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Struggles of the indigenous peoples

One aspect of most of the large indigenous communities is that they all have a strong sense of self-identity, and naturally so. They are not ashamed of being what they are ethnically.

Martin Adhikary
ON April 12,2010, our parliament passed a law titled "Small Ethnic Groups Cultural Institute Act." The authorities did not take any opinion from any indigenous people for this enactment, the naming of which goes against the wishes of peoples concerned. The Bangla word "adibashi"had been used in many documents during the British period. Although the word "adibahsi" is not used in Bangladesh Constitution specifically there are articles that say all peoples and groups will have equal rights before law (Articles 27,28.11,29.2).
The indigenous people here are often referred to as "tribal people" or as "small ethnic groups." But they themselves prefer to be called "indigenous people" or "adibashis" (i.e. the original inhabitants of the land). It could be mentioned here that some people have debates over the question "who are the adibashis in Bangladesh?" The dominant and mainstream Bengali people also have been living in this territory since more than a thousand years ago.
It is easier to distinguish adibashis from the overwhelming Bengali people in Bangladesh than it is to distinguish the indigenous peoples in America, New Zealand and Australia. It could also be mentioned at this point that this way of distinguishing people sets them apart from the mainstream Bengali population at every level.
According to the Bangladesh National Indigenous Peoples' Forum there are 45 indigenous people groups (the official count is 27) in Bangladesh. According to the official census of 1991 there were 12,05,978 indigenous people out of which 5,01,114 lived in the hilly areas and the rest 7,04,734 in the plain areas of the country. According to that census they would be now around 13,00,000. There was no separate numbering for these peoples in the last census held in 2001. According to the Bangladesh National Indigenous Peoples' Forum the total number of these peoples is now around 30,00,000.
One aspect of most of the large indigenous communities is that they all have a strong sense of self-identity, and naturally so. They are not ashamed of being what they are ethnically. Since the declaration by UN of 1993 as the Year of the Indigenous Peoples this aspect got a boost. This
fact added to a sense of belonging together among all the indigenous peoples all over the world, and a clear sense that they matter in every aspect of God's creation and the life of the entire human race.
These people in Bangladesh would love to maintain their own culture and adhere to their traditional life style within their own settings. Commendably, the younger generations are emerging as big force in the country's growth and national development in almost all fields: they serve in the army and police; there are doctors, nurses, engineers, lawyers, teachers, development workers, human rights activists, arts and culture personalities, political activists and leaders, and so on.
Their socio-economic and cultural system has been badly threatened by the process of migration of the majority community into their territories, and through urbanisation and plantations on their land. Many people have lost their ancestral landed property to the local Bengali people, some of whom take the formers' lands by forgery or force. Over centuries, jotdars (petty landlords), landlords and other influential people cheated many indigenous peoples with tacit support from the British raj.
There have been, however, resistance movements from the helpless victims at times for the protection of the land rights, fair labour price, and other social and economic entitlements. The Aborigine Rebellion during 1770-73, Khashi Rebellion in 1783, Santal Rebellion in 1855, Munda Rebellion in 1857, etc. are mentionable. Sadly enough, the resistance yielded no positive result for them. After Bangladesh came into being in 1971, none of the governments did anything for their lasting good. Many provisions of the Peace Treaty that the government signed with the indigenous peoples in Chittagong Hill Tracts back in 1997 have not yet been implemented.
The Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Treaty between the Government of Bangladesh and the Janasanghati Samiti was signed on December 2, 1997. The Treaty had provided for the restoration of various rights denied to the original inhabitants of that area — Chakmas, Marmas, Tripura, etc. — among other things. But have the terms and conditions been implemented? Our prime minister once declared: "First, settling of the land issue there and only then will there be any census." However, let this be with genuine political will and pro-people policy for the upliftment of the down-trodden communities.
The writer is Principal, College of Christian Theology Bangladesh, and also a social worker.
E-mail: principalcctb@gmail.com.