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Tribes come looking for links, courtesy Sangh foundation

Tribes come looking for links, courtesy Sangh foundation

Author: Pulyadath Rohini
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: February 5, 2003
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=17860

From the heart of the deepest river in Africa to the gentle seduction of the virgin woods of the Amazon, comes a life force that binds us all. It is a force of the universal brotherhood of man. If seeing is believing, then the First International Conference and Gathering of the Elders drives home this Truth.

Tucked away in the secluded enclave of Rambhau Mhalgi Prabhodini at Bhayandar is a vibrant congregation of 208 delegates from 41 nations who are here to discover how they are connected to their ''brothers and sisters'' (exemplified by a native American phrase 'Mitakuye Oyasin' ''we are all related') across the seven seas.

Trinidad and Tobago's Entou Springer welcomes you into her arms as you approach her. Her silken voice mesmerises as she reminds you that the fear on the unknown manifests itself in the xenophobia that rules the world. ''The enemy is someone who doesn't look like you,'' she explains calmly, her energy reverberating through your soul. ''I tried to give some money to a beggar, he fled when I reached out to him. The fear of the unfamiliar still stalks us.''

Spaniard Pedro Ortega is searching for an identity that will ground him in a society divorced from any ''living tradition''. Europe, now turning into a federation of economies, troubles Pedro. He hopes to reach out to those who feel that Europe's integration must also be steeped in its mythology, folklore and world view.

''As a young man I was completely at sea, coping with a society that had progressed financially but was spiritually bankrupt. I am here in India to discuss how my intensely personal experiences have made me reach out to others who feel the same.''

Ortega's initiatives led to the formation of Arcana Europa, a forum celebrating the last known vestiges of existing European traditions in Lithuania and Italy through music concerts, photo exhibitions, lectures, and their very own magazine.

While reviving the past seems to preoccupy Europe, in South Africa it is the reverse. The bounty of an effervescent culture signifies the Zulus here. Edward Malinga confesses that rites and rituals are steeped in an individual's life - from birth to death. Fascinating traditions abound in this animalistic tribe. Malinga illustrates, ''When a young man wishes to marry, he sends across 11 cows to propose marriage. Like the Hindus, we respect the cow. She is a common denominator of our wealth."

And while Malinga states with pride, ''even colonialism couldn't suppress our traditions, our families have fought all methods of suppression,'' the Donyi Polo (the sun and moon worshippers), an indigenous tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, barely manage to face the onslaught of a society torn apart by the lack of any semblance of organised religious expression.

Nani Tachang, president of the Indigenous Faith and Cultural Society of Arunachal Pradesh, confirms, ''We are a scattered tribe; our children move to the metros in search of education and a better life. It's a losing battle, no doubt, but our faith is strong and our faith alone will see us through this difficult time.''

But the battle for survival and the urge for self-expression emerges unscathed. Various tribes in Arunachal Pradesh have developed an indigenous script, Tani Lipi, so that they can speak in one voice. This was a four-year effort that climaxed as recently as 1999. The tiny step might just be a giant leap for this indigenous tribe.
 


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