5 Different Indigenous Peoples Across the Globe You Should Care About and Here‘s How They Are Coping With the COVID-19 Pandemic
Disclaimer: All the necessary citations, websites, and pages have been mentioned and hyperlinked, please visit them just by clicking on them.
Starting with a movie reference, ‘Boy’ was released in 2010, by Taika Waititi, who won an Oscar for best-adapted Screenplay in 2020. The movie is set in a region of New Zealand and the protagonist is an eleven-year-old boy, Alamein and the story is put in the 80s. It mercilessly shows the social problems affecting the Indigenous Peoples, here being the Māori culture. It vividly tells us the contemporary Māori lives, but it neither idealizes nor does exaggerate the unhappiness that revolved around them. Humor is the weapon in this movie. One of the scenes highlight poverty, unemployment, and discrimination, but it has a comical aspect to it as well, and here it goes —
Boy- ‘’So what you guys been up to?’’
Dallas- ‘’We are self-employed now’’
Boy- ‘’What’s your job?’’
Dallas- ‘’Chucking mud at those cows’’
To know more about the movie, Boy check out the link
Indigenous Peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups who are native to a place and share collective ancestral ties to the land and natural resources, where they live or occupy. They inhabited the geographical place at the time of colonization or the establishment of present state boundaries. While using the phrase ‘’Indigenous Peoples’’ we tend to indicate the plurality of diverse and sovereign communities who were living in specific regions when Europeans first attempted to name, categorize and colonize them(SAPIENS, 2020) and here is the link to the page. The term ‘’Indigenous’’ refers to the self-identification of the individual community, they have distinct social, economic, and political systems, a distinct language, culture, and traditions, strong linkage to the surrounding natural resources, often discriminated against by the State and so forth. Adding to this, Indigenous Peoples are not a monolith community, they are a collective made up of separate, unique, sovereign Nations. It is estimated by the ‘International Work Group For Indigenous Affairs’ that there are between 370 and 500 million Indigenous Peoples worldwide, in over 90 countries. It is noted that they make 5% of the global population but they also account for about 15% of the extremely poor.
The Indigenous World 2020, shows that Greenland was the territory with the most Indigenous Peoples. It is also shown that all across the globe, Indigenous Peoples’ life expectancy is up to 20 years lower compared to non-Indigenous Peoples (Statista, 2020 ), and here is the link to the page. The community suffers high rates of landlessness, poverty, malnutrition, and internal displacement. But, with changing times, the condition of Indigenous Peoples has definitely improved.
One of the most important aspects in determining whether the particular group can be regarded as Indigenous Peoples or as tribal. For the tribal, it is the presence of historical continuity in that particular territory while for the Indigenous Peoples, it is the connection between the ancestors with the societies that existed before a period of colonization. Indigenous peoples can be regarded as an umbrella term for a large group of people and it should only be used when one is addressing all Indigenous groups as a collective(Animikii Indigenous Technology, 2020) and this website will explain very vividly the difference between the term, ‘’Aboriginal’’ and ‘’Indigenous’’ and here is the link.
Given below are 5 Indigenous Peoples around the globe and their present conditions, amidst the pandemic-
Before that, please let me clarify that these 5 INDIGENOUS PEOPLES have been chosen by me. There are MANY groups and communities across the globe who equally NEED our attention and help. Just click on this link, it has a list of various INDIGENOUS PEOPLES , sorted according to the continents.
1. African Pygmies, the RAINFOREST people-
In the 1950s, a young anthropologist, Colin Turnbull lived among the pygmies of the Congo river for three years and wrote an account of his experiences, and the book is called ‘’The Forest People’’. He says in the introduction, ‘’But, they say, the man had killed, and from then onwards all animals(including humans)were condemned to die, whereas the forest itself, the vegetable world, never died. And so their philosophy was given form, a philosophy, that led them to be such gentle hunters.’’ Anthropologically, Pygmy peoples are members of the human group, whole male adult grows to less than 59 inches which are 150 cm in average height, and are one of the most ancient Indigenous lineages. If you are interested to know the science behind their short height, please check out the link. The most commonly applied Pygmy peoples are generally the Pygmies of Tropical Africa, also there are Pygmy groups in Asia, called Negritos. Both share almost the same characteristics. As a matter of fact, they can still bear the traditional hunting-gathering lifestyle. Other well-known Pygmy groups are the Twa(Batwa) who lives mostly in Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi. Another being, the Baka and the Mbuti tribes which were the recognized one after the publication of the book, ‘’The Forest People’’. The former, inhabit the rainforests of Cameroon, Gabon, and Congo, and their highlighted part of the culture, is their music. Baka music has been beautifully explained on this page.
Coming to the Covid-19 pandemic, they have been struggling to keep their identity alive. Pygmies are not only affected by the pandemic itself, but because of their low densities in the forest, the data shows that they are the poorest. As per the nutritional status, there has been a declining trajectory of Pygmy Body Mass Index (BMI) over the age that does not occur in other groups. Moreover, a worldwide ban on wild meat hunting and trade has been suggested and it has affected the food security and livelihoods of millions, but for the Indigenous Peoples, they sold wild meat and it was the backbone of their livelihood. Moreover, the “hygiene hypothesis” (Yazdanbakhsh 2002) suggests that persistent immune challenges in adverse environments might trigger a more adequate immune response to new infections such as SARS-CoV-2 (Mbow et al. 2020). Currently, Pygmy populations in Central Africa, are suffering from two bad situations that at the same time, firstly the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and secondly, the potential restriction of hunting and food provisioning to prevent future risks of zoonotic risks. Hence, the experience of colonization and the after-effects of the same has caused inequalities and the most crucial thing at this hour, being access to primary health care seems to be quite far.
2. Aymara, the PLATEAU people-
If anyone has heard about this group, it has to be through photography for sure. This Bolivian Indigenous group is famous for its bowler hats and full skirts which are traditional women's clothing. In Bolivia, at least 40% of the population is Indigenous and belongs to 36 ethnic groups ( ‘’Covid-19 Puts Bolivian Indigenous Peoples at Risk of Extinction’’), and here is the link. The Aymara are the largest Indigenous groups living on the Altiplano, which is a vast windy plateau of the Central Andes, situated in Peru and Bolivia. They live in a harsh climate and poor soil, but remarkably adapting to changing conditions has been something we should observe here. The Aymara has always relied on Subsistence agriculture and some animal husbandry. But the transition from Subsistence agriculture to a money economy seemed to be quite extraordinary. There was a shortage of land, gas stoves, factory-made clothes, sewing machines, they knew that they needed money. Entering the money economy was the only option left and several strategies were available. A few of them were, permanent immigration, cattle fattening, and circular migration (‘’Cultural Survival’’), and here is the link to the page . The emergence of a modern community has been one of the most significant changes and some selected community leaders now have direct ties to the provincial government and have become integrated into the national political system as well. UNESCO, in 2009, has proposed a sub-regional project which aims at safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage of Aymara communities in Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. On the other hand, talking about the Aymara language, it is one of the potentially endangered languages because the older generation does not pass the language to the younger generation, moreover, the Aymara people decide to speak Spanish, instead and this has risked the language to die out.
Shifting to the Covid-19 situation, the pandemic has caused more discrimination than ever. According to the ILO “, more than 86% of indigenous peoples globally work in the informal economy, compared to 66% for their non-indigenous counterparts, where they face poor working conditions, including low pay and absence of social protection” (ILO, 2020a, p. 2).
Moreover, they do not have the material conditions required to prevent the virus. But, in recent news, it is reported that UNICEF has made significant efforts to develop culturally and linguistically adapted materials. Therefore, guides, radio content, audiovisuals in the native language have been developed for Aymara and Quechua peoples. Ensuring access to information about the pandemic has been a central concern for indigenous organizations. In the Plurinational State of Bolivia, in the absence of State measures, more than 400 indigenous women in La Paz, Oruro, Potosí and Cochabamba belonging to the Centre for Integral Development of Aymara Women (CDIMA) set up information campaigns targeting indigenous communities (Huancollo, 2020). Regarding the vaccination, Peruvian and Bolivian authorities joined forces to vaccinate the Aymara community.
3. Lakota, the PLAIN people-
Black Hill, which rises above the plains of Western South Dakota, and the Indigenous Lakota people share a very strong connection and it goes back to history. Though it is wrought with a painful history of conflict with non-native people who also make claims to the land for other uses, Corbin states that the Lakota continue to worship the Black Hills as Paha Sapa — “the heart of everything that is.” (Colorado College, 2012) and here is the link to the page. Linea Sundstrom, in her article, ‘’Mirror of Heaven: Cross-Cultural Transference of the Sacred Geography of the Black Hills’’ writes that the land maintained its sacred character since many tribes adopted traditions from their ancestors. And the Lakota, being the last native people to inhabit the land, thus the land became their own cultural identity. The writer says ‘’their intimate relationship with astrology drew the Lakota to the sacred landscape of the Black Hills, where they identified several natural features with corresponding constellations.’’ Now, talking a bit about the Lakota people, they fall under the tern Sioux. The Sioux are Native American in North America and their territory covers almost two lakh kilometers square in the present state of South Dakota and neighboring states. The Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota Nations which is also known as ‘The Great Sioux Nations’’ and descend from the original inhabitants of North America. Lakota inhabit West Dakota, Dakota inhabit Central Dakota and Nakota inhabit Eastern Dakota and each has a special and unique culture. Also, the economy of the Lakota, like other American Indian groups, faces a difficult confluence of factors that have made economic expansion nearly impossible.
Coming to the Covid-19 pandemic, Cultural Survival, which is a quarterly magazine began tracking the spread of the virus in Indigenous communities and monitoring resulting human rights violations after realizing that Indigenous peoples were being excluded from COVID-19 data and government public health responses(High Country News, 2020) and here is the link to the page. According to a report, in North America, cultural survival has documented 27 human rights violations against the Indigenous Peoples. There has been recent news that Indigenous Lakota people have been struggling to save the elders and the Lakota language. There has been an interview where one of the Lakota persons said that it learning the Lakota language would help the tribe preserve it and carry it forward to the generations to come and here is the link for the interview. Across the country, Indigenous Peoples are now putting elders and fluent Indigenous language speakers at the head of the line for vaccinations. Moreover, severe isolation and the highest per capita death rate have left the Native American Indigenous Peoples to suffer, even more, find out more on the website. But leaving on an optimistic note, not only the Lakota people but every Indigenous community has their own set of traditional knowledge, and besides, they have already survived a vast number of diseases throughout centuries and this is just another one. Vaccination has helped a lot of Indigenous Peoples in general and many frontline workers are already working on it.
4. Jarawa, the OCEAN people
I have visited the Andaman islands myself, a few years ago and we were asked to look out for them as we passed through the Andaman Truck Road(ATR) which includes the Jarawa reserve, to reach Baratang. And we just caught a glimpse of one of the members of the tribe. But, the problem lies here, they ain't any showpiece, they are one of the most endangered tribes today, and the Supreme Court in 2002 ordered the highway through the reserve should be closed. But now, people use the particular highway as ‘safaris’ to reach a destination called Baratang, which is home to the popular limestone caves. Please check out the ‘Survival International ’ website, they work in partnership with tribal peoples to campaign, lobby, and protest for their land rights, and here is the link and help them. The Jarawa people feel very vulnerable and they mostly prefer their traditional lifestyle and the outsiders go against their privacy, and often they are abused. A study of their nutrition and health found that their ‘nutritional status was most favorable and they also know more than 150 plants and 350 animal species ( Survival International) and to that this quote seems very relevant, ‘’ The Jarawa of the Andaman Islands enjoy a time of opulence. Their forests give them more than they need.’’ — Anvita Abbi, Professor of linguistics, Jawaharlal Nehru University (Survival International ). Just here to drop information which many of the readers might not be aware of is about, Dr. Madhumala Chattopadhyay, she was the first person who made the Jarawa drop their arrows. She was a researcher (initially a fellow and subsequently research associate) with the Anthropological Survey of India, who went on to spend six years researching the various primitive tribes of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. She was in fact, the first person to be accepted by the Sentinelese and the Jarawa people. It was in 1991 and here is the link to the article. We bow down for her remarkable achievement, which has been forgotten today.
Talking about the Covid-19 pandemic, experts said one of the key reasons for the rising contact with the Jarawa is the construction of the Andaman Trunk Road, a two-lane highway that connects parts of the middle and south Andaman and passes through the heart of Jarawa territory. And though the government has banned any outside contact, critics argue the road has led to free mixing with the tribe, often with disastrous consequences (live mint, 2020), and here is the link to the article. According to Sita Ventakateswar in her book, ‘’Development and Ethnocide: Colonial Practices in the Andaman Islands’’ she said that by 1931, the number of the tribe was 70. The number has risen due to strictly enforced regulations, affirmative government actions, support from international media, and so on. But the Jarawa are fighting for their survival today and this pandemic is the deadliest one. Now, there are only 400 Jarawa people and they are the most vulnerable, said Sophie Greg, a researcher at Survival International. Also, the risk of losing its traditional language and tribe is the most crucial factor now. Many of the members of the tribe got infected with the virus. Officials said they might try to raise awareness about the virus with Covid-19 pictures and videos in their own language(The Economic Times, 2020)As per the reports, the Jarawa and the Great Andamanese people got jabbed as vaccination began in Andaman to protect vulnerable tribal groups. Previously, in 1999 and 2006, the Jarawa suffered and lost a lot of members of the tribe from the outbreak of Measles. Find out more from this article. Moreover, there is also information that since the isolated Indigenous tribe does not interact with the people they are not that equipped to fight off the viral infections. But, here is the thing, vaccination has been going on, so we do have a ray of hope.
5. Martu, the DESERT people
First of all, according to a source called, ‘’Using the right words: appropriate terminology for Indigenous Australian studies”, in Teaching the Teachers: Indigenous Australian Studies for Primary Pre-Service Teacher Education, School of Teacher Education, University of New South Wales, 1996’’ (that s’ a really big name tbh :p) said that using the term ‘’Indigenous Australian people/s’’, ‘’Aboriginal people/s’’ or ‘’Torres Strait Islander people/s’’ is the most appropriate to use. But here’s the thing, ‘’Aboriginal’’ means “from the beginning” in Latin, and other such European words are used because there is no Aboriginal word that refers to all Aboriginal people in Australia. Using the term ‘’Aborigines’’ or ‘’Aboriginal Peoples’’ really stereotypes the Indigenous Australian Peoples in general, and it is very multicultural. Today, the term ‘’Indigenous Australian’’ is seen as an umbrella term and encompasses both the Aboriginal Peoples and the Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Find out more about their culture, history, and society on the AIATSIS( Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies) website, and here is the link. Now, Indigenous Australian peoples do NOT particularly reside in a single ecosystem, they can live in a desert, in freshwater so on and so forth. That was all about the terminology.
You must be aware of Western Australian geography and culture if you have read the book, ‘’Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence’’ by Doris Pilkington. Coming to the Martu people, they are one of the Australian Indigenous Peoples, living in the Western Australia bloc and they were some of the last of Australia’s Indigenous people to make contact with European Australians with many migrating from their desert lands into neighboring pastoral stations and missions in the 1950s and 1960 s (Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa) and here is the link to the page. In 2018, Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa joined forces with a range of other Indigenous organizations representing Traditional Owners of desert Country to form the 10 Deserts Project. With $21 million in funding from the BHP Billiton Foundation and support from a range of NGOs (including The Nature Conservancy), the project created the largest Indigenous-led connected conservation network on Earth — spanning 2.7 million square kilometers or one-third of Australia (The Nature Conservatory Australia) and here is the link to the page. You must be questioning yourself, how do they actually survive in the desert, well, here is the answer. Quite recently, I came across an article that the Martu people, and it said that they are protecting the bilby population with their traditional knowledge. Since 2013, the Martu people have managed to protect the Birriliburu Indigenous Protected Area and are trying to conserve the greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis) population, which continues to decline.
Shifting to the pandemic situation, the National Indigenous Australians Agency has said, ‘’The NIAA is working to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Working with state and territory governments, and a wide range of stakeholders, NIAA is focusing on critical issues such as food security, the safety and wellbeing of remote communities, and ensuring access to the wide range of Government supports.’’ Not much information has been given on the internet about the Martu people's covid-19 situation but the recent landmark ruling may cheer up the readers. The judgment concluded that the Martu would be formally be recognized as the traditional owners or inhabitants of the land and it marks the end of the six-year-old struggle. The return of their homeland allows the Martu to continue their traditional lifestyle, hunting kangaroos and bush turkeys, gathering food, and fishing. The Martu also harnesses a wide range of the land’s natural resources, including ochre, soils, and various products derived from fauna and flora. The land holds significant spiritual value for the Martu; they are now assured of access to sites important to their “Dreaming” rituals(Cultural Survival) and here is the link to the article.
So, to answer the question ‘’Who is winning, the virus or the Indigenous People ?’’ well, this is really a very dynamic one and literally, it depends on the vulnerability. If we talk about these 5 mentioned on this blog, then we can observe that vaccination among the different Indigenous Peoples depends on the respective government and place they are inhabiting. Not to mention, as we all are aware of the discrimination, it has increased a lot since the pandemic and the UN Expert said that amid nationwide lockdowns and social distancing orders, indigenous peoples are being denied their basic human rights, including freedom of expression and association( Global Citizen, 2020). Many of the Indigenous Communities do not have equal access to public health facilities and are often neglected by the government. It makes them more vulnerable to diseases because they do not have access to drinking water and have high rates of malnutrition across the world. Poverty, lack of medical services, and food security have really made them very vulnerable throughout the pandemic. The loss of their traditional lifestyle has made quite a few Indigenous Peoples on the verge of extinction. So, we get an idea that in some groups, the virus is really dominating the people but the Indigenous Peoples have been through a lot of downs but now they have the strength and support of the activists and organizations working and helping them :) the media is doing wonders in this regard! I mentioned all the websites/organizations in this article that are currently giving updates and helping the vulnerable groups. Again, as global citizens, it is our duty to help them preserve their culture and IDENTITY. It is everything for them. WE CAN DO OUR BIT and spread awareness. The internet will do its job, I suppose:)
Thanks for reading!
Until next time, Ciao!
