AMN
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was celebrated today by the Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh, Vizianagaram. On this occasion, a webinar was conducted on the theme ‘Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract’ involving all the students, teachers, research scholars, tribal leaders, NGOs and other stakeholders.
In this webinar, Vice-Chancellor Prof. T. V. Kattimani enlightened about there are over 476 million indigenous peoples in whom there are about 5,000 different tribal communities and they have about seven thousand languages living in 90 countries across the world, it is about 6.2 per cent of the global population.
Every year, 9th of August is celebrated as ‘International Tribal Day’ for the upliftment of tribal society and to save their culture and honor.
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 own worldviews and priorities.
Prof. Kattimani also observed that they have their own language, art, craft, sports, music, cultivation methods, culinary procedures and indigenous practices.
The VC also said that majority of tribes are suffering from poverty, lack of education, discrimination, problems of health and nutrition, loss of control over natural resources, displacement and rehabilitation, gender issues, erosion of identity, poverty and indebtedness, institutional instability or financial insecurity.
A social contract is an unwritten agreement that societies make to co-operate for social and economic benefits.