Dear All, I share the views expressed by Rashmi, Sushma and all others. I am convinced that those who looked down upon tribal community are ignorant and ill informed. We should pity them for their lack of knowledge about rich culture and scientific traditions of tribal societies across the world. All tribal brothers and sisters should be proud of their rich cultural heritage - language, dance, music and above all the egalitarian values and gender equality that the tribal society foster. Without unnecessarily getting offended by the ignorant views of a few, we should work hard to protect our culture and traditions which is facing serious onslaught from so called modernism. While we should work towards getting our fair share in the fruits of development, we should not get carried away by it. Our cultural values are too precious to be traded for blind pursuit of material gains. Let us work towards developing healthy values among our children including love for humanity, environment, forests, animals, rivers so that we can have a beautiful Jharkhand in future.
Jai Jharkhand To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:12:08 -0700Subject: Re: [ =>> Jharkhand <<= ] Fwd: STOP calling us Primitive http://groups.yahoo.com/group/chotanagpur_adivasi/message/623 Thanks Rashmi..... for pointing out this kind of observation. Its true that these words are demeaning for our tribal community. We must not tolerate it in any form. At the same time I would also like to point out that as tribals we should not feel ashamed or guilty when we are addressed like this. I remember my school days when I used to feel ashamed when called a tribal/backward community girl by my teachers and friends. Let me share one very memorable incident. I was in my XIIth Std. preparing hard for my Board Exams. there was one girl from Delhi who used to hurt me by saying..." Oh..why u study so hard....anyway u'll get through Medical/Engg. even with 45% marks. You tribal people wear leaves as cloths !!.....and live in the jungles.....". just give a thought to this statement?doesn?t it show how backward was she?? We cannot change their "backward" views about us. So, why should we accept that tribals are backward or primitive? Infact we must feel proud that we evolved and became civilized much much earlier than others and still we are more civilized than them. We should teach our children and prepare them to compete with all in the society so that no one dares to call us primitive or backward. We must feel proud to be called Tribals. We have lead to the genesis of civilization. We must be respected for it. Regards. Sushma PurtyRashmi Ekka <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Rashmi Ekka wrote: Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2008 11:45:11 -0400From: "Rashmi Ekka" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]: STOP calling us Primitive Dear people,Time and time again we see in the news that indigenous people are being referred to as 'primitive', 'backward' etc. WE NEED TO STOP THIS!Next time you see such a word used for us in a newspaper/magazine, do take the time out to send an email to the editor telling him/her that such words are demeaning to us and should not be used for us.Read this - http://telegraphindia.com/1080412/jsp/jharkhand/story_9128242.jspThe Birhor tribe does something truly great and are still being referred to as 'primitive'.Please email Telegraph at [EMAIL PROTECTED] and ask them to stop using this word for us.Thanks,Rashmi Birhor secrets for bio-diversity pool Dhanbad, April 11: If Jharkhand has its first bio-diversity register, it must be grateful to the Birhors, the primitive tribesmen of the region. For, a handful of these tribesmen settled in Chhalkari in Naxalite-hit Topchanchi block of Dhanbad, about 35km off the district headquarters, have shared their knowledge of medicinal herbs and plants with a group of researchers in Dhanbad working on a people’s bio-diversity register (PBR). A PBR is a documentation of information on the ecology of a village or panchayat, the practices of the people, their lifestyle, the local flora and fauna, socio-economic conditions and many other points. The register is likely to be included in the Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge published by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. The register would help in setting up a bio-diversity information system for implementing the provisions of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, and authenticating the information about a village or panchayat. “We know only 25 per cent of the earth and its people, the rest is unknown to us. Hence, we are trying to study this part of our state. We came to know a lot of unique things from the Birhors, known for their magical sense of nature,� said Ashutosh Mairh, the bio-science teacher of DAV Public School, Koylanagar, and a researcher in the team of six students and three academicians from different universities of the state. Among the six student researchers, Prabhat and Lokesh Mallick, former students of DAV Public School, Koylanagar, are on job. Manish and Ranglal Mandal have appeared for their CBSE Plus Two examinations and two others, Neha Rajgariya and Amit Shukla, are studying. Apart from doing a documentary, Samvedna (compassion), on the Birhors, the team studied its livelihood, medicines and sources of sustenance. “We were surprised to know about their use of various herbs, plants and their roots,� said Mairh. Jharkhand Forum _________________________________________________________________ Video: Get a glimpse of the latest in Cricket, Bollywood, News and Fashion. Only on MSN videos. http://video.msn.com/?mkt=en-in
