Indigenous group’s Awakening Influence from outside such as modern Education, Government Agencies and outsiders Religions

Introduction

Indigenous groups in India are considered to be most oppressed people due to the structure which is already in practice. Their awakening happened due to the external forces like modern education, Government agencies and other outside Religions. That gave totally new colour to their lives. In this paper we aim to see that briefly.

Modern Education

Traditional Education System

The system of formal education, as we know it today, was entirely unknown to the Nagas prior to the arrival of the Christian missionaries. Yet, as Margaret Mead asserts that, ―apart from formal education, there were certain other processes too by which tribal societies transmit their standardized habit patterns to their children. However, such an account is constrained by lack of documentary evidence such as written records. In this sense, the children received informal training in those tasks that were to become their adult roles in later life. Young girls were inducted into the fold of household chores from the early age of seven, helping their mothers to fetch water in bamboo, to winnow cotton and to cook food for the entire family. They also carry their younger siblings on their backs. The mode of education prevalent in Naga society before the coming of the Christian missionaries was centered on the morung. This institution served Naga society for centuries and incorporated in its functioning tribal values, life-centered learning and exposure to customary practices and experiences. In this institution, young men and women grew up under the supervision of the community elders. For the young men, the Morung is khel or clan-based while the young girls meet in informal groups usually in the home of respected senior women. The youth, through community living and working together also get to know each other in a natural way and forged relationships that extended from the personal to the social domain. This innovative approach to education, leadership building, and societal training contributed much to Naga life, history and functioning.

Government Agencies

Colonial Government

Although, before independence, the colonial Government had taken some steps for development of the tribal communities, their efforts were based on self-fulfillment. During the British period, tribal communities in India remained in isolation from other communities in the country, and consequently remained backward and suffered from poverty, malnutrition, disease, illiteracy, marginalization, exploitation, and ignorance in varying degrees. The colonial Government did not pay enough attention to the development of tribal communities, because, it mainly aimed at day to day functions such as maintenance of peace, law and order and collection of revenues from the tribal areas. They just wanted to collect natural resources available in tribal areas. After independence, the Government of India listed them as Scheduled for special privileges in the constitution. The safeguard provisions, many programs, policies, and laws have been introduced by the Central Government and the State Governments of their development.

Tribal Development and NGOs:

The development is a dynamic and multifaceted phenomenon. It includes the overall development of the community. Issues of the tribal development have been very different and debatable since early times. The approaches of the tribal development are of Isolation, assimilation and integration issues. The much more debate on the issues of tribal development has been done since last about seven decades. But there is no clear-cut policy or approach of the tribal development since yet. The theory of the ‘Panchsheel’, which was propounded by Jawaharlal Nehru is not honestly followed since yet. A lot of time was wasted immediately after independence, on whether the trial should be allowed to develop in isolation or they should be assimilated with the other advanced part of the community. All the special provisions for the tribe are based on the assumptions that all the tribes are equally deprived, disadvantaged, and poor. Therefore, we are far away from the solution of the problems of the tribal community of India. There are tribes that live in the forest and are exclusively dependent on the forest for their livelihood by practicing hunting and food gathering. With their primitive technology, limited skills and traditional and rituals practices, their entire lifestyle revolves around the forests. On the other hand, there are few tribal communities in the eastern part of the country that have been totally assimilated in the national mainstream. However, large segments of the tribal population have been leading a life in between these two stages of socio-economic development.

Changes in Occupation

Many tribe’s age agrees that changes have undertaken in their occupation. They admitted that those respondents who started vegetable production, floriculture, and other cottage industries, because of efforts of NGOs, are benefited. Religion and education, two of humankind’s most ancient endeavors, have long had a close relationship. Historians and social scientists have written about this relationship and about how the two may influence each other.

Outside Religions

Usually, there is a common understanding that indigenous people are Hindus but when we consider Indigenous state like Nagaland comprises of 90 percentage of Christians. The perceptions which majority of the people have towards indigenous people are absolutely wrong. Of course, religion played a vital role in shaping the lives of indigenous people.  Out of all, Christianity played a pivotal role.

With the advent of Christianity, English and formal education were introduced. This led to far-reaching changes in the educational and social framework of Nagaland. With the coming of the Christian missionaries into the Naga Hills, Naga society began to change. The spread of Christianity and modern ideas not only helped to put an end to inter-tribe warfare but also introduced concepts of hygiene and health care. Due credit should be given to missionaries for weaning the Nagas away from headhunting. Finally, headhunting disappeared fully from the areas where Christianity had taken its root. It is maintained by some scholars that the church apart from introducing radical changes in the social practices of the people also helped in the emergence of some sort of political platform with a common Naga identity based on Christianity.

Conclusion

It was time that Indigenous people are considered to be uncivilized by the so called “civilized” people.  But in today’s context, they are not head hunting, they are not dressing like before, etc. their life style including dressing sense differs. In fact, they are in higher positions like CEO’s in Multi National countries. There is a proverb, “Don’t give a fish to man, instead teach him how to fish.” The external forces taught them how to fish. By gaining education, now they are improving in all the fields irrespective of clans and gender.  For this particular development - modern education, Government agencies and other outside Religions contributed their time and commitment towards them, which made this change possible within and outside.

Bibliography

Editors. Prof. Byomakesh Tripathy, Dr. Basanta Kumar Mohanta, recent researches on the tribes of central India, Vol.1 (Unitech graphic point Delhi,2016)

Editors. Prof. Byomakesh Tripathy, Dr. Basanta Kumar Mohanta, recent researches on the tribes of central India, Vol.2 (Unitech graphic point Delhi,2016)

Vanlalchhuanawma, mission and tribal identity,(Delhi: Ispck) 2010.

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