Reluctance towards Indigenous language

(In context to Jharkhand)
''Languages are precious storehouses of history, experience and culture; a crucial link between the past and the future'' - Jeanie Bell, Aboriginal Linguist

Language is considered as the cornerstone of culture and the ultimate expression of belonging as it is through language that culture is shared and transmitted. A unique world view is expressed and identity is moulded and recreated. And for the indigenous community language is expressed through prayers, myths, spiritual belief, ceremonies, law, poetry, oratory, or through everyday greetings, conversational styles, humour, ways of speaking to children, or through unique terms for habits, socio-cultural organization and values of the community.
It is sometimes argued that when an indigenous language disappears (when there are no longer any speakers of the language) then the group itself does no longer exist as such which is of course not the case in many instances as of today. There are still indigenous communities who are able to maintain a strong community despite having lost the use of their traditional language and self-awareness as indigenous peoples.
Education is used as an instrument of assimilation in most countries has resulted in the loss of many indigenous languages. There are generations of indigenous people who were taught that their languages are inferior to the national language thus created a negative social stigma of being indigenous as “inferior.” On the other hand, education has also the potential of saving and reviving indigenous languages that are at the brink of extinction as manifested in some countries and territories today. With the empowerment of indigenous movements and recent developments with regards to the recognition of indigenous peoples’ rights at the national and international level, indigenous languages has become an integral aspect of indigenous peoples’ right to culture.
There are 300 to 400 millions indigenous people who speak about 5000 languages in the world wide. And in India there has no major survey done about the count of the tribal languages but it was said that there are more than 270 main dialects spoken. The tribal languages were segregated into three types Dravidian, Sino-Tibetan and Austric. In Jharkhand there are 34 languages or dialects spoken by the tribal groups and non tribal groups. Among the tribal languages 6 have the scripts (Ho, Santhal, Munda, Oroan, Kharia, Bhumij). The Santhali is considered as the official language under 8th schedule.
In order to promote the indigenous language it was made mandatory in the constitution. Under the Indian constitutional mandate under article 350 A, primary education should be imparted in mother tongue. So, the state government is towards the mandate for implementation. The Jharkhand Human resource development had set to implement at the grassroots on indigenous language. It had made compulsory for the teachers to have knowledge of the local language (tribal and non tribal) who were then teaching in Hindi. The students from the government school right from standard I to standard VIII.
The Jharkhand government printed books in five tribal languages for primary school children but failed to appoint teachers on time leading to a wasteful expenditure of Rs 1.05 crore, a CAG report has said. The books were published according to the government’s decision to impart primary education in tribal languages in addition to Hindi in the tribal state. The state’s human resource department had approved printing of books in five tribal languages — Mundari, Kharia and Khuduk in Devnagari script, Santhali in Olchiki script and Ho in Barangchhiti script – for students from Class I to V.
Government neither appointed teachers, who could teach in tribal languages in particular scripts nor these books were made part of the syllabus rendering the cost of printing books wasteful.” Still there is no teacher to teach the language. There has being no recruitment of teachers for the past years. Still in the many areas the teachers were non tribals who do not have the sensitivity towards the indigenous language. Though there are students doing graduate in Indigenous language, but they do not get a space to transfer their knowledge to others.
It is Hindi and English in the primary school which governs. This is the biggest dilemma of the indigenous language that, on one hand it speaks about the promotion and protection of indigenous language and on the other hand it just do not make any appropriate arrangement to make it successful. The government seeks to have bi-lingual education hence, Hindi and English was taught in the primary schools.
The demand for the local language by different groups and a constitutional mandate for the promotion of local language had raised demand for non indigenous language. This is once again is threat to the indigenous language. It can fall into politization by some groups and can completely scarp indigenous language from education. (for instances there were demand for Bengali and Urdu as the second language in Jharkhand) The very word “local language” is not defined properly; it can be the indigenous language or other non indigenous language. In Jharkhand there are non indigenous people residing and they are distributed unevenly all through the area. To advocate for non indigenous language (Bengali and Urdu) is also not wise when we promote to protect the indigenous language.
Again there is another constitutional change going for to have tri-lingual education at the primary education. This will create another kind of confusion in the state as there are many indigenous languages or the local language spoken at different pockets. Suppose if there is Hindi, English and Santhali as the tri-lingual then it might be acceptable in Santhal Pargana but not in Chotanagpur or in Kolhan area. This is because there are fewer or negligible speakers in Kolhan and Chotanagpur area, as the area is dominated by Ho, Mundari, Kurukh speakers. Even in Santhal pargana the indigenous group Paharia and Birhor will be deprive to promote their languages. Again, if Hindi, English and Khorta or panchpargania are considered, then the indigenous language will be deprived. Hence, it is not possible to advocate for any particular indigenous language in the state.
Its is really a threat to the indigenous language if the promotion is not successful through the government, then only Hindi and English will be language for culture expression. Therefore, it is necessary to teach, impart, and promote all the indigenous language of the state. There should be some alternative to promote indigenous language keeping in mind the geo-ethnic specification for instances in Chotanagpur area Mundari and Kurukh to be taught, similarly in Kolhan Ho etc.
The tri-lingual can be a virtual idea in the state of Jharkhand as it gives space for indigenous, national as well as global language. This tri-lingual can be based on the geo-ethnic specification. But, which one to be called as first language, second or third has to be justified. As for the demand from different indigenous groups all over the world, the respective indigenous language has to make as the medium of instruction under the education system. This simply directs Hindi and English are secondary. But, when one reflects to other states the regional language, the respective state language is place first followed by English and Hindi; this is just the reverse in Jharkhand, since it was made to consider Hindi the only language.
How will our education system reserve the indigenous language or whether it will lead to loss? Amidst the global language how these language will able to compete with its naturalness? What is the attitude of the indigenous community to go for protection of their language when there is so much exposure through media and telecommunication in non indigenous language? Not only that when there is demand of global language for capital accumulation. What will be proactive ness by the state government for promotional of the indigenous language. These are the few questions left for debate.
Writer: Jyoti Sonia Dhan

Supreme Court partly upholds tribal law

New Delhi: The Supreme Court, while partly upholding the Kerala Restriction on Transfer by and Restoration of Lands to the Scheduled Tribes Act, 1999, has said the legislation is more beneficial to the tribal people than the 1975 law that was repealed.

A Bench of Justice S.B. Sinha and Justice Mukundakam Sharma partly allowed the appeals filed by the Kerala government against a judgment of the Kerala High Court dated August 24, 2000, to the extent that the 1999 Act repealed the 1975 law relating to agriculture land. However, the Bench held that the State admittedly had no legislative competence to enact legislation in relation to non-agriculture land. While enacting the 1999 Act, the State could not have disadvantaged the persons who held non-agriculture land, having enacted the 1975 Act, and thus could not have repealed a portion thereof. “We, therefore, are of the opinion that to that extent the 1975 Act would continue to be applied.”

Writing the judgment, Justice Sinha said: “The 1999 Act, if given a holistic view, is more beneficial to the members of the Scheduled Tribes than the 1975 Act. If the State contemplated a legislative policy for grant of more benefits to a vast section of people, taking care of not only restoration of land but also those who have not transferred any land at all or otherwise landless, the statute by no stretch of imagination can be treated to be an arbitrary and an unreasonable one.”

“Furthermore, we have noticed that the members of the Scheduled Tribes are educated and we can safely presume that most of them are serving various institutions. We are satisfied that the Legislature of Kerala kept in view the necessity of protecting the interest of the small landholders who were in possession and enjoyment of property which had belonged to the tribal community and at the same time ensured that the tribal people are not thrown out of their land and rendered homeless.”

The Bench said: “Keeping in view the promises made by the 1999 Act, it is obligatory on the part of the State to provide the land meant for the members of the Scheduled Tribes. If they do not have sufficient land, they may have to take recourse to the acquisition proceedings, but we are clear that the State will fulfil its legislative promise failing which the persons aggrieved will be entitled to take recourse to such remedies which are available to them in law.”

Source: The Hindu

Tribals block highway in Darjeeling against Gorkha agitation

Tribals blocked a highway here on Saturday to protest against the frequent strikes called by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), an organisation demanding a separate state called Gorkhaland.

Activists of Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad (ABAVP - a tribal group), imposed a daylong road blockade as soon as the GJM suspended the road blockade in their strongholds uphill for 12 hours in their ongoing agitation for Gorkhaland.

The tribals said the GJM agitation disrupted normal life in the Terai region and demanded arrest of the culprits, allegedly belonging to GJM, who killed one of the tribal supporters.

"We want immediate arrest of culprits belonging to GJM who killed our supporter recently. Also we are very much bothered about the frequent strikes called by the GJM. They can carry out their strike in Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong in any way they like. But in Terai they cannot do anything. This should be immediately stopped," said Rajesh Toppo, Secretary, ABAVP.

Earlier, the GJM, called a halt to project work of the National Hydroelectric power Corporation (NHPC) at Kalijhora.

The GJM says that the closure of the project is part of their movement and a way to put pressure on the Central Government, which they allege, does not pay heed to their demands.

The tripartite talks involving the West Bengal Government and the GJM is scheduled to be held in New Delhi on August 11.

Earlier, the Centre had proposed to hold the talks on August 24, but the GJM wanted it to be preponed.

The last tripartite meeting between the three sides took place on December 29 last year where it was decided to take forward the talks after the Lok Sabha polls.

Source: Sify

Toy making empowers Koraput tribal ladies of Orissa

By Manoj Kumar Das

Tribal ladies in Koraput district of Orissa are engaged in the art of making toys from paper pulp, which helps them to earn their livelihood. A self-help group is engaged in training them in the art. In the past days it was found the tribal ladies relaxing at their homes after lunchtime. Looking forward to financial independence, they can gain some amount of living and which made them to start themselves engaging in toy making profitable business. Tribals found expressing happiness over the fact that they are now able to help their family financially. Now days they are planning to increase their productivity to increase their earnings. It is found the tribals instead of relaxing in the day time after lunch are engaging their time in toy making.

“We have created birds, trees and other things from paper pulp. An artist taught us to make toys from paper pulp and now we are making toys ourselves. We plan to invest some money so that we can purchase more paper pulp to make more dolls,” said Premika, a tribal women engaged in making toys.

The toys highlight the tribal art and culture. A lot of these toys are sold in exhibitions and fairs. It is also found the tribal hand made toys are capturing the Koraput and being a profitable business.

Migrant tribals fuelling Naxalism in Sambalpur

SAMBALPUR: Even though Naxals made their presence felt in the district with the brutal murder of former sarpanch of Tampergarh, Kader Singh, on January 23, 2003, a closer look reveals that the red rebels made inroads into the district in the mid ’80s when tribals from Jharkhand began trooping into the district.

The tribals from Jharkhand began reaching the area in batches through Gurundia block in Sundargarh and made the forests in Jujomura, Naktiduel, Rairakhol and Kuchinda blocks in the district their home. Being forest dependent communities, they cleared the forests and set up habitations there.

Their settlement was formalised when they were issued record of rights (RoR) of the forest land in early ’90s by the then RDC (NR). The settlement of the tribals from across the border helped the Naxals from Jharkhand spread their tentacles because of cultural and linguistic affinity. And soon some of the top Naxal leaders remarried girls from these hamlets to win the confidence of the innocent tribals. With this their effort to raise ‘peoples militia’ got a fillip, experts said.

Such hamlets, inhabited by tribals from across the border, have sprung up in Tampersingha, Meghpal, Jarabaga, Burda, Gariakhaman, Dangapita, Sahajbahal, Katasahi, Patharburda in Jujomura block. Similarly in Rairakhol block some hamlets have been noticed in Hemamura, Beldihi, Pradhanpali, Patakhaman, Hindol, Panchloi, Jamunali, Dangapathar, Girdihikhaman, Goverdhanpur, Sagajuri, Sunamudi and Satyanandpali.

The areas have witnessed a spate of Naxal violences in recent times. The last encounter with the Naxals, which saw sub-inspector Narsingh Mahakud falling to Naxal bullets, took place in Katasahi under Jujomura block.

While three persons were killed in cold blood and four injured by the Naxals in Burda way back on May 27, 2005, four personnel were mowed down by Naxals in Tampersingha and Banjaritikra villages under Meghpal gram panchayat in separate incidents on July 7, 2005.

Another person was hacked to death on the same day in Larabira under Chamunda gram panchayat. Likewise Arjun Dehuri of Talab was killed and his body traced from Makarchuan forest in Gariakhaman on August 9, 2007. While involvement of the tribals from across the border in Naxal activities is yet to be established, sources in police said Naxals enjoy their tacit support and hospitality during their movement in the forests.

Source: Express Buzz