Bijhu Nijeni 2011 - MAADI

It would be mala fide, discriminatory and unacceptable
for the government to now say
that it accepts the ‘tribal’ epithet but not ‘indigenous’.
Moreover, there are several
Bangladeshi, including CHT-specific, laws
that refers to the indigenous peoples as ‘indigenous’,
‘aboriginal’ and ‘adibashi’, as
mentioned hereafter.
‘INDIGENOUS’, ‘ABORIGINAL’,
‘ADIBASHI’ IN BANGLADESHI IN-
STRUMENTS
The most important law for the CHT, the
CHT Regulation, 1900 (Regulation I of
1900), uses the term “indigenous” to refer
to the peoples living in the CHT other than
the Bengali inhabitants. Most CHT laws of
1989 to 2009 use the term ‘upajati’ (Hill
District Council Acts of 1989 and CHT Regional
Council Act of 1998) or “tribal” {CHT
Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2003}. In
contrast, the Khudro Nrigoshthhi Sanskritik
Protishthhan Act, 2010 (the Small Ethnic
Groups Cultural Institutes Act, 2010) –
which applies to the CHT and other parts of
Bangladesh – uses the term “khudro
nrigoshthhi” (small ethnic groups) to refer
to the indigenous peoples. However, in the
definitions section, when explaining the
meaning of the term “khudro nrigoshthhi”,
it uses the term “adibashi”, the Bengali
equivalent of indigenous or aboriginal. Similarly,
the Finance Acts of 1995 and 2010 use
the terms “indigenous”. A yet earlier law,
which applies to the “plains” regions but not
to the CHT, the East Bengal State Acquisition
and Tenancy Act of 1950 uses the terms
“aboriginal castes and tribes”. The Poverty
Reduction Strategy (PRSP) of 2008 and of
2009 use the term “indigenous people”, while
the PRSP of 2005 used the term “ethnic
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minority/adivasi”. Also worthy of note is that
three succeeding heads of government in
Bangladesh, namely current prime minister,
Sheikh Hasina (both as prime minister and as
Leader of the Opposition), former prime minister
and current opposition leader, Khaleda Zia,
and then Caretaker Chief Adviser, Dr.
Fakhruddin Ahmed, all used the term ‘adibashi’
in their goodwill messages during the celebrations
of International Indigenous Peoples Day
in Bangladesh.
WHY ADIBASHI
Among all the terms referred to above, the term
‘adibashi’ would be the most accurate and acceptable.
Firstly, this is a word that is being
increasingly used in the Bengali language, the
official national language, in writing and orally,
by indigenous people themselves and by progressive
Bangali citizens, including a growing
and large section of the private press and media.
Secondly, it is also etymologically correct,
as indigenous peoples of Bangladesh settled in
the territories they now live in prior to the
Bengali citizens (there is no evidence of indigenous
peoples having forcibly occupied these
territories by ejecting Bengali people). Thirdly,
it is an accepted transliteration of ‘indigenous’.
Fourthly, this would truly integrate the indigenous
peoples into the mainstream body politic
of the country without artificially and coercively
assimilating them into the mainstream.
And this can be done without disrupting national
unity and integrity. Bangalis and
Adibashis would both be Bangladeshi citizens.
Fifthly, many laws and other governmental instruments
already use the term (e.g., Cultural
Institutes Act of 2010) or its English equivalents
of ‘indigenous’ (CHT Regulation and Finance
Acts) or ‘aboriginal’ (East Bengal State
Acquisition & Tenancy Act of 1950).
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