Indigenous Communities
Historically,
indigenous people are those who have, simply put, stayed in a certain area the
longest. They or their descendants are the ones who the first newcomers would
have met. In several cases they moved on, but still follow through some of
their early ancestor’s traditions and culture which are connected with their
original home. Also, they believe in this culture and the social identity it
creates. Compared to other communities indigenous communities are relatively
community based and independent.
I think it is a
combination of all this that makes them so unique. Whether or not they have
moved on to another region or are nomads or something else, they uphold this
identity of history and culture. They remain original in a way geography and
time can’t seem to wash away. Even with the many advancements in technology
that has slowly been colliding many of the world’s communities into one giant
melting pot. I guess this amazes me because I have always considered it the
nature of humans to adapt to others. We teach ourselves to look for clues on
how to advance in life. For many other communities, it would seem insane to
continue living as the indigenous do while surrounded by all they are.
Although much of
above applies to indigenous communities making them similar in one way there
are things that further similarize or differentiate them. To get a better grasp
of the idea, let’s look at a comparison of the Igorot people and the Asmat
people. In the Kalinga Province of Philippines the Igorot have their own autonomous government
made possible by former Philippine President Corazon Aquino. Above all, Igorots
were not conquered by Spain. For more than three centuries, their ability to
keep from being colonized by Spaniards allowed their culture to stay preserved
to this day. Spain's King Philip ("Philip"pines) was never able to
force his name onto them. They also still seek a living mainly in the
traditional way of farming. In Papua, the Asmats behave in a similar way
although with a different culture. Asmats rely more on food gathering
activities such as hunting compared to farming activities of the Igorot.
Currently the
international communities has taken the stance of protecting indigenous
communities. In May 2016, the Fifteenth
Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII)
affirmed that indigenous people are distinctive groups protected in
international or national legislation as having a set of specific rights based
on their linguistic and historical ties to a particular territory, prior to later settlement, development, and or occupation of a
region.The session affirms that since indigenous peoples are vulnerable to
exploitation, marginalization, oppression, forced assimilation, and genocide by nation states formed from colonizing populations or by politically
dominant, different ethnic groups, special protection of individuals and
communities maintaining ways of life indigenous to their regions, are entitled
to special protection. (Wikipedia).
This stance was taken
in light of the problems before mentioned. An example of such a problem is the
Nivkh people, an ethnic group indigenous to Russia, whose fisherman’s culture
became endangered due to the development of oil field of Sakhalin from 1990s. I
think that there needs to be more than just affirming and conversing on how to
protect the indigenous people. I think the international community itself must
raise the incentive by making development aid conditional to recipient
countries improving the standards of living of its indigenous peoples.
Written by : Salsabila Mahdi
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