International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Roars in Unison Might Help World’s Indigenous Peoples in Reaching Their Destinations Soon

MONOJ GOGOI

The UN’s ‘International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples’ is celebrated across the world today on August 9, 2021. This year the UN decided ‘Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract' as theme of the Day. This one is one of the most significant Days to think and take local and global decisions for the rights of the indigenous people inhabiting with their own culture and lifestyles across the globe. Through a resolution (47/214), taken on 23^rd December, 1994, the UN General Assembly had decided 9^th August to be observed as the International Day of the World Indigenous Peoples as on this day in 1982, the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights had held the first meeting.

The number of indigenous people across the world is estimated around 476 million which would be approximately 5% of world’s total population. But in the context of poverty, illiteracy, inaccessible to basic rights etc, the rate of percentage is much higher. The indigenous peoples are still struggling to sustain their own culture and for basic rights over lands and other natural resources as their ancestors used. The aggressive decisions taken by non-indigenous peoples derailed them from the path of growth or development in many places and in many cases.

In India, the scenario of the indigenous peoples is very pitiful from multiple perspectives. According to sources, in this highly populous country, barely 8% people belong to indigenous or aboriginals (whom in India known as Adivasis or tribal) communities. The rest are immigrants from other parts of the world some 10,000 years ago and the Dravidians have also been proven as non-aboriginals.

According to some theories, the immigrants had pushed the indigenous to the remotest areas in the Indian sub-continent. The root of the livelihood of the indigenous people directly linked with nature and natural resources, but in this era globalization and liberalization, many legislations and government policies intervened or minimized the rights over the resources and this battered the economic backbone of the indigenous people. Many tribal and Adivasis have been displaced by the so-called developmental projects; in recent days many families from the indigenous communities in India are fleeing from their ancestral places as they have become unable to live there due to impacts on livelihood and massive water scarcity. In many places they are always tried to be engaged in hazardous works but in low wages and this discrimination is vivid and intolerable to any conscious citizen.

In most cases the welfare schemes, especially made for them are not reachable to the targets.  The infrastructures, including educational institutions, road connectivity, electricity, housings, and healthcare facilities are abysmally poorer in many Adivasi populated areas.

The political parties and some of the pressure groups have been using them in vote bank politics; promises are made only to be broken. Constitutionally guaranteed opportunities are being enjoyed by some of the power leaders who represent the communities.

But nobody can make people foolish for a long period of time. Mutinies are growing and about to be burst. The formation of international unions and forums are good signs and hopes for the downtrodden and socially excluded indigenous people in the world. The UN, International Labors Organization (ILO) and other international bodies are taking the matter seriously.

The theme, chosen for this year, really means a lot to socially excluded communities. The languages of the vulnerable communities are vanishing fast. According to the UN, at least a language disappears from the earth in each 15 days. The decision to observe the Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022 – 2032 is one of the most commendable initiatives from the UN to bring back many languages from the verge of extinction. A language means everything for a community – identity, culture and all.