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| Celebrating Diversity - The World’s Indigenous Peoples | | | Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit
August 9 is observed as International Day of the World’s Indigenous People to promote and protect the rights of the world’s indigenous population. The declaration was adopted by the UN General Assembly exactly ten years ago, the 13th of September 2007. The day marks the celebration of the diversity of the World’s Indigenous Peoples and their cultures, customs and survival. In spite of the uniqueness of every ethnic group and the substantial differences among them, all indigenous peoples have a common problem: the protection of their rights. After centuries of oppression, genocide, colonisation and “exportation of cultures”, the international community has recognised the need to introduce special measures to protect their rights. Indigenous people are also called native people, first people, autochthonous people or aboriginal people. It is nice that considering indigenous people mostly face threats to their economical welfare, sovereignty and approach to their cultural resources, many international organizations like International Labor Organization, World Bank and the United States have set political rights for their welfare.
We come across around the world that there are many indigenous people cannot access the basic right to education. Their traditional methods of teaching, learning, and cultivating food are not always respected by education systems and teachers. Many indigenous people are struggling to preserve their knowledge and traditions. Traditional knowledge is passed down from generation to generation. Unfortunately, there are growing pressures to the environment and the ecosystems on which indigenous peoples depend.
According to the United Nations, traditional knowledge is “the knowledge, innovations, and practices of indigenous and local communities around the world.” It is estimated that there are 370 million Indigenous people in around 90 countries across the globe. Many still practice their unique customs and live culturally distinct lives from other citizens of their respective countries. The right to education for Indigenous people is protected in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which in Article 14 states that “Indigenous peoples have the right to establish and control their educational systems and institutions providing education in their own languages, in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods of teaching and learning.”
Indigenous people cannot access important natural resources they used to enjoy, such as traditional foods and medicines, adequate water supply, game meat, and honey, due to excessive exploitations of the habitats. It is nice that there are many organizations around the globe are working to promote indigenous knowledge in the food system.
Let us commit to ensuring Indigenous peoples are not left behind as we pursue the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals. Let us pray and give thanks in sacred places for the knowledge and materials offered to us from this earth, and for all the relations that keep us connected to the heavens, earth, each other, and all beings. |
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