PaRCha - JNU - All Organisations - 2005 ID-44184
.
UN's Landmark Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples .
And the Fate of Indigenous Peoples in India .
Date: 30/10/07 .
The indigenous peoples have faced the worst kinds of exploitation and discrimination all over the world. They have beendragged into violent conflicts and land disputes that have threatened their way of life and their very survival. The systematic.
form of exploitation and pogrom of depopulation of indigenous peoples had begun right from the time when the WesternImperialist powers 'discovered' the so called 'new world'. We all know what had happened to the .
'Native Americans' after.
the arrival of Christopher Columbus in that part of continent. Today, they are just asmall minority in their own land,deprivedof everything that they had possessed: political.rights, lands, territories, economic resources, and cultural heritage. It is notjust the Native Americans but everywhere around the world the indigenous peoples have always been at the receiving endof imperialistic domination. .
The establishments of nation-states have not actually emancipated the indigenous peoples from various forms ofsubjugation; instead it has only aggravated the forms of systematic exploitation. The indigenous peopleswere not given the.
right to determine their political status, but forcibly put under the domination of the newly established nation-states. The.
situation of the various nationalities like the Nagas and many other indigenous peoples in the Northeast region is aclassic.
case of how the colonial state has recklessly handled the fate of the indigenous peoples and forcibly 'Integrated' themwithout their 'consent' into the so-called Indian 'nation' that has nothing in common. The indigenous peoples have beenconsidered an 'asset' or a'property' that could be 'inherited' by one master from another. Thus, the advent of 'post-colonial'era as such has no significance for the indigenous peoples, as the structure of colonialismstill remains unchanged;it is only.
the 'actor' or 'master' that have changed. In fact most of the indigenous peoples still live under the domination of foreign.
power and they are yet to experience 'freedom' and liberty in their own lands. .
In this backdrop the United Nations has made alandmark Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (Sept. 7, 2007).Although, this UN declaration has a lot of shortcomings, the world body has finally acknowledged the rights of indigenous.
peoples around the world. This declaration seeks to protect human rights, lands, resources, territones, and promote 'uniqueculture and tradition' of the indigenous peoples. Most significantly, Article 3 of this declaration states that: "Indigenouspeoples have the right to self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely.
pursue their economic, social and cultural development." Most of the indigenous people around the world have beenstruggling for 'self-determination', so by this declaration the UN has taken the right step towards the realization of their.
political aspiration. This declaration has precisely covered the rights of the groups, communities, individuals, women and.
children belonging to indigenous population. .
In India, the indigenous peoples are still deprived of taking active part in decision making processes on the crucial issuesthat concerns them. Even though they have representatives In the Parliament, their numbers are too insufficient to makeany impact on any form of legislation.Whereas the Indian state is moving ahead with its policies of depriving the indigenouspeoples on most of their rights. In the name of preserving the forest areas and wildlife, the livelihood of the indigenouspeoples have been put at stake in many cases, of which there are debates going on about the choice of considering the fate.
of 'tiger' or 'people'. On the other hand, when the Indigenous peoples rise up to ascertain their political rights they are.
responded with strong military measures by the Indian state. .
· .
Various policies which are aimed at 'cultural homogenization' have been imposed on the indigenous peoples in the North.
I East, threatening their cultural identities at a great level. Panchayati Raj system has been extended to the areas inhabitedby indigenous peoples, with the intention of pushing migrants into their areas, which will consequently destroy their landrights and ownership~ .
Various actions of the Indian state towards the indigenous peoples are completely in contradiction.
with its own laws and constitutional provisions. Now, the process of exploitation is moving towards passing the rod to MNCs,giving them the opportunity to move into the areas inhabited by the indigenous peoples and exploit their resources. In suchasituation the fate of indigenous peoples in India is alarmingly inching towards an ominous future. .
India is one of the 143 countries that have voted in 'favor' on the recent UN's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous.
Peoples. Therefore, India should implement at home what it has espoused at the international forum. The concernedintellectuals and students in JNU should also look into the discrimination of indigenous peoples in India and interrogate thesituations of the peoples at the peripheries. Dead silence maintained by most of the political organizations in the campusover the grave situation of the indigenous peoples inthe country is equally disturbing. .
naga study forum, jnu .
.. ··~_IQI""!' .
-4 ' . . ·~ " .
- ~ ~ 1 .
~ . >--.
.
PaRCha - JNU - All Organisations - 2005 ID-44184
.
UN's Landmark Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples .
And the Fate of Indigenous Peoples in India .
Date: 30/10/07 .
The indigenous peoples have faced the worst kinds of exploitation and discrimination all over the world. They have beendragged into violent conflicts and land disputes that have threatened their way of life and their very survival. The systematic.
form of exploitation and pogrom of depopulation of indigenous peoples had begun right from the time when the WesternImperialist powers 'discovered' the so called 'new world'. We all know what had happened to the .
'Native Americans' after.
the arrival of Christopher Columbus in that part of continent. Today, they are just asmall minority in their own land,deprivedof everything that they had possessed: political.rights, lands, territories, economic resources, and cultural heritage. It is notjust the Native Americans but everywhere around the world the indigenous peoples have always been at the receiving endof imperialistic domination. .
The establishments of nation-states have not actually emancipated the indigenous peoples from various forms ofsubjugation; instead it has only aggravated the forms of systematic exploitation. The indigenous peopleswere not given the.
right to determine their political status, but forcibly put under the domination of the newly established nation-states. The.
situation of the various nationalities like the Nagas and many other indigenous peoples in the Northeast region is aclassic.
case of how the colonial state has recklessly handled the fate of the indigenous peoples and forcibly 'Integrated' themwithout their 'consent' into the so-called Indian 'nation' that has nothing in common. The indigenous peoples have beenconsidered an 'asset' or a'property' that could be 'inherited' by one master from another. Thus, the advent of 'post-colonial'era as such has no significance for the indigenous peoples, as the structure of colonialismstill remains unchanged;it is only.
the 'actor' or 'master' that have changed. In fact most of the indigenous peoples still live under the domination of foreign.
power and they are yet to experience 'freedom' and liberty in their own lands. .
In this backdrop the United Nations has made alandmark Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (Sept. 7, 2007).Although, this UN declaration has a lot of shortcomings, the world body has finally acknowledged the rights of indigenous.
peoples around the world. This declaration seeks to protect human rights, lands, resources, territones, and promote 'uniqueculture and tradition' of the indigenous peoples. Most significantly, Article 3 of this declaration states that: "Indigenouspeoples have the right to self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely.
pursue their economic, social and cultural development." Most of the indigenous people around the world have beenstruggling for 'self-determination', so by this declaration the UN has taken the right step towards the realization of their.
political aspiration. This declaration has precisely covered the rights of the groups, communities, individuals, women and.
children belonging to indigenous population. .
In India, the indigenous peoples are still deprived of taking active part in decision making processes on the crucial issuesthat concerns them. Even though they have representatives In the Parliament, their numbers are too insufficient to makeany impact on any form of legislation.Whereas the Indian state is moving ahead with its policies of depriving the indigenouspeoples on most of their rights. In the name of preserving the forest areas and wildlife, the livelihood of the indigenouspeoples have been put at stake in many cases, of which there are debates going on about the choice of considering the fate.
of 'tiger' or 'people'. On the other hand, when the Indigenous peoples rise up to ascertain their political rights they are.
responded with strong military measures by the Indian state. .
· .
Various policies which are aimed at 'cultural homogenization' have been imposed on the indigenous peoples in the North.
I East, threatening their cultural identities at a great level. Panchayati Raj system has been extended to the areas inhabitedby indigenous peoples, with the intention of pushing migrants into their areas, which will consequently destroy their landrights and ownership~ .
Various actions of the Indian state towards the indigenous peoples are completely in contradiction.
with its own laws and constitutional provisions. Now, the process of exploitation is moving towards passing the rod to MNCs,giving them the opportunity to move into the areas inhabited by the indigenous peoples and exploit their resources. In suchasituation the fate of indigenous peoples in India is alarmingly inching towards an ominous future. .
India is one of the 143 countries that have voted in 'favor' on the recent UN's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous.
Peoples. Therefore, India should implement at home what it has espoused at the international forum. The concernedintellectuals and students in JNU should also look into the discrimination of indigenous peoples in India and interrogate thesituations of the peoples at the peripheries. Dead silence maintained by most of the political organizations in the campusover the grave situation of the indigenous peoples inthe country is equally disturbing. .
naga study forum, jnu .
.. ··~_IQI""!' .
-4 ' . . ·~ " .
- ~ ~ 1 .
~ . >--.
.