Indigenous people
Thuinumong Marma, Rajshahi University
Most of the people in our country are not familiar with indigenous people. Their ideas about them are not positive. They think that they are an under-developed, uncultured and illiterate lot. I think only a few people know about them. Indeed, indigenous people are trying to develop themselves. But indigence is an obstacle. Racial discrimination makes their life uncomfortable. They have lost their resources. It is very important to mention that the recent cultural festival on indigenous people that was organised by the Society for Environment and Human Development (SEHD) reflected on the culture and life of those people. Indigenous people have a rich culture. If we focus on the Chittagong Hill Tracts we will see the diverse kinds of indigenous people with their own language and culture as well as stunning landscapes. Attractive scenes of waterfall, vast areas of forests, rivers, evergreen paddy fields, mountains, natural tunnels and zigzag roads are examples of landscape in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Any tourist is greatly impressed after visiting these places.. Actually, those areas are suitable as tourist resorts which may become a source of revenue earning for the government. We are neglecting indigenous people when most of the foreign countries are proud of such people. For instance, Australia has awareness programmes on their indigenous people. They arrange many cultural displays on them (indigenous) in their embassy. To enrich our country's culture we need to study the lives of indigenous people closely. Teachers and students of social sciences or equivalent subjects as well as cultural organisations should take the initiative in this respect.
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