| Indigenous People, |
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| Written by Administrator | |
| Saturday, 08 December 2007 | |
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The United Nations has declared August 9 as of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous people. As a country that has indigenous people the Vannieyela aththo, Aadi vaasi or the Veddahs as they were originally called, let us try to understand who this special group of people are. The dictionary defines indigenous people as those ‘ born in or natural to a country.’ They are also identified as people living in an area prior to colonization by a state or within a nation state, prior to the formation of a nation- state, but who do not identify with the dominant nation. They are sometimes referred to as aborigines or as autochthonous, a Greek term that means ‘ sprung from the earth’. Greek authors of the classical period referred to them as pelasgians. By the 17th century indigenous people were commonly labeled ‘uncivilised’ and even ‘savage’ No matter how they were identified in the past , today there are many who fight for the rights of the indigenous people of the world who have suffered greatly at the hands of modern society. In the mid 20th century, Europeans began to recognize that indigenous and tribal people should have the right to decide for themselves what should happen to their ancient cultures and their ancestral lands. Despite the many differences of indigenous people around the world, they share common problems and issues in dealing with the invading modern society. The ancient cultures of indigenous people are slowly but surely being erased today, and they are not only being discriminated but most often are forced to fall I line with the surrounding societies. Except for a few indigenous people such as the Sakha and Komi of Siberia, nearly all indigenous people are under threat. We do not have to look far to see how economic development and modern life have affected the lifestyle of indigenous people. If we make a trip to the East of the Uva province where the Vanniyela aththo are mostly confined to today, we could get an insight into their culture and way of life. From among the indigenous people who inhabit remote areas in the East of Sri Lanka, the small community in Danbanagama is notable. They are the only group still fiercely resisting changes and are holding on to their old ways. Uru Warige Vanniyelo aththo is now the chief after the demise of Tissahamy. They speak a different dialect which sounds like Sinhala. In the past they worshipped the spirits of the forests but today many have embraced Buddhism, and even opted out of their traditional lifestyle and attire. Instead of hunting, they now mostly indulge in farming. There are proposals to give them identity cards and lands to cultivate. Slowly but surely this community is ‘ enticed’ in to blending with the rest of the society. Many believe nothing can compensate for the loss of their traditional way of life. What do you feel? Should we try to absorb them in to modern society or help protect and preserve the traditional lifestyles of indigenous people around the world? UN DEFINITION “ Indigenous communities, peoples and nations are those which. Having a historical continuity with pre invasion and pre- colonial societies that develop on their territories, consider themselves distinct from other sectors of the societies now prevailing in those territories, or parts of them” Trackback(0)
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