INDIGENOUS people, not fitting the normal pattern of the economic system, political affiliation and social structure, denied by their ways of life to integrate into the modern society, are a concern for the world today.
In the year 2007, the United Nations adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People in New York. The US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia voted against the proposal citing various reasons, though these countries have the largest population of indigenous people — we’ll discuss their reasons a little further on.
Indigenous people by definition are politically ‘underprivileged’ groups, with ethnic identity different from that of the nation in power, locally inhabiting the location even before the nation ruled itself — freed from the grip of colonial powers.
Today the world houses about 370 million indigenous people from the plateaus of Africa to Asia, with many new groups being discovered in the large forests of South America.
Australia presents unarguably a startling if not morbid recount of the treatment of Aborigines. From the Myall Creek Massacre to the stolen generation, native Australians have a dismal story and it is painful to imagine their endurance.
Whilst watching ‘Avatar’, apart from the special effects in spectacular 3D presentation, I also connected with the sensitive plight of the Na’vi.
Three-metre tall blue luminescent humanoids with large yellowish eyes and sweeping tails, termed ‘savages’ by the earthling, inhabiting the lush of Pandora, danced in my imagination.
Their hair, long and braided, with their language oddly beautiful and unconventionally exotic, teleported me to a world so fascinating and abstract. Their filial piety towards the environment was astounding. Odd filial piety it was since Pandora was their ancestor and Eywa was indeed their mother.
But the sad tale of the earthling in his quest to take what he wanted forcefully jilted my mind to the present, seeing the similar actions of leaders today, with power and technology, invading other countries with no shame.
As hope lies in information technology, Africa’s columbite-tantalite is exploited to finance the production of computer chips; the catalyst of civil war in Congo. The chain keeps on going on and it’s never pleasant.
Indigenous people present a challenge when it comes to integrating them into the society — though it’s never impossible. Being left out of the wheel that everyone has been riding on, modernisation, presents something for the authorities to ponder upon.
One thing that is clear is, medicines and education, among many other utilities, need to be provided.
Indigenous people can contribute to the nation in the name of tourism. The Maasai in Africa, for example, fetch the Tanzanian government a lot of money yearly. Now the challenge of settling them and integrating them is the loss of their natural sense of attraction.
When people go to see Maasai people, only to find them in T-shirts and jeans, eating a burger, saying “What’s up?”, it obliterates the whole experience of being with a Maasai. And as other elements disappear, the ‘tourist’ experience is never there any more.
I call this a challenge since, there’s a need of settling them but with caution to not disrupt the natural aesthetic values they hold or else their traditions will evaporate and tourism generated will diminish.
And apart from tourism, as the only segment of society to fully practise its culture, its loss in the pursuit of becoming modern would be irreversible.
In other countries, indigenous people are claiming ownership of the land — the reason why the US, New Zealand, Australia and Canada voted against the declaration that addresses the rights of the native to own land as part of their heritage. There’s a fear of what this will translate into when natives have full ownership of the forests.
When indigenous people are habiting upon a very important rich resource, what needs to be done? Do we force our way or use diplomacy? Is diplomacy the unworkable solution? What is the best alternative for a win-win situation?