Asia: 260 Million Indigenous Peoples Marginalised, Discriminated
Fascinating destinations and the indigenous cultures of Asia
Indigenous cultures in Southeast Asia
Concept of Indigenous Peoples in Asia
The concept of indigenous peoples has not only been hotly debated within academic circles over the past two decades, it has been met with skepticism if not outright rejection among representatives of governments, especially in Asia and Africa. In Asia, this has lead to what has been termed “the Asian controversy”, a controversy that is still far from being resolved, even though most Asian governments have voted in favour of the adoption of the Declaration on the Right of Indigenous Peoples by United Nations’ General Assembly in September 2007.
Indigenous and tribal peoples of Asia are facing complex threats to their survival as distinct peoples. Not only are they confronted with dispossession of their lands, resources and physical persecution, they are also faced with the appropriation of their collective knowledge on plants, trees, animals, insects and even land and water developed through the ages.
Only about 8% of the Indigenous Peoples around the world reside in Latin America, a far smaller number than most people surmise. On the other hand, over 75% live in China, South Asia and Southeast Asia, according to World Bank’s first global study of poverty among Indigenous Peoples across the developing world, Indigenous Peoples, Poverty, and Development.
There are also different terms used around the world: in China, the term ‘ethnic minority’ often denotes what in other countries is considered to be Indigenous, while ‘scheduled tribe’ or ‘Adivasi’ (“first inhabitants”) is commonly used in India. In the northern part of Scandinavia and parts of Russia, Saami are refers to Indigenous peoples of that region. In Africa, terms depicting socio-economic livelihoods such as pastoralism, hunter gatherers and in some cases, fishers and farmers are also used. The key is to apply the concept flexibly with an emphasis on self-identification taking into account country and context.
Bai Bibyaon, who is also known as Mother of the Lumads is the first and only Chieftain in the history of Monobo people of Philippines. Since1994, she has been a leader and environmentalist advocating the rights of indigenous people’s collective right over the land and natural resources of Pantaron Mountain Range. She has been in the frontline to defend their ancestral land against big mining corporations, logging and corporate plantations and in due course has been victim of threats and harassments by militaries.
Indigenous peoples have a special relationship with their lands, territories and resources, as they are central to their cultures, livelihoods, spirituality, identity, and their continued existence as distinct peoples. Securing the land and territorial rights of indigenous peoples is critical, not just to protect their lives, but to create more equitable and prosperous societies and to honor the contribution they make in protecting our planet’s biodiversity.
The COVID-19 pandemic has threatened humanity and wellbeing globally. The severity of its impact on Indigenous Peoples, especially Indigenous women and girls, Indigenous persons with disability and the elderly are disproportionate and grave in Asia. They are facing aggravated health risks, food insecurity, loss of employment and livelihood, increased violence against Indigenous Women, and threats to their lives due to military campaign and intensive attack on their lands and territories.
Plight of Indigenous Peoples in Asia
These indigenous peoples are responding to the grave consequences of land and resources exploitation through development aggression, trade liberalization and investment laws most especially the ASEAN market is progressively integrating. Their common responses to recent international and regional economic developments are (a) struggles against the statist agenda of development and modernization, (b) assertion of inherent or priori rights to ancestral lands and territories, (c) struggle to protect cultural heritage and right for free and prior informed consent, and (d) struggling response to be distinct and not to be forcibly displaced and assimilated.
I’ve long felt that the indigenous peoples of Taiwan should be included as members of Southeast Asia. There are clear commonalities between their lifestyles and those of people in places like Borneo and the mountains of the Southeast Asian mainland. The Atayal woman above, for instance, reminds me of pictures that I have seen of tattooed minority women in Burma.
Indigenous Knowledge and Peoples of Asia
Korengrenga is a small village in the Jashpur District of Chhattisgarh State, India. The village of 36 households is home to Oraons and Nagesias Indigenous Peoples. Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), and Jashpur Jana Vikas Sanstha (JJVS) met with village leaders and Indigenous Women representatives of Self Help Groups (SHGs) and discussed the issues and concerns of Indigenous Women. The strategies to develop and strengthen Indigenous Women’s leadership, as well as the implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), were discussed in the meeting.
Indigenous Peoples Literature 