अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय आदिवासी दिवस
‘आदि’ भनेको आदिम समयदेखि भन्ने बुझाउँछ । यसर्थ, कुनै पनि ठाउँमा आदिम समयदेखि बसोवास गरिरहेका र त्यस भूमिको माटोलाई खनी खोस्री आफ्नो पुस्ता धानिरहेका कलाकौशल र हस्तकला लगायत थुप्रै मौलिक पहिचान भएका समुदायलाई आदिवासी भनिन्छ ।
आदिवासी र तिनको संस्कृति संरक्षण निम्ति २३ डसेम्बर १९९४ को संयुक्त राष्ट्रसघंको साधारण सभाले ९ अगस्तलाई अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय आदिवासी दिवसका रूपमा मनाउने अवधारणा अगाडि बढाएको हो । संयुक्त राष्ट्रसघंले यसअघि नै सन् १९९४ देखि २००४ सम्म आदिवासी दशक समेत ‘कर्म र मर्यादाका लागि दशक’ भन्ने नाराका साथ आव्हान गरेको थियो ।
यो दिवस पहिचान गर्न सिर्जित संयुक्त राष्ट्र संघको लोगो बङ्गलादेशका कलाकार रेबन देवानले तयार पारेका हुन् । यो लोगोमा हरियो पातका दुई वटा कान जस्तो आकृतिले पृथ्वीलाई दुईपट्टिबाट घेरेको देखिन्छ ।
अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय आदिवासी दिवसको सन् २०२१ को नारा भने'Leaving no one behind, Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract' तय भएको छ । यसको अर्थ चाहिँ नयाँ सामाजिक संरचनाको आवश्यकता अनि आदिवासीसहितको समावेशी समाजको पैरवी भन्ने लाग्छ ।
मानव सभ्यताको विकाससँगै बसाईँ–सराईंको क्रम शुरु भएपछि क्रमशः आप्रवासीहरूको घनत्व बढ्न गई उनीहरूको पहिचान, अस्तित्व, फरक गुण अनि रिति–थितिमा कमी आउन थालेको छ । विश्वको कुल जनसंख्याको ५ प्रतिशत रहेका आदिवासीहरूले विश्वको कुल गरिब जनसंख्याको १५ प्रतिशत भाग ओगटेका छन् । पृथ्वीको ध्रुवीय क्षेत्रदेखि दक्षिण प्रशान्त किनारसम्म रहेका आदिवासीहरूको पहिचान र उपस्थिति घट्दो क्रममा छ, किनकि पछि बसोबास गरेर आएका आप्रवासी समुदायहरू पेशा, पहिचान, बसाईँ लगायतका विविध कारणहरूले हाबी हुँदै आएका छन् ।
संयुक्त राष्ट्रसंघको आदिवासी समुदायको अधिकारसम्बन्धी घोषणपत्रको आर्टिकल १४ मा आदिवासी समुदायले आफ्नो संस्कृति, भाषा, रिति–रिवाज र चलनअनुरूप सुहाउँदो शैक्षिक प्रणाली, संस्थाहरू स्थापना र नियन्त्रण गर्न पाउने अधिकार दिएको छ । अनेकन अध्ययनहरूले स्पष्टसँग आदिवासी र गैरआदिवासी समुदायबीच शैक्षिक अवसर, विकास अनि समष्टिगत रूपमा मानवअधिकारका सुविधाहरूमा भएको ठूलो असमानता देखाउँछ । आफ्नो पहिचान र थलोका लागि पुस्तौँदेखि एकै ठाउँमा खनी–खोस्री, प्रकृतिसँग पैँठेजोरी खेल्दै आएका आदिवासी समुदाय विश्वका लागि प्राचीन सम्पत्ति हुन् । उनीहरूको पहिचान कायम राख्दै विकासको मूलधारमा ल्याउनु विश्व समुदायको प्रमुख चुनौती भएको छ ।
बहु–जाति बहु–धर्म र बहु–संस्कृति भएको हाम्रो देश नेपालका अधिकांश भू–भागमा आदिवासी समुदायहरूको बसोबास छ । बद्लिँदो परिवेशसँगै आदिवासी समुदायमा प्रभावित भएको छ । तीव्र रूपमा उनीहरूले आफ्नो पहिचान, रिति अनि मौलिकतालाई जीवित राख्ने भरमग्दूर कोशिस गरिरहेका छन् । अर्कातिर त्यही मौलिकता नयाँ पुस्ताले भुल्दै गएको, पुराना संस्कृतिहरूलाई निरन्तरता दिन नसकेको र आफ्नो मौलिक थर समेत परिवर्तन गरेर पहिचान हराउँदै गएको दृश्य अत्यास लाग्दो छ ।
तीतो सत्य के हो भने आदिवासीहरूको बसोवासलाई बिगार्दै अनि उनीहरूलाई विस्थापित गर्दै बनाइएका शहर, बसाईएका सभ्यता र जोडिएका कारखानाभन्दा उनीहरूको आफ्नो ठाउँमा हुने मौलिक उपस्थिति नै संसार र समुदायकालागि फाइदाकारक हुनेछ ।|
आदिवासी समुदायका लागि सहज, सरल र विकसित समाज हामी सबैको दायित्व हो । चाहे हामी गैरआदिवासी हौँ या आदिवासी समुदाय हौँ । आउँदो पुस्तालाई समाजको यथार्थ चित्र र विकासको उद्गमबिन्दुको प्रतिबिम्ब देखाउन जरुरी छ । आदिवासी दिवसको सबैलाई दायित्वबोध होस् । सबैमा शुभकामना !
Leaving no one behind
Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract is the theme for International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples of the year 2021.
Over 476 million indigenous peoples are living in 90 countries across the world, accounting for 6.2 percent of the global population. Indigenous peoples are the holders of a vast diversity of unique cultures, traditions, languages, and knowledge systems. They have a special relationship with their lands and hold diverse concepts of development based on their worldviews and priorities.
Indigenous people are called Adivasi in the Nepali language. 'Adi' refers to an ancient historical time, hence the people who have been living in a place for a very long time and have been cultivating the soil of that land for generations and have many original identities including arts and crafts are called AdiVasi.
The context of this year's Adivasi diwas or the international day of the world's indigenous peoples is different due to the COVID 19 pandemic. There is another group of people who are worrying about the threat of pandemics, long before COVID: Indigenous people. They are very much connected with the natural world and traditional skills, they have long known that the degradation of the environment has the potential to unleash the disease, this also holds in the year 2021.
Safeguarding indigenous people and their knowledge is the major issue today, their territories are home to 80% of the world's biodiversity and they teach us the balance of life and nature like no one else. The United Nations General Assembly on December 23, 1994, introduced the concept of celebrating August 9 as the International Day of Indigenous Peoples. The United Nations had earlier called for a decade from 1994 to 2004, including the Indigenous Decade for Action and Dignity.
The UN logo for the day was designed by Bangladeshi artist Reban Dewan. The logo features two green-eared ears that surround the earth.
With the development of human civilization and the beginning of migration, the density of immigrants has gradually increased and their identity, existence, different qualities, and customs have started to decrease.
Indigenous peoples, who make up 5 percent of the world's population, make up 15 percent of the world's poor.
The identity and presence of indigenous peoples from the polar regions of the earth to the South Pacific coast are declining as the later immigrant communities have been dominated by various sectors including occupation, identity, and settlement.
Article 14 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states that indigenous peoples have the right to establish and control educational systems and institutions appropriate to their culture, language, customs, and traditions. Various studies have clearly shown the huge disparity between indigenous and non-indigenous communities in terms of educational opportunities, development, and overall human rights facilities.
Indigenous communities, who have been munching on nature for generations, are an ancient asset to the world, and maintaining their identity in the mainstream of development has been a major challenge for the world community. There are indigenous communities in most parts of Nepal, a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multi-cultural country, and they are rapidly trying to keep their identity, customs, and originality alive. Shockingly, things have not been able to continue and even the identity has been lost by changing their original surname.
The bitter truth is that their presence in their place will be more beneficial to the world and the community than to the cities, settlements, and connected factories built by displacing and dislocating the indigenous peoples.
A comfortable, simple, and developed society is the responsibility of all of us for the Adivasi community. Whether we are a non-Adivasi or Adivasi community, it is important to show the next generation a realistic picture of the society and a reflection of the origin of development. Happy Adivasi Day to all!
Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract is the theme for International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples of the year 2021.
Over 476 million indigenous peoples are living in 90 countries across the world, accounting for 6.2 percent of the global population. Indigenous peoples are the holders of a vast diversity of unique cultures, traditions, languages, and knowledge systems. They have a special relationship with their lands and hold diverse concepts of development based on their worldviews and priorities.
Indigenous people are called Adivasi in the Nepali language. 'Adi' refers to an ancient historical time, hence the people who have been living in a place for a very long time and have been cultivating the soil of that land for generations and have many original identities including arts and crafts are called AdiVasi.
The context of this year's Adivasi diwas or the international day of the world's indigenous peoples is different due to the COVID 19 pandemic. There is another group of people who are worrying about the threat of pandemics, long before COVID: Indigenous people. They are very much connected with the natural world and traditional skills, they have long known that the degradation of the environment has the potential to unleash the disease, this also holds in the year 2021.
Safeguarding indigenous people and their knowledge is the major issue today, their territories are home to 80% of the world's biodiversity and they teach us the balance of life and nature like no one else. The United Nations General Assembly on December 23, 1994, introduced the concept of celebrating August 9 as the International Day of Indigenous Peoples. The United Nations had earlier called for a decade from 1994 to 2004, including the Indigenous Decade for Action and Dignity.
The UN logo for the day was designed by Bangladeshi artist Reban Dewan. The logo features two green-eared ears that surround the earth.
With the development of human civilization and the beginning of migration, the density of immigrants has gradually increased and their identity, existence, different qualities, and customs have started to decrease.
Indigenous peoples, who make up 5 percent of the world's population, make up 15 percent of the world's poor.
The identity and presence of indigenous peoples from the polar regions of the earth to the South Pacific coast are declining as the later immigrant communities have been dominated by various sectors including occupation, identity, and settlement.
Article 14 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states that indigenous peoples have the right to establish and control educational systems and institutions appropriate to their culture, language, customs, and traditions. Various studies have clearly shown the huge disparity between indigenous and non-indigenous communities in terms of educational opportunities, development, and overall human rights facilities.
Indigenous communities, who have been munching on nature for generations, are an ancient asset to the world, and maintaining their identity in the mainstream of development has been a major challenge for the world community. There are indigenous communities in most parts of Nepal, a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multi-cultural country, and they are rapidly trying to keep their identity, customs, and originality alive. Shockingly, things have not been able to continue and even the identity has been lost by changing their original surname.
The bitter truth is that their presence in their place will be more beneficial to the world and the community than to the cities, settlements, and connected factories built by displacing and dislocating the indigenous peoples.
A comfortable, simple, and developed society is the responsibility of all of us for the Adivasi community. Whether we are a non-Adivasi or Adivasi community, it is important to show the next generation a realistic picture of the society and a reflection of the origin of development. Happy Adivasi Day to all!
-Suyog Dhakal
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