Knowledge And Wisdom of Indigenous Communities towards reconciliation
Indigenous knowledge refers to a complex systemand its practicesby Adiwasis[1]/indigenous communities, it comes from their rich experiences and interaction with natural environment and transmittedfrom one generationto the next. It is owned collectivelyin the form of songs. stories, myths, beliefs, customs and laws. The indigenous communities are close to land, forests, rivers and other water bodies. They have developed ecological skills and practices which help them in their various agricultural activities in different seasons year after year. Indigenous knowledge is rooted in community practices, institutions, relationships,rites, rituals, feastsand festivities. It is linked with (a) nature, (b) one another, (c) creator along with ancestors and spirits all in mutual harmony.
[1] Original inhabitants.
Indigenous Clan System
According to various myths, the Creator himself has divided human beings into different clans for their inter-clan marriages. Clans are formed from animals, birds, fishes, plants, and minerals. Everyone in the indigenous community belongs to a particular clan. The members of one clan form an extended family and are related to one another as family members. This social custom makes the members of one clan form a large family. It does not permit the members of one clan to get married in the same clan because its members are brothers and sisters of one family. Through this custom a member gets married outside his or her own clan. Thus social networkspreads beyond one clan to another through inter-clan marriages in reconciliation and social bonding.
Indigenous way of Governance
The indigenouscommunities live mostly in villages of rural and forest areas. They are small farmers though through modern education a good many of their population have joined service sectors for their livelihood. Each village community elects its headfrom among the family heads based on the principle of consensus.He is equalamong equals with no other high and low status. In order to assist him in his duties and responsibilities, there is a councilof elected elders based on the same principle as mentioned above. Together with other family heads in the village, they conduct meetings and make decisions and implement them.. Conflicts in the village are settled in this manner and reconciliation takes place. Beyond this village council, there are inter-village councils with their respective chiefs and councils in order to maintain peace and reconciliation among them and their neighbours.
While the village head and his council together, look after and maintain the socio-cultural peace and harmony in their village; there is also a priest and his assistant elected by the village community to take care of religious rites and ritualson different occasions.These religious leaders through their functions help the village community be reconciled with God the creator, ancestors and other minor spirits. This brings about peace and harmony in the village community in its temporal as well as spiritual affairs.
SarhulFestival
It is one of the festivals celebrated when the Sal trees (Shorea robusta) are laden with white flowers. It is the biggest annual spring festival. On this day, God the creator is worshipped by sacrificing a white chicken to Him. The sacrifice is offered by the village priest and his assistant at the Sarna (sacred grove). The central point of the sarhul festival is the sarnadeity. She is the guardian spirit of the whole village with its inhabitants and cattle. With her intercession to God she is responsible for good monsoon and bumper crop during the year. Her abode is the sacred grove near the village. A red chicken is sacrificed to her. Other spirits are appeased at the sarnaby giving them chicken sacrifices of various colours so that they may not frustrate the efforts of the earth and the sun in their mystical marriage and union on the sarhul dayfor bringing forth good things in abundance in nature. The sarhul feast as explained above illustrates well how people are related tonature, one another, creator and spirits all in mutual harmony and reconciliation.
Crisis in Reconciliation
There are huge deposits of mines and minerals under the lands and forests where the indigenous communities have been living for centuries. Present day governments, however, are taking away these natural resources for mining and industries. As a result massive displacement of indigenous communities is taking place without adequate resettlement and rehabilitation. This failure on the part of successive governments have resulted in landlessness, homelessness, joblessness, environmental pollution, ecological degradation, and serious health hazards. Sadly, such a situation has seriously disturbed and destroyed the harmony and peace between (a) God and man, (b) man and man,(c) man and nature. This is a real crisis in indigenous communities seeking for reconciliation.
By Dr. P. Agapit Tirkey, S.J.
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