Indigenous people of India

Indigenous people

Below is an abstract taken from http://forum.indianetzone.com/5/indigenous_people_india.htm it talks about the indigenous people of India:

“The indigenous people still exist in India and they are popularly known as Adivasi. Indian government refers to indigenous peoples as Scheduled Tribes. It is a Sanskrit word meaning original people . Contrary to the official government position, this term reflects the widely recognised fact that the people in question are the earliest known settlers on the Indian subcontinent and North-East India. The indigenous or tribal peoples of India s north-eastern region the seven states Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura do not call themselves, nor are they normally referred to in literature, as Adivasi in spite of the fact that the meaning of the term very much applies to the respective people. Representatives of these peoples prefer to use the English term indigenous peoples . In the 2001 census, 84.33 million persons were classified as members of Scheduled Tribes, corresponding to 8.2% of the total population. The census lists 461 groups recognised as tribes, while estimates of the number of tribes living in India reach up to 635. While the number of members of the largest tribes, such as the Gonds, Santals, Oraon, Bhils or Nagas go into the millions others, such as the Onge or the Great Andamanese, are on the brink of extinction. The majority of the indigenous and tribal peoples live in an almost contiguous belt stretching from Gujarat in the west to the seven states in the north-east, with the highest concentration in the central region, where more than 50% of the tribal people live. The highest ethnic diversity among the indigenous and tribal population is in the north-eastern region, where 220 distinct groups have been identified. They comprise approximately 12% of the total indigenous population of India. Most of India s indigenous peoples have been forest dwellers for centuries. Traditionally, forests met most of their fodder, food, medicinal and other needs. A long process of turning forest areas into a source of revenue and timber, and exploitation of the mineral resources, has led to deforestation, loss of livelihood and displacement of indigenous peoples. The vast majority of the labour force among scheduled tribes is engaged in the agricultural sector the figure for all India is 66.84% . This means that almost nine-tenths of tribal families rely on natural resources for their livelihood. The majority of these are engaged in permanent agriculture but shifting cultivation still forms the mainstay of the domestic economy in many upland areas, particularly in the north-east. A few small groups in Central and South India and on the Andaman Islands live almost entirely from hunting, gathering and fishing.”

According to the above excerpt, Adivasis are the earliest settlers on the Indian sub-continent, and have contributed much to its culture, history, heritage and surroundings. They have become refugees in their own land and victims of prevailing cultural dominion, human rights violations and progression displacement. India has the largest concentration of tribal people in the world except perhaps in Africa.


Issues and Problems faced by the Adivasis community
Adivasis in India are facing numerous continual issues and problems. Among them are: Extreme poverty, illiteracy, Human Rights violation, poor health condition and standard of living, and unemployment concerns -- they are the chief problems that needs to be addressed.

1. Land and livelihoods aspect

• Displacement in the name of development and mainstreaming
• Interference of multi-national and nationwide companies/factories
• Environmental Degradation (Land, Forest & Water)
• Flood and Drought, Unemployment, Landlessness,
• Migration and lost of ownership on natural resources
• Discrimination in development programmes and in any rehabilitation activities

2. Poverty and Social Development aspect

• Extreme poverty- poor schemes, market based investment against customary livelihoods of adivasis, Imperialist globalization, privatization, ineffective poverty alleviation schemes that do not reach the adivasi community, lack of equitable space for people’s participation neither in planning nor in execution or in benefit sharing.
• Illiteracy- Lack of access to education, lack of availability of schools, continual drop-outs, child labour, continual inequity and no quality & technical education to adivasi children, no prospect for better and higher education.
• Health issues, Malnutrition, Malaria, TBs, Anemia, HIV/AIDS, no access to health care centers, hospitals and health centers without doctors/staff in tribal locations and etc.
• Degeneration in status to that of bonded labourers and low salaries.

3. Identity, Atrocities & Human Rights aspect

• Atrocities - caste, community, communalism, conflicts, violence & exploitation
• Identity & tradition- degradation of cultural values, erosion of customary governance
• Corrupt Bureaucracy, corrupt NGOs, corrupt companies, corrupt politicians,
• Media representation of Adivasis is inconsistent and often unsupportive
• Migration in search of job especially to the urban areas
• Non implementation of Forest Rights Act (FRA), Provisions of Panchayat Raj Extension to Scheduled Areas Act (PESA), Prevention of Atrocities Act (PA) in all adivasi areas
• Inaccurate below-poverty line list depriving many impoverished adivasis families
• Political parties exploitation against adivasi development and their leadership

Poverty & illiteracy data among Adivasis:

• As per the Government Report over 40.1% of the adivasis are displaced.
• Above 55.2% of the adivasis are under the below poverty line in India.
• Around 64% of the adivasis are the poorest of the poor in India.
• Over 63.5% of the adivasi households are not having access to electricity.
• About 53.1% of the adivasi households are not having drinking water source.
• Almost 83% of the adivasi population does not access to toilet facility.
• Over 56% of the adivasi children in India are undernourished.
• About 53% of the adivasi populations are illiterate at the national level.
• Exactly 76% of the scheduled tribes/adivasis are not having permanent houses.
• Nearly 93% of the adivasis do not possess any land for the agricultural activity.

Culture and Traditions 04

Beliefs and Tradition
India is shrouded in a coat of mystery with its long-standing history of culture. One of the most fascinating part about India is the folklore and superstitions; beliefs. Below are some examples of such beliefs:

Hindu Belief
The goal of a Hindu is to reach ‘Nirvana’, which is the release of the soul from the seemingly endless cycle of rebirths. The Hindus believe themselves to have an eternal life cycle, therefore they believe in reincarnation. The form a person will take in the next life depends on the ‘karma’ one has accumulated in the past life. They also believe in the existence of three-in-one god known as “Brahman,” which is composed of: Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the Preserver), and Shiva (the Destroyer).


Living with cobra
Shetpal is a tiny village in Sholapur, Maharashtra, otherwise known as ‘cobra village’. Each house has a resting place for cobras in a raft of their ceilings. Another remarkable fact is there has been no case of a cobra-bite in that village till date.


Dropping babies from a tower
Baba Sheikh Umar Saheb Dargah temple is located in Musti village in Sholapur, Maharashtra. There is a 500 years tradition of throwing infant babies off a tower of 50 ft height as it is believed to be a blessing for the baby. The locals claimed that no babies were harmed.


Marrying to dogs
Some tribes in eastern India believed that marriage to dog can ward off omen and bring luck.

The local barber can help a person in India find a spouse.
A barber may seem like an implausible matchmaker, but they perform a major role for the following reasons:

· Family will normally have the same barber for generations.

· Barber has connections with other families.

· Information about potential spouse can be obtained with the assistance of barber.

Speaking of weddings, there are a number of traditions practiced in India and arranged marriage is one of them. India still keeps to the tradition of arranged marriages despite being much modernized in some aspects. Marriages blossomed out of love or otherwise known as "love marriages" do occur in India, but it is not their custom. It is an established truth that a person's family will have a say in selecting the matrimony spouse. It is essential that the marriage choice is attentively planned out as divorce is not accepted in India. Some sought-after traits looked for in both genders are: corresponding level of education, similar cultures, distance/close parental cities, identical religions just to name a few. This often results in an interview process where photos and meticulous details about the potential spouse are provided. Customary, the bride and groom are not permitted to see each other until the wedding day. However, in these changing times, a small courtship would be made under the attentive eyes of the guardians.

A marriage is often accompanied by the dowry as like in Chinese’s tradition and every other country imaginable. The dowry system was initially something respectable in purpose and supplied for the independent wealth of the user in a time when the user is improbable to labour outside of the home. However, it has become more of a ‘bride bargaining item’ in India. In which case, the bride has to come up with a respectable dowry in order to attract any suitors. There have been cases of the abused of the dowry system. In countries that frowned on divorcee, husbands have been known to demand for more dowries on the account of a divorcement or dowry death. In other cases, dowry is used by the family and the bride does not benefit from it.

Below is a video on dowry death.


Etiquettes
India is a rather conservative country, therefore it is vital to be dressed properly. Revealing clothes, especially for women, is definitely not advisable. Appropriate attires are: knee length Bermudas, tee shirts, long or quarter length skirts, capris and jeans.

Indian temple etiquette specifies that no shoes on entering the premises. The same applies to certain churches in India as well. It would be expected of one to follow similar protocol in house of certain cities.

Indian culture and tradition also prohibits any form of unnecessary physical contact, especially between a man and a woman, in public. It is best to greet someone with their title instead of a handshake or hug.

Tilak (Tika)
Tilak is a ceremonial mark on the forehead between the brows as it is deemed to be the seat of hidden insight, cerebral attentiveness, and is vital for worship. Dotting of the coloured mark denotes the pursuit for the 'opening' of the third eye, which is used to become one with Brahma. It is generally used as a blessing, greeting or auspiciousness. The Tilak is typically prepared out of a red vermilion paste (kumkum) which is a blend of turmeric, alum, iodine, camphor etc.



Namaskar
Namaskar or Namaste is the most fashionable type of salutation to welcome or bid farewell in India. To do a Namaskar, both palms are placed together and placed below the chin, adjacent to the chest. It is understood that both hands represent one mind, or the self meeting the self; while the right hand embodies higher nature, the left hand indicates worldly or lower nature.


Below is a video featuring snippets of some of the traditions in India.

Culture and Traditions 03

India's caste system

The caste system is like a sacred communal ranking structure. “Caste” " comes from the Portuguese word "casto", which means “pure”. There are four main castes -- Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vashaya and Shudra—and they are known as the "Varnas”. It is the Indian word for "colour".

The split of the Varnas is dependent on the profession of the people. There is no communal mobility in the caste system as marriage is prohibited between different caste groups. Hinduism believes in reincarnation which ends in the "Nirvana”. The "Dharma" (Karma) is a person’s report of good and bad deeds done in this life. It will take a longer time to reach Nirvana if one accumulated a lot of bad deeds in this life. A person’s Dharma decides which caste that person will be born into in the next life, hence justifying the caste system.

The Brahmin

The Brahmin is the highest caste and comprises of priests. They have distinctive symbols such as a white rope and a unique haircut. As priests, they have the ability to communicate with gods, and msut not be touched by other caste groups.

Source: www.asienforever.de

The Kshatriya

The Kshatriya are second in the caste system. They are of noble births. A distinctive feature about them is that they are allowed to take meat and alcohol.

The Vaishaya

The Vaishaya are third in the caste system, and most of them comprises of merchants and landowners.

The Shudra

The Shudra are fourth in the caste system. They comprise of workers jobbing for the others. In this contemporary age, Shudra consists of 30% of the government jobs.

The Dalit

The Dalit is at the bottom of the caste system, also known as “Untouchables”. They are not allowed to have any social contact with the other caste groups. They are the main workforce in the ‘dirty jobs’ category, hence they live in poverty; living quarters: slums and squatter settlements.

(A Dalit standing in front of his home)

Bonus
How India's caste system comes about:
The inauguration of the caste system goes back to the arrival of the light-skinned "Aryan" people from central Asia(3 500 years ago). Their appearance put the dark-skinned local people at a disadvantaged position.

Culture and Traditions 02

Values

Below is an article talking about the values of an India, which I got from http://family.jrank.org/pages/859/India-Family-Life-Family-Values.html

India’s cultural heritage builds its foundation on non-violence, respect for elders, for the tools of their trade, family bondage, and the very Indian “athiti devo bhava”. The significance of prayer in India is widespread in all sections of society. The day starts off with a prayer or an Aarati, be it at home or at work. Aarati is a Hindu religious ritual of worship.

The age old adage “cleanliness is next to godliness” still holds good; children are taught from young the vitality of hygiene. Apart from that honesty and integrity are inculcated for we live in an age where corruption is on the rise. Respect for elders is a very Indian value and it stems from time immemorial. In keeping with changing times, it is necessary for parents to teach children to respect not only elders but all human beings. Do unto others what you want others to do unto you. Next on the list would be self-confidence. Self-confidence should be the key which rules their lives. Children are taught to believe in their capabilities and be tough and flexible and have the courage to bounce back after hardships. They will be given room to grow; to take failure in their stride and help them learn from their mistakes. Reading is a habit instilled in the children as well, reading helps them to become more refine in their behavior, more aware in their approach and allows them the privilege of armchair travel. They are also encouraged to pen down what they see, learn or feel.

However, with the rising influence of the west, it has become very tough for parents to try and keep these values intact, for the younger generation is always in a sense of conflict between the values that they have and the values that are.

Contrast between genders

India is an exceptionally pronatalistic civilization, and the yearning to have a male child is very much emphasized. It is considered by some to be a man's utmost duty, a devout obligation, and a source of emotional and ancestral fulfillment. Male children are treated with more reverence and given special privileges because of their desiredness. Male children are taught to be aggressive, bigoted, self-governing, self-sufficient, demanding, and authoritarian. Females, on the other hand, are taught to be self-sacrificing, passive, accepting, nurturing, philanthropic, adaptive, forbearing, and religious, and to value family above. In a conventional Indian family, the wife is usually reliant, compliant, modest, and goes out of her way to please her husband. They are accountable to looking after the home and caring for the children and the elderly parents and relatives.

Even though social changes are steadily taking place, prearranged marriages are still the norm, and dating is usually not encouraged. Furthermore, sex and sexuality topics are not candidly discussed, sex education is not readily accessible, interrelationships with the opposite sex and premarital sex are discouraged.

The issue on LGBT

Another one of India’s most controversial topic would be on ‘Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender’ (LGBT) community. India has taken to censoring most of western movies but getting rid of bedroom scenes and the likes. However, same-gender relationship got passed the censorship and survives in India film industry such as ‘Bollywood’. One such example can be ‘Dunno Y . . . Na Jaane Kyun’, a film featuring Bollywood's first cinematic gay kiss. It illustrates the account of an aspiring model who travels to Mumbai to search for affluence and enters into a homosexual relationship, in part to further his career.

(A poster for the Bollywood gay film Dunno Y . . . Na Jaane Kyun.)

With the film industry (Bollywood actors) showing camaraderie with the validation of gay relationships, this has undeniably proved influential. The LBGT sector has, as a result, seen an escalation in health and social services, the threatened backlash by extreme groups has failed to occur and last year’s Gay Pride festivals took place all over the country and even in the ultra-conservative city of Chennai. However, the figures would very much be different in rural areas.

Culture and Traditions 01

Cuisine
Indian cuisine is greatly embraced across the world, because like Thai cuisine, the secret lies in the skillful use of spices. The southern part of India has a unique approach to food preparation with the predominant employment of rice and coconut. Fish is also a primary part of the diet in the coastal district, besides vegetarian.

Feast for your eyes!

(Chicken Tikka Masala)


(Phall)


(Biryani)


(Kheer)


(Samosa)

One of the most commonly used spices is garam masala. Other spices powders used are like turmeric, chili, cumin, coriander etc. The whole spices which bring unique flavor to Indian cuisine are like green cardamom, star anise, black pepper, cloves and cinnamon sticks etc.

Dining etiquette
As like in every country, there are rules to be observed during a meal. There is a special protocol in terms of mainly seven major factors like:
1.Seating style
2.Eating manners
3.Conversation
4.Food Habits
5.Food Talk
6.Dining Etiquette

According to the Indian customs and traditions cutleries are not employed, as the majority of the foods are best appreciated when ingesting with the hand.
1. Always sanitize hands before and after a meal.
2. Wait to be seated accordingly to seniority.
3. There is a practice of eating with right hand. Do not on any circumstance eat with left’ considered unclean.
4. The left hand is normally set on the table or your lap while ingesting.
5. Guests are often served in a meticulous sequence: the guest of Honour, men, and the children are the last to be waited on. Women serve everybody first and consume last.

6.Do not attempt to help yourself to food, always wait to be served.
7. Depending on the circumstances, sometimes food will either to served to you or you may be allowed to serve yourself from a common bowl.
8. Indians do not have a habit of sharing as it is considered unclean – do not offer to share.
9. Spoon is used for only liquid dishes, but apart from that, stick to hand.

In India, the general modus operandi is to graciously decline the first offer of beverage or snacks. You will be offered again. Turning down the first invitation is part of the code of behavior.

Eating with Indians is like an art, it is vital to observe these rules if you do not wish to pass off as insensitive and ignorant.

Music
India has a very established school of Music and Dance. Master performers are guided by an expert. Presentations could be appreciated by huge and enthusiastic viewers. Vibrant folk and tribal art forms also exist in parts of India but are increasingly fading away. Many government and non-government organizations are assisting in keeping these customary art forms animated. Indian music has essentially been known to be performed through three modes - vocal music, instrumental music, and dance. All the three mediums of music are prevalent in the two prominent kinds of Indian classical music, namely the North Indian classical music or the Hindustani classical music, and the classical music of South India or the Carnatic music, as well as other folk music.

The following is taken and adapted from http://www.indembkwt.org/culture.htm
Classical Music: The roots of the Indian music can be traced back to the Vedic period, when the celestial creator of the universe, Brahma was said to have handed down music to the world through his son, sage Narada, to usher in an era of peace and solace among humanity. The earliest form of music was used during the Vedic period as sacred hymns, which were chanted through a method called "Ek Swari Gaayana," meaning singing with the help of one note. The single note hymns gradually developed to the "Gatha Gaayana" method of singing with double notes. Eventually, the Vedic chants of the single note, double notes, and such other systems gave way to the initiation of the seven note system called "Saptaswara".

Hindustani Music : The history of Hindustani classical music is said to have originated during the period of the Indus Valley Civilization. After the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization came the stage of the Vedic music, in which sacrifices and prayers were made to the Gods through hymns and chants in musical style. Moreover, music was one of the key factors in the creation of two of the greatest of Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Music in India, from the transitional period to the modern age has witnessed tremendous development in style and methodology.

Carnatic Music: The south Indian form of Indian classical music is known as Carnatic music, and is a musical style performed with the company of several musical instruments, such as violin, veena, mridangam, etc. Carnatic music is prevalent in the south Indian states of Tamil Nadu, kerala, Andhra pradesh and Karnataka. Carnatic music follows a pattern of mainly devotional themes, most of which are sung in the praise of Hindu deities. The prime components of Carnatic music follows the same pattern as any other Indian classical music, which are the Raga, implying the melody part, and the Tala, denoting the rhythmic part. Musical instruments are an intrinsic part of Carnatic music, and have strengthened the foundation of this art form at the hands of immaculate musicians like T.R. Mahalingam, M. Chandrasekaran, and so on. Some of the proponents of Carnatic classical music have created waves in the international circuit through their immortal compositions and have been bestowed with several awards and commemorations, thus making them legends in the field.

Art
Art pieces of Indian artist are assumed ‘marketetable’ in the art scene today. Contemporary Indian painters like MF Hussain, Ganesh Pyne and Anjolie Ela Menon are creating name for themselves in the international context. Indian literature is a treasure chest of wisdom and knowledge as well. From the antique sacred manuscript to current day writers are a long uninterrupted line of novelists who dexterously write down accounts of their tale sand remark upon modern-day life in India.