GUWAHATI: The Meghalaya Chapter of the North East Indigenous People’s Forum (NEIPF) will be hosting a world indigenous people day on August 9.
The event will be held in multi conventional Hall – NEHU, Shillong at 11.00 AM.
It is to be mentioned here that the day is celebrated at the international level.
On this occasion, there will be representatives of NEIPF members from other North Eastern States, namely Mizoram, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Assam, and Tripura and also there will be a cultural program for unity.
Every year on 9th August, the world celebrates the day of Indigenous Peoples.
This international day was first instituted in the state of California in 1992 to coincide with the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the Americas in 1492.
The purpose of this day was to replace the traditional Columbus Day which symbolized colonialism and slavery, with a day to celebrate indigenous people’s power.
It was on 23rd December 1994, that the UN adopted a resolution to institute 9th August as the International Day of Indigenous People, to be celebrated annually.
Indigenous and tribal peoples is a common denominator for more than 370 million people, found in more than 70 countries worldwide.
Indigenous and tribal peoples have their own cultures, languages, customs and institutions, which distinguish them from other parts of the societies in which they find themselves.
Indigenous people are native to the place and therefore they have absolute right of ownership to the land they inhabit.
In India the population of indigenous people usually referred to as adivasis or tribals, is 104 million which constitutes 8.6% of the country’s population.