Dimapur, Aug. 9 (EMN): Along with the rest of the world, Kohima Law College (KLC) observed ‘International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples’ on the theme ‘The role of indigenous women in the preservation and transmission of traditional knowledge’ at the college premises on Tuesday.
Media cell of KCL, in an update, informed that the day is observed every year to raise awareness and protect the rights of the world’s indigenous population.
Speaking at the programme, assistant professor Kezhokhoto Savi stated that climate change, deforestation, pollution, development and loss of diversity are serious threats to indigenous peoples due to their dependence on the environment and the resources of the lands and territories.
Savi said Article 371A of the Constitution of India provides a provision to protect the Naga indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland in practicing their own way of life, their land and resources.
He stated that as per the Nagaland and Revenue Regulation Amendment Act, 1978, the entire surface of the earth crust within the territory of Nagaland should be owned by the indigenous Nagas and not by non-indigenous inhabitant of Nagaland.
He reminded that earlier the Chakhroma Public Organisation (CPO) had alleged violation of the Nagaland and Revenue Regulation (Amendment Act), 1978, stating that some non-indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland who were prohibited to acquire or possess any land by way of transfer, exchange, agreement or settlement have been illegally acquiring landed property through sale and purchase in the district of Dimapur.
The CPO resolved to reaffirm the resolution of the Angami Public Organisation (APO) taken on February 8, 2016, and the CPO further stated that all such illegal transactions within its jurisdiction would be treated as null and void, Savi said.
“Nagas in other states such as Arunachal, Manipur, Assam, etc are the indigenous inhabitants of those respective states and they are not the indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland and accordingly they not entitled to own land as per Nagaland and Revenue Regulation Amendment Act, 1978,” he added.
Asserting that indigenous peoples are inheritors and practitioners of unique culture and ways of relating to people and the environment, he said indigenous peoples face discrimination because of their distinct cultures, identities and ways of life, and are disproportionately affected by poverty and margilisation, accounting for 15 per cent of the world’s poorest population.
“Today the original inhabitants of the Nagas in Nagaland must seriously considered the proposed Registered Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN), which should not affect the rights of the Naga indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland and it is very important to take it as a very serious measure not to register the same to others,” Savi said.
It further stated that Naga people should never allow any mechanism to exploit the rights of the indigenous inhabitants of the land.
ANMA Integrated Development Association (AIDA) – Don Bosco, implementing SBI Gram Seva programme, also observed ‘International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples’ at Diezephe village community hall by organising a one-day skill training on different types of detergent-making for 13 shelf help groups (SHG).
An update from AIDA Don Bosco stated that the day is observed to protect the rights of indigenous populations around the globe.
The objective of the one-day skill training was to stress on the importance of the dignity of work and to promote learning skills.
As part of the AIDA-SBI Gram Seva programme, a demonstration on making different types of detergents like car wash, hand wash, dish wash and Phenyl making were conducted to encourage people in income-generating activities and to learn certain skills to meet their daily needs.