Article by Team CCF

Every year 9th August is commemorated as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. The day was chosen in recognition of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations held in Geneva in 1982.

The United Nations notes that

“There are an estimated 476 million Indigenous People in the world living across 90 countries.”

“They make up less than 6 per cent of the world’s population, but account for at least 15 per cent of the poorest. “
“They speak an overwhelming majority of the world’s estimated 7,000 languages and represent 5,000 different cultures.”

According to the yearly overview produced by IWGIA,  in India there are close to 705 ethnic groups that appear in the Scheduled Tribes list. Scheduled tribes are usually referred to as ‘Adivasi’s’ in central India, literally meaning original inhabitants. With an estimated population of 104 million, Adivasi’s comprise 8.6% of the total population.

However, as many scheduled tribes remain unrecognized, thus, the total population is higher than official figures offer. 

The 7 northeastern states and the belt stretching from Rajasthan to West Bengal are home to the largest concentrations of indigenous communities in India.

“Inhabiting the Niyamgiri hills, the Dongria Kondh tribe is renowned for unique agricultural practices on hill slopes. They are identifiable by intricate silver jewelry and vibrant clothing.”

A recent World Bank report affirms the critical role of ancestral knowledge, cultural continuity, and governance among Indigenous Peoples in maintaining community well-being and adapting to the challenges posed by the climate crisis.

Ensuring secure land rights and access to essential services is crucial to their continued resilience and their role as stewards of the world’s key ecosystems.

“Residing in the Nilgiri hills, the Toda tribe is known for its unique pastoral system, distinctive huts, and elaborate funeral ceremonies. Engaging in traditional handicrafts, they have a distinct way of life.”

In October 2024 the repatriation of a 19th-century “horned Naga skull” was undertaken. Initially put at auction by the Swan at Tetsworth, a UK-based antique and auction house, its sale incurred complaints by the Forum for Naga Reconciliation (FNR) and the State. This act of reclamation is an important aspect of reviving research into activities surrounding Naga rituals and human remains.

“22 November 2024 marked the beginning of a new 30-year leadership cycle for Longkhum village.”

The Ao have a strong traditional governance system guided by an age-old custom known as Putu Menden. It is a generational system of governance where representatives of all clans govern the village for a period of 30 years, at the end of which they hand over governance to another generation.

This traditional political system of governance followed amongst the Ao tribe in the district of Mokokchung in Nagaland.

Indigenous tribes such as the Shompen and Nicobarese in Great Nicobar and forest communities in Chhattisgarh oppose large-scale development projects that threaten biodiversity-rich landscapes. These protests are rooted in a worldview where forests, wildlife, and waterways are entwined with folklore, ritual, and spiritual duty, rather than just their utility as natural resources

It is the preservation, documentation and revitalization of ancestral memory. It is an ecological map that showcases the strength of a community’s bonds to the environment. It is a guide to traditional institutions of governance and their conviction to consensus building and community life. It is a reflection of the moral compass communities abide by.

“Indigenous to Odisha, the Bonda tribe is recognizable by its distinct clothing, vibrant jewelry, beads, and unique hairstyles. The community follows a closed matriarchal system where property is inherited through female lines. “

The use of AI technologies has vast applications in the preservation of indigenous peoples knowledge systems, their languages and other aspects of their culture. It’s uses in translation, documentation and bridging intercultural dialogue is something to look forward to.

However AI models being trained on vast amounts of existing data online, are at the risk of imbibing and producing exploitative and insensitive representations of indegenous communities.

To ensure AI benefits Indigenous communities, it is essential to support digital tools and innovations that are Indigenous-led and culturally rooted. Indigenous Peoples are not just users of technology, their role in shaping AI as co-creators and decision-makers should be our goal.

As mainstream culture spreads, many Indigenous traditions are at risk of erasure. Folklore gives us a way to listen, not just to stories, but to living traditions, values, and tales of love and resistance.