International Day of World’s Indigenous People Day is celebrated on August 9j every year. The day is celebrated to spread awareness about the indigenous population around the world and to also protect their rights. The indigenous population across the world stays in close contact with nature. The places they reside in are home to around 80% of the world’s biodiversity. The day also recognizes the contributions made by them to protect the world’s environment.
In India, the indigenous population is also known as the Scheduled Tribes.
The United Nations passed a resolution on December 23, 1994 to celebrate August 9 as the day. The day marked the first meeting in 1982 of the UN Working Group on indigenous populations.
The UN General Assembly also declared 1995-2004 as the International Decade of World’s Indigenous Peoples. It declared the decade of 2005-2015 as the Second International Decade.
Indigenous people
According to Unesco, the Indigenous population occupies 28% of the global land area. Their overall population is around 500 million. The indigenous population represents the world's cultural diversity. Many of them continue to deal with marginalisation, extreme poverty and other human rights violations.
They still don’t have proper access to healthcare. They also face food insecurity due to the loss of their lands and environmental reasons.
Indigenous People in India
Indigenous people in India are also called as Scheduled Tribes. Scheduled Tribes are said to be the earliest inhabitants on the Indian sub-continent. They are considered to be socially and economically least advanced.
Gonds, with a population of 4 million are found in the central Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh, are one of the most dominant tribes in India. Bhills of Western India, Santhals from the Eastern India, and the Andamanese from the Andaman & Nicobar Islands are some of the dominant tribes in India.
