International Day Of World's Indigenous Peoples 2024: Who They Are And What Challenges They Face

As the technological and infrastructural advancements transform the world, the indigenous communities across the globe continue to face numerous challenges, including land appropriation, forced assimilation, and discrimination, which threaten their cultures and rights. Despite international laws, their struggles persist. Preserving indigenous cultures is crucial for promoting diversity, protecting ancient knowledge, and supporting environmental sustainability. The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is thus observed to raise awareness on these issues.

What is the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples?

The United Nations commemorates the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples every year on August 9 since the date was adopted in December 1994 by UN General Assembly resolution 49/214. The date marks the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights held in Geneva in 1982. This celebration exists to raise awareness and protect the rights of indigenous people, while also recognizing the achievements and contributions of indigenous people towards improving world issues such as environmental protection and cultural preservation. The theme for this year is focusing on ‘Protecting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact’.

Who are Indigenous People?

Indigenous people are a group of people that practise unique traditions while retaining social, cultural, economic and political characteristics that are different from those of the dominant societies in which they live. They are often described as descendants of people that occupied a country or geological region at a time when people of different cultures or ethnic origins arrived and later became dominant through conquest, occupation, settlement or other means.

Characteristics of Indigenous People

The official definition of “indigenous” has not been adopted by any UN system body, reflecting the diversity of indigenous people. The system has instead developed a modern understanding through the following characteristics:
- Self- identification as indigenous peoples at the individual level and accepted by the community as their member.
- Distinct social, economic or political systems
- Distinct language, culture and beliefs
- Form non-dominant groups of society
- Historical continuity with pre-colonial and/or pre-settler societies
- Strong link to territories and surrounding natural resources
- Resolve to maintain and reproduce their ancestral environments and systems as distinctive peoples and communities.

Indigenous People of India

India hosts an estimated population of over 104 million indigenous people with 705 officially recognised ethnic groups and many more unrecognised ethnic groups. The largest concentrations of Indigenous Peoples are found in the seven northeastern states of India that stretches from Rajasthan to West Bengal recognized as the so-called "central tribal belt". The indigenous population of India

Challenges Faced By Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous people and their cultures often face many challenges that range from discrimination to extinction of both culture and people.

- Trespassing on their right to cultural lands is perhaps one of the most major challenges faced by indigenous people since the colonial era. In the modern era, international law states that indegenous people cannot be relocated without their free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and without offering them adequate compensation. Despite such laws, indigenous people’s lands are routinely appropriated, sold, leased or simply plundered or polluted by government and private companies.

- Forced Assimilation is another major challenge that slowly destroys indigenous cultures as the majority people in a region or country use direct or direct means to force indigenous people to assimilate with society. For example, indigenous children in Australia were forced to assimilate into white culture and were placed in institutions where they suffered abuse and neglect. These children are known as the “Stolen Generations”. 

- Indigenous people face violation on their right to self-determination as despite some of them being self-governing, many are still denied the right to freely choose their own government or political systems. These people have governed themselves for thousands of years before the arrival of colonizers, yet many are still forced or expected to follow governments that claim indigenous lands be under their jurisdiction.

- Discrimination towards indigenous people also blocks access to healthcare and public services. Indigenous communities are less likely to have access to healthcare facilities when afflicted with injuries, diseases or pregnancy because of discrimination and mistreatment. For example, in Panama and Russia, indigenous women are around six times more likely to die in childbirth than women from the non-indigenous population. The marginalization towards indigenous people also affects their access to public services, especially during times of emergencies like COVID 19 pandemic. During such crisis situations, lack of access to healthcare and public information has caused indigenous people to excessively suffer due to lack of essential services such as sanitation and clean water.

Importance of Preserving Indigenous Peoples and Cultures

Indigenous people and their cultures around the world are facing various challenges and are often at risk of extinction. Their cultures possess valuable knowledge and traditions developed for hundreds or even thousands of years that serve as human cultural heritage. These unique beliefs and lifestyle of indigenous people also plays an important role in protecting and preserving nature as areas under their control face a decrease in environmental degradation. The following points highlight the importance of indigenous people.

- In this era of rapid globalisation, preserving indigenous cultures helps promote cultural diversity. Preserving these cultures ensures that these diverse beliefs and ways of life are not lost in the passage of time.

- As inheritors of living heritage, indigenous people serve as historical successors of cultural knowledge and beliefs passed down for hundreds or even thousands of years. Their knowledge and way of life help in preserving ancient languages that may otherwise be lost in the modern era.

- Preserving indigenous people also helps in combating discrimination and promoting social justice. Historically, indigenous communities have faced marginalisation and discrimination from larger and more dominant groups of society. Accepting and preserving such communities displays acceptance towards global diversity.

- Many indigenous cultures have unique knowledge and practices which have helped them develop sustainable ways of living which helps protect and preserve nature. This can be seen from the decrease in environmental degradation in areas that are owned, managed, used or occupied by indigenous people.

- According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Traditional knowledge and heritage of indigenous people are very useful for environmental assessments and sustainable ecosystem management. Their knowledge would be essential in designing and implementing solutions for ecosystems.

- For example, the sustainable production and consumption of indigenous and traditional food has invaluable benefits for natural resources and ecosystems, contributes to a sustainable and healthier diet, and helps mitigate climate change.

- Many indigenous people have lived in their land by following a suitably lifestyle which has helped them obtain knowledge and experience of how to maintain the ecosystems of their lands.

Sources 

https://www.un.org/en/observances/indigenous-day 

https://www.iwgia.org/en/india.html 

https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/indigenous-peoples/

https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/indigenous-peoples-and-nature-they-protect