INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF SOUTH ASIA THE CONTEXT

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INDIGENOUS PEOPLE OF SOUTH ASIA THE CONTEXT
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Indigenous People

• A contemporary working definition of
  "indigenous people" for certain purposes has
  criteria which would seek to include cultural
  groups (and their continuity or association with
  a given region, or parts of a region, and who
  formerly or currently inhabit the region ) either
• before its subsequent colonization or annexation
  or
• alongside other cultural groups during the
  formation of a nation-state or
• independently or largely isolated from the
  influence of the claimed governance by a
  nation-state

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Indigenous People

• For the purpose of this presentation, the
  indigenous people mean Tribal and Dalits who are
  in South Asia

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Who are they?

• Preserved the rich biodiversity of the land,
  both the land and the forest
• Lived in the forest or close to nature and lived
  on the produce of the forest
• Helped to regenerate the forest by protecting
  them

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Who are they?

• Made a sizable contribution to the agricultural
  economy through labor and allied trade
• Took care of Domestic Works of the Dominant caste
• Took up menial works like burying the dead,
  digging the graves and manual scavenging.

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Who are they?

• Gender equality
• Women have more freedom
• Greater participation of women in the day to day
  life of the community
• Greater respect for girl child
• Absence of female infanticide

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Who are they

• Original inhabitants of the land and owned the
  land
• Preserved the rich cultural heritage of the land.
• Diversity of language, culture and ethnicity

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Problems

• Though contributed to the agricultural economy,
  had little of ownership of land
• Though their wealth was taken away through mining
  and other means, they benefitted little
• Shared responsibility of labor, had little of
  rights
• Development at their cost, without any benefit to
  them

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Problems
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Problems

• Used as vote bank.
• Limited political bargaining power
• Though have reservation, and get elected, have
  little respect among the dominant caste
• Subject to political violence
• Little opportunities in government jobs, though
  they have reservation

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Problems
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Problems

• Little educated
• Poor health
• High infant and maternal mortality
• Malnourished
• Deprived of food

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Problems
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Problems
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Problems

• In the name of development, more and more
  deprived
• Victims of state and Corporate sponsored
  terrorism
• In the global economy, new cultures negating
  subaltern cultures leading to trafficking,
  migration

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Problems

• Victims of communalism
• Not free to practice the religion of their choice
  by political forces and vested interests
• A divided people because of poverty and
  marginalization