamat. It seems to be very likely that the family proximity allowed an ongoing collaboration.
Delving in the process of identity building, social identity theorists defend that in order to increase our self-image we enhance the status of the group to which we belong. We divide the world into “them” (out-group) and “us” (in-group) based through a process of social categorisation. In Goa we hear about “Niz Goenkar” and “Ghantti” or “bhaile”.
Those who believe that the groups to which they belong have evolved continuously over time perceive their communities as a source of well-being and stability. But those who feel their groups may have evolved discontinuously over time fear that their group may lose out over time and labour to preserve their group at all costs. The recent political move to seek special status for Goa reflects such a tendency of those who feel threatened by newcomers.
Re-working social identities according to political space and time is an old hat, worn since long before the nation states and modern nationalism came into existence. Collaborators and traitors within social groups are as old as humanity, and it is generally unpleasant to recall such cases closer to our life-experiences.
The Biblical story about Cain and Abel, the sons of the first legendary human couple, is a good illustration of feuds and mutual antagonisms, most probably representing the rivalry between pre-historic nomadic pastoralists and the settlers or land-grabbers.
Progressive discovery of new tools (technologies of our times) always fuelled new rivalries among social groups, leading eventually to formation of new identities.
The Easter festivity was central to Jewish community and it is so to the Christians across the globe. It commemorated the Passover for the Jews who had survived the exile and slavery in Egypt. For the Christians it recalls the Resurrection, or victory of Jesus for this cause, after he fell victim to Roman imperial power and its Jewish collaborators.
The Easter eggs symbolise source of new life that overcomes all forms of oppression and death as a reward for solidarity until death, for a solidarity that embraces all fellow humans bound by a universal fraternity, breaking out of any sectarian shells. One who dies for others lives forever in the minds and hearts of the community, while those who live for themselves are dead before they die.
(Teotonio R. de Souza is the founder-director, Xavier Centre of Historical Research, Goa.
(1979-1994).
