Asem Bhakta, Special Correspondent North East
The celebration of the International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples concluded in Naharlugun, Arunachal Pradesh.
Hosted by the Arunachal Indigenous People’s Forum under the aegis of the North East Indigenous People’s Forum (NEIPF) the highlight of celebration was the distribution of the prizes of the Essay Writing Competition organised by the Forum on the topic, “The Role of Youth in Preserving and promoting the Indigenous Native Socio-cultural Traditions Amidst the Modern World.”
Juli R Aye of Nagaland won the First Prize while Marjing Mayanglambam from Manipur won the Second Prize.
Phenya Wangsu of Arunachal Pradesh and Pankita Hazarika of Assam were the joint winners of the Third Prize. Cash prize of Rs 40,000, Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000 respectively for the First, Second and Third along with a Citation Certificate and a Trophy were awarded to the Winners. Ten consolation prizes of Rs 5,000 each, a citation and a Trophy were aslo announced, which will be distributed by the NEIPF State Chapters.
As a tradition of the celebration of the World Indigenous Day, the opening was marked by the hoisting of the UN, NEIPF and AIPF flags.
Addressing the gathering, Anup Chetia announced that the International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples will be held in Manipur next year. He also said that the Essay Writing Competition will be an annual feature of the NEIPF.
“The North East Indigenous People’s Forum was formed thinking of the future generations of the indigenous peoples of the region who are now marginalized in their land because of the gradual influx of people from different parts of the country and foreign nations. There should be a mechanism to protect the indigenous peoples of the north eastern, ” Anup Chetia said.
He also said that the change in the demographic profiles in the north eastern states is a threat to the indigenous peoples. He said that the political and economic rights of the indigenous peoples are threatened.
Representatives from the North East States presented their views on the occasion.
The Chief Guest of the occasion, Toko Tatung, MLA stressed the need to empower the youths of the region to save our indigenous cultural values and safeguard the age-old traditional way of living. “Our younger generation can compete in any field and it is the responsibility and duty of the society to guide them in the appropriate way,” Toko Tatung said.
The Secretary General of the NEIPF N Ibungochoubi in his keynote address recalled the urgency and need for the formation of the North East Indigenous People’s Forum. He stated that the youths of the region should come forward to preserve and promote the indigenous culture. He said, “the consciousness of the present youth as reflected in the writings during the essay competition is overwhelming. Offering a platform and creating a conducive atmosphere for the youths to interact is one of the priorities of the NEIPF. “
Earlier, the Executive Meeting of the North East Indigenous People’s Forum resolved to make the Essay Writing Competition an annual event of the forum. The meeting also resolved that the International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples will be held in Manipur next year.
