The social, economics and cultural identity of nature based indigenous society is nourished and developed only amidst trees, bushes, plants, biodiversity, rivers, streams, waterfalls, forests, hills, and fields. Indigenous grow enough grain their fields to last six months. Nature provides food for the rest of the year in the form of edible leaves. Roots, tubers, fruits and flowers. A variety of grasses, roots, tubers, and creepers act as protective armour for the adivasis’ health. While adivasis peasants cannot afford the high prices of anti-malaria tables in these times of economic liberalization. They pluck bhuineem from the forest and treat malaria patients with it.
This represents the life and culture of tribal communities today also because still after so many centuries or decades we still live with nature in harmony. Some of our communities never extract milk from a cow, because they feel that is for the cafe baby cow. We never take all the fruits as we feel the birds and other animal have there share on it. In paddy field we take only amount of water which is need for crops rest we return to the water system. Adivasi society gives back double what it takes from
nature. That is the reason why forests exist, and the rivers a d streams sings, where adivasi live. Kansi flowers dance in the breeze among fields of paddy the Kunwar-Bhado months. Yellow flowers of Su ai and Arhar can be seen smiling amidst Goda crops.
It is obvious that a tribal village contains fruit bearings trees like Neem, Mango, Imli, Katahal, Jamun, Badhar, Bel, Karanj, Pipal, Pakar, Bans, koynar, Putkal, Kushum, Kendu, Beer, Dumar, Mahua etc. These trees are the cultural-social and economical backbone of the tribal society. Nature is heritage of the Indigenous communities, they don’t feel that they are master or owners of it. Same time they return, they protect, they preserve as they are they part of entire system. The relation between the nature and indigenous is just like the Father-Mother and son. That’s way we have not right to sale it. It is not a commodity. Adivasi communities see it as a communities heritage not as individual properties. In UA when whites come and wanted to buy lands from the Indigenous communities. Our elders laugh and replied –what kind of joke you are doting? Can we buy/ sale sun-rays, can we sale or purchase blowing air, can we sale Sea’s water? These are the few examples of our values.
But this is now become threat to our life as all MNC/ Government for their benefit . they are keep coming back to us as they want more natural recourses. But on the other hand the non-tribal or the outsider’s approach is to just earn wealth in any means. Either distorting the mother earth they can go to any extant. If you look in Jharkhand they constructed mega Dam, mines, mega project all I the name of Development and they literary they had raped the Mother earth. They destroyed all forest, they destroyed the water bodies, we can see the result no vegetation, rivers are dieing, our communities who’s live is depend on them, they resisted against all these injustice, they ere victims. Jharkhand Government has singed MOU’S with 101 big Company to establish the Industries. Out of these Co They were forcefully removed from their ancestral land and dumped in them slum of big companies 98 are Steel Plants. Here I want to say that every project are need Land, Water, Coal Minis, Iron Orr, Road, and other basic needs. If
all these will be establish indigenous Communities will totally uprooted from their ancestral’s heritage in Jharkhand. After Independence of India or in sixty years nearly 80 lakhs of Jharkhandi peoples have been displaced in the name of Development. Out of 80 lakhs 80% displaced are indigenous. Till now they didn’t get any kind of job or they didn’t get ideal rehabilitation or any compensation. Also they tried to omit our culture our values our history and our identities(Australia and Canada- also India-FRA Act 2006-historical injustices) is asking for forgiveness what they have done in past with our indigenous brother and sister) . So now we promised that WE WILL NOT GIVE A SINGLE INCH OF LAND .WE NEED FOOD GRAINS, NOT STEEL. JHARKHAND IS OURS NOT A JAGIR OF ANY COMPANY. WE WANT DEVELOPMENT OF THE LAND, NOT INDUSTRY.
In the age of globalization the MNC are coming for more resources for their more benefit, again tribal are in for front against they activities. For their greed, these powerful people did crime against nature so nature is retaliating in different form of clement change, natural disasters. is the result of it. Indigenous rights of our communities to live with the Earth, forest, water, air and to protect them against mining, dams, forestry, power industry, corporate and the displacement and pollution they cause. Earth, forest, water, air and their living beings have right to be treated according to our sustainable practices and world-views, by which our life is adapted to the local biodiversity, water, soil, climate act. So, we should all have our equal say to discuss our experiences on how environmental justice can be advanced on the earth by indigenous people’s sustainable life, right, world-views and by their fight against mines, dams, oil and gas extraction and pollution.
We should try to make the broader society to understand how the rights of indigenous peoples sustainable life are crucial for saving Earth’s life, forests, water, air and environmental justice for all living beings.
It is never only the hills that break, because with their destruction the social system of the adivasis also gets broken down. When the mountain peaks are dismantled, and the soil and sand tore down, the, economic and cultural backbone of Indigenous society breaks. Their strength of community whittles down along with the loss of their language, and their ecologically conscious way of life takes its last breath. When disembowel, broken down hills are abandoned, after there’s nothing left to abuse, adivasi identity itself goes down the drain. Sustainable subsistence which millions of Adivasis got directly from natural regeneration of land, forest and water, has been displaced and destroyed by minis, dams, plantations, etc, to produce unsustainable commercial products for only those who can buy. So sustainable life of land, forest, water and millions of peoples has been destroyed in the name of Development project, with huge funds co summed recently to publish such projects as’ poverty reduction’, climate change mitigation, nature conservation co-development etc.
World’s biggest global steel corporation Arcelor Mittal plans now to build to Jharkand world’s largest steel plant to produce 12 million tons of steel annually. It requires 12 thousads acres of land and 1500 megawatt new power plant and destroyes thus local jungles, water sources, ecosystems which people use to live and the entire environment with the black smoke and gases belched out of the factories. So Mittal launched in July now 100 million euro carbon fund to promote its business ‘ to strategically engage in the carbon market and promote climate friendly solution that are relevant for the steel I industry ‘. It will be working with leading venture capital firms..to support the commercialization of clean e energy
technologies’ which boost such ‘ reduction of greenhouse gas emissions’ which has ‘ relevance for the steel industry and its customers’(11.7.2008 Carbon Yatra/The Hindu). Mittal cooperates also with oil and Natural Gas Corporation, which also makes climate profits, allied with the UCIL for uranium mining alliance, etc. all of them bringing displacement, pollution, radiation and diverse hazards to our ancestral lands.
By 100 million euros Mittal produces show of calculation how steel industry is clean development of climate change mitigation, legitimizing their higher investment development to build world’s biggest steel plant, and to increase widely its mining activities, displacing and polluting more and more natural environment and sustainable life.
The publicity, measures and calculation of ‘ climate change mitigation’ which are widely funded by businesses like Mittal’s and other biggest global polluters, by World Bank etc. will not reduce pollution or consumption-no matter if also some indigenous representatives will be financed to participate to discuss. Mittal looks ‘at investment opportunities in renewable energy, energy efficiency, methane capture and greenhouse gas reducing technologies-all of which have the potential to generate carbon credits under the kyoto Protocol, Arcelar Mittal intends to use the carbon credits received from these Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation projects for compliance in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.
This kind of commercializing destruction of land, forest , water, air, and their sustainable indigenous life, shall not be accepted as ‘climate change mitigation’, poverty reduction, corporate accountability,’ etc. This is the message to be brought to the civil society of Europe, European governments and to the world. The public discussion should hear the voice of indigenous people who live in areas where land, forest, water, air and sustainable indigenous life are
destroyed, threatened or displaced by corporate business under global commercial and environmental policies. People need to know, hoe minis and industries which serve their European/global consumption, like Mittal, which are supported to displacement, unsafe work condition s a d deaths in mine accidents. And even the life of the people who dare to publicly say what is happening are getti g threatened, like earlier is South Affrica and now in India. The picture, which the public will however get as result of UN negotiations and ‘ climate change mitigation’ publicity, is however the opposite.
Mittal is a member of the United Nations Global Compact and places priority on achieving high standards of corpaarate responsibility in its operations in more that 60 countries around the world. Through its partnership with UNDP in china, Arcelor Mittal brings its global expertise on ways to increase energy efficiency and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. It also brings forth best practices on corporate responsibility towards the environment’ MDG Carbon Programme will assist 12 provinces in China to embrace the Clean Development Mechanism and along with the other programmes in the UNDP-Arcelor Mittal co-opration will enhance Chian’s capacity development’ to combat proverty, mitigate climate change and raise environment’ awareness.. as a landmark initiative in showing how corporate responsibility and business partnership can help achieve global and local sustainable development goals.
As Mittal and other biggest global polluters have put big funds to UN, MDGs, UNDP, UNFCCC, Global Compact etc. and are thus awarded by all these, our friends in the United Nations and UN negotiations are not well-placed to stop this global policy of commercial destruction of the life of la d, forest, water and air.
