Preserving indigenous identities in a ‘global village’

NEIPF 2nd General Conference kicks off in Dimapur

Morung Express News
Dimapur | April 30

Culture and identity are fundamental to the world-view of the Indigenous Peoples in the north eastern states of India and protecting this heritage and ensuring its continuity should be a priority for the government at every level.

On the first day of the two-day North East Indigenous People’s Forum’s (NEIPF) 2nd General Conference at the NEZCC Stone Park on Friday, participants from different walks of life weighed in on the significance of the North east region’s indigenous heritage and how it can be pragmatically carried forward. The conference is hosted by Nagaland Indigenous people’s Forum (NIPF) and will conclude on April 30.

Nagaland Minister for Higher Education & Tribal Affairs Temjen Imna Along graced the occasion as special guest. The Minister noted that there are very few platforms where the Indigenous People of the region can come together for dialogue, and as such, appreciated the NEIPF and NIPF for organising the conference. He expressed hope that the Forums would formulate pragmatic and practical ways through which the interest of the Indigenous Peoples can be carried forward.

In the pursuit of preserving culture, tradition, heritage and identity, Minister Along viewed that Indigenous People should have a firm stand, and at the same time, be inclusive in their approach. Observing that the demographic profile in the north eastern states have seen a drastic change over the past few decades, he underscored that several indigenous communities in the region are ‘endangered’ as their population has been dwindling steadily.

He pointed out that even among the ‘biggest tribes’ in Nagaland such as the Konyaks and the Aos, there are only about 2-3 lakh people, which is a very small when compared to population of the Country. Even the Phom Nagas have a population of barely 60,000, he said, drawing attention to how minuscule indigenous communities are in comparison to the billions of people across the globe.

In the larger perspective, Minister Along said that the whole world, including Indigenous Peoples, is assimilating towards becoming one ‘global village.’ However, the risk in this, he stressed, would be in the ‘loss of our way of life.’ To avoid this, it is ‘very important that we have a clear stand,’ and we should include other non-indigenous communities in the dialogue so that ‘our fears, our doubts, our strength as well as our goals and visions to preserve our heritage at all cost,’ is clear to them.

Minister Along concluded by encouraging the gathering to motivate each other and be consistent in the common pursuit of protecting and maintaining the continuity of indigenous heritage.

‘A common cord’
Delivering the keynote address, Chief Convener of NEIPF Anup Chetia highlighted that the forum was formed in September 2017 with the objective to work for the greater interest of the indigenous people of the region and to promote and protect indigenous culture, language and identity of the people. He maintained that the people of the region are interconnected through a ‘common cord’— a culture and way of life that is distinctly different from the rest of the country. But despite this commonality, he viewed that internal issues and border disputes often divide the age old relationship among the north east people.

In this context, Chetia emphasised that the land is primarily linked to culture and identity while the economic aspect is mostly secondary for Indigenous Peoples in any part of the world. He said that the NEIPF has vowed to address such issues by creating the common platform among the indigenous people. The need of the hour is to uphold the spirit of democracy, he asserted, adding that the internal issues or conflicts are to be resolved amicably by having extensive people to people dialogue and with the sole objective to maintain harmony among the indigenous people.

Meanwhile, Manipur MLA Thokchom Radheshyam Singh also addressed the delegates and called for collaborations among the indigenous people, instead of competitions. We have to assert our good practices, our culture as indigenous people and find ways to collaborate and move ahead in the ever competitive global scenario, he added.

Earlier, kicking off the conference which was attended by representatives from all the North Eastern states, NIPF President Dr Temsuwati Lkr delivered the welcome address while Fr Philip Yanpvuthung, Principal of Holy Cross Higher Secondary School, Dimapur pronounced the invocation prayer.

The day was marked by various cultural and contemporary presentations and concluded with a vote of thanks from NIPF Vice President Bangtick Phom, and benediction by Rev N Paphino of the Nagaland Joint Christian Forum.

With the forum being a platform for meaningful dialogue, the main output of the conference is expected on the second day wherein delegates, government representatives, civil society organisations and the forum members will take part in a ‘discussion on border issues’ between the North East States. This will be followed by a report and resolution.

Notably, Assam Minister for Agriculture, Veterinary & Animal Husbandry and Sericulture, Border Affairs and Assam Accord Implementation Atul Bora will address the event as special guest.

Source: https://morungexpress.com/preserving-indigenous-identities-in-a-global-village