KOHIMA, AUGUST 9: Indigenous peoples constitute about 5% of the world’s population, yet account for about 15% of the world’s poorest people. Out of the estimated 370 million indigenous peoples across the world, the Naga constitute about 4 million.
This was stated by secretary general of the Naga Peoples’ Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR), Neingulo Krome, during the observation of International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples. The event was organized by the NPMHR in collaboration with the Kohima College Alumni Association on the theme ‘Protect Our Rights, Our Lands.’ The formal program was conducted at Kohima College on Tuesday.
In his address, Krome said that the Naga observed the day in 1993 as declared by the United Nations, through a yearlong series of events culminating with the celebration of the ‘Naga Week’ during December 1-5 in 1993.
As a prelude to the observance, the NPMHR and the Naga Students’ Federation conducted discussions with Naga representatives and ‘elaborately studied the contents and relevance of the preamble and the operatives of the Draft Declaration on Indigenous Peoples. Thereafter, he said, the organizations submitted their ‘prerogatives’ to the UN Working Group defining the Naga people’s status as an indigenous people: ‘Nagas are an indigenous people under forced occupation and seeking recognition of their right as a sovereign state’.
He acknowledged the achievements of past Naga elders and leaders of the Naga political movements who protected the rights of the Naga, their land and ‘kept it safe and secured through their selfless sacrifices during the most crucial and painful period of Naga history.’
Krome said, ‘We are basking in the glory of their achievements, notwithstanding pending an honorable and acceptable solution, juxtaposed with factionalism and uncontrollable internal contradictions.’
However, on a positive note, he maintained that the Naga people’s situation was ‘in a much better position’ than many other struggling indigenous peoples of the world. According to him, the Naga have been able to assert their rights ‘in any which way’ although faced with opposition from ‘occupational forces.’
He also pointed out that the ‘principles’ of the Naga political movement do not recognize or accept the imposition of Indian laws and their constitutional legality over the Naga people. While so, Krome maintained, the very fact remains that the Naga way of life and their lands and resources are being protected under Article 371 A of the Indian Constitution.
While pointing out said statement from the 16-Point Agreement, Krome explained ‘which again is a luxury when compared with other indigenous peoples in many parts of the world, including those in India itself’.
The NPMHR also referred to the signed ceasefires between India and the Naga underground groups and the numerous peace talks and political negotiations that had been on for 19 long years. Krome wondered ‘if a political settlement is to be made, will it not be above all the piece-meal appeasements of the past that Nagas have rejected during the past several decades of our political struggle?’
Therefore, he pressed on the need for the current Naga generation to know and ‘speak out at the right time.’ He noted strongly that those who claim to be championing the cause of the Nagas’ future have stifled the people’s voices, and have denied the growth of the society to its fullest.
The students were urged to take their future in their hands and join the youth of the world who are now saying “nothing about us without us”.
In his solidarity message, Elu Ndang from the Naga Hoho said that the indigenous people have been plundered of their lands and resources through colonialism, imperialism and globalization in the present day. ‘This is due to the huge disparities of circumstantial cases of history,’ he explained.
As ‘rightful inheritors of mother earth,’ Ndang said it was appropriate that the indigenous population celebrate the day on the theme ‘Protect our rights, our lands.’ ‘Without our land, we are nobody. Without our rights over our land, our existence will become meaningless,’ he said.
Also speaking during the occasion was a peace activist from Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh, Marina Kengland. She said that the state was facing ‘serious influx issues’ with the land being taken over by ‘outsiders’ and that they were ‘finding difficulties in stopping the problem.’
In this regard, she said that the government of India must ‘find a mechanism and take immediate measures’ to tackle this situation. The issue is becoming more serious today with the improvement of transportation and communication.
She also alleged that the Government of India was ‘arbitrarily dumping outsiders in some areas of indigenous peoples to settle their international issues.’ This has given rise to ‘influx issues’, she said.
Another speaker, sub division officer (civil) Neilezo, also asserted in his speech that education was the only way to improving and strengthening the indigenous peoples to enable them to protect their rights and land.
While asserting that there was no time for complacence, he urged the students to contemplate deeply on the things happening around them: ‘Wake up and fight to preserve one’s identity and be firmly rooted in our own roots.’ He stressed on the need to ‘sow the seeds’ of ‘indigenous pride, hope, nurture it, grow up and be ambassadors of change.’
Kohima Law College: Indigenous Inhabitant Certificates to outsiders
Kohima Law College observed International Day of World’s Indigenous People on the day too. The theme of discourse for the event was the need to discourage ‘adoption’ and to issue Indigenous Inhabitant Certificates only to indigenous (original) inhabitants of the people in Nagaland state.
A note from the college’s associate professor Kezhokhoto Savi said on Tuesday that a session involving the teaching faculty and students was conducted. During the event, they deliberated on the year’s theme: ‘Indigenous Peoples to Education’.
“Indigenous peoples are groups historically associated with a specific territory. Most of them have preserved traditional ways of living. A variety of names are used in various countries to identify such groups of people, but they generally are regarded as the ‘original inhabitants’ of a territory or region,” the note stated.
“This right to self-determination may be materially affected by the later-arriving ethnic groups. Today in many countries, indigenous population has been subject to marginalization, exploitation and oppression by dominant ethnic groups or colonial authorities.”
“Rights of the indigenous people in the context of Nagaland, Article 371A of the Constitution of India is to be considered as a special right to the indigenous inhabitants of the Naga people where it provides a provision to protect Naga culture, customs, tradition, lands, etc. The original inhabitants of the Nagas in Nagaland must seriously considered the Certificate of Indigenous Inhabitants as a document which provides and protect the rights of the indigenous inhabitants of the Nagas in Nagaland and it is very important to take serious measures not to issue the said certificate to others.”
The note advised the village councils, town wards, and colony leaders and other issuing authorities in general, to take all precautions “so as not to issue the said certificate to others especially one has to be very careful in issuing residential certificate, etc.”
Adoption & tribal status to non-indigenous inhabitants
Another issue that the note raised was that the “practice of adoption is to be discouraged amongst the indigenous people of Nagas in Nagaland.”
Various Naga tribal councils in Nagaland raising strong voices against the notified Rongmei community as an “indigenous tribe of Nagaland is simply the demand to protect the rights of indigenous people as indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland,” the statement reminded.
“The decision of the state government taken away the rights of the indigenous people is amounting to exploitation and oppression of the indigenous inhabitants. The cry and voices of the indigenous people must be heard on this day,” the statement from the associate professor said.
“The Naga people should never allow any mechanism to exploit the rights of the indigenous inhabitants of the land. The United Nations has seriously discussed about indigenous issues related to culture, economic & social development, education, the environment, health and human rights. The right of indigenous people to education is protected by 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’.”
