[SoftrermaBioniaSat]

Looks like they're going the way of Malaysia where indigenous people are driven away from their natural environment / birthplaces and forced to urbanize. Quite sad actually because these folk have managed to preserve for quite a good bit longer (perhaps a century or two) what most of us so-called city folk have been only too eager to discard.

[mosypeSom]

It would be a tragedy if these indigenous tribe's language and knowledge of the forests were allowed to die out.
I hope Thailand doesn't make the same mistake America did with the forced relocation of native indians onto lands that were marginal at best.
These people have been living in the forests for centuries. Surely the govt. can see that their way of life is not a detriment.

[Adollobdeb]

FOREST

Indigenous traditions derailed

For many centuries women in northern ethnic tribes have passed their knowledge of sustainable forest management to the young; now they worry that the trend to limit their access to the forest is cutting off the roots of their culture By Supara Janchitfah

Writer: SUPARA JANCHITFAH
Bangkok Post


To the casual observer Isaranun Wongprapassorn seemed happy and care free, decked out in traditional Mien dress adorned with silver ornaments and smiling as she marched in a parade celebrating the International Day of the World's Indigenous People held in Chiang Mai recently. But afterward when she was asked about the role of indigenous women in forest management, her eyes became moist and her face showed her distress.


THE WORLD ON HER SHOULDERS: While growing corn on the mountain, this Mlabri woman has to carry and breastfeed her baby. On the way home she collects firewood for the family.

"We have no more forest to manage, they [forestry officers] cut all of our trees, including the coffee trees which are our major source of income,'' said Ms Isaranun, biting her lip to fight back the tears.
Tribal people and officials in Thailand have long been in conflict over forest management. While officials believe this should rest squarely in their hands, indigenous people assert their right to access the forest and its natural resources. The Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on Sept 13, 2007 with an overwhelming majority of 143 states, including Thailand, in favour.



Ms Isaranun has been petitioning to get some compensation for the coffee trees that were cut down by forestry officials.

Article 8 of the declaration stipulates that states shall provide effective mechanisms for prevention of, and redress for, "any action which has the aim or effect of dispossessing them of their lands, territories or resources''.

But all too often officials and the public in general regard these tribal people as encroachers, even though they have a history in the forest that goes back many centuries.
Indigenous people are adamant that they are custodians and not destroyers of the forests, and that the damage is being done by outside intervention which they have no control over.

Mien people, like other ethnic groups, have their own ways to manage the forest. ``My parents told me that the place where we cannot cultivate is the head of the water [watershed area]. We must conserve such areas, which we call kemmengdeer,'' said Ms Isaranun, adding that the Mien classify forests into 13 types, each with its own functions. She said the knowledge of forest, soil and animals in the forest is passed from generation to generation.

"But unfortunately, I cannot tell my child about the guardians of the sky, forest, earth, water, trees and so on. I have no chance to worship those guardians, as we were uprooted,'' said the young mother, adding that the place they were relocated to is non-arable land and "hardly yields a grain of rice''.

Ms Isaranun and her neighbours were evicted from Doi Luang National Park, in Chiang Rai province, and resettled on land in Wang Mai village in Lampang provided by the government. At first the forestry officials allowed them to cultivate and harvest their coffee trees at their old homeland. They traversed the 15 kilometres on foot.

But after two years more groups of people encroached into the forests around their old homelands and the government, feeling that things were getting out of control, banned all activities in this part of the forest. What's more, they cut down the coffee trees.
"We told the officials not to cut down our coffee trees, we asked them to allow us to harvest one more year, but they did not listen to our pleas,'' she lamented. She said some locals are also to be blamed for the situation because they invaded the forest. "But I beg the officials not to generalise that all of us are destroyers of the forest.''

OUTSIDE INTERVENTION



RESPECT US PLEASE: These Akha women want the government to grant land rights to indigenous people and stop exploitive tourism.

Traditional forest management by indigenous peoples has been derailed by disruptions from the outside world in the form of state policies and regulations, modern development, new modes of production and so on, all of which put the way of life of indigenous peoples in jeopardy.

Aaeri Tungmuangthong, a Karen from Mae Wang district in Chiang Mai, told of the capital-oriented market mechanisms that have led many tribal people to practice mono-crop culture, something which was rare or nonexistent in the past.

The Karen's forest management methods are well known among the different indigenous groups, and their culture and traditions are being studied by many academics. The studies reveal the Karen's ability to live in harmony with the forest.
But Ms Aaeri told about changes which are troubling her people.
"Many of us have left our traditional way of self-sufficiency behind and started growing mono crops because they bring more money. Certainly many of us need cash,'' she said, "especially young people. They want more and more of the material things that are being introduced to them.'' She expressed her concern that the younger generation is losing touch with the forest management ways of the Karen people.

``Many are not aware that they are supposed to be custodians of the forest. They don't know that they don't own the forest, and some of them start using it without respect for nature,'' she said, adding that this attitude is causing worries for elderly people.



Aaeri Tungmuangthong still applies the traditional Karen agricultural system.

"Some of us grow corn instead of rice and vegetables. Corn can be sold to buy rice or mobile phones."
"But my family still grows rice and vegetables for home consumption and a little for sale,'' she said, adding that her family also practices cultivation methods that allow the forest to nurture and regenerate itself.

In some cases, local politics has changed the way people live and the traditional respect they have always shown one another.
"Since I became involved in local politics I've seen a lot of changes,'' said Nasae Yapa, a Lahu woman and former village chief who has won human rights awards.
"Too much outside intervention, and too many local politicians dragging villagers into bad schemes for short-term benefits. Although many of us still worship the spirit of the forest, some of us are now worshipping people who have a lot of money as well,'' she said, adding that she campaigns for women to play a more active role in local politics as she believes that women are more likely to respect nature and are afraid of nature's ``punishment''.



Ms Wipa wishes the government would tackle the problem of land rights for indigenous people.

Lau people have been living in the far north of the country for many centuries and have passed on their traditions and nature-related beliefs. Like many other indigenous groups, they believe in the supernatural and in guardians of the forest and nature. Whatever they do is related to worshipping these guardians and exploiting the forest is totally prohibited.
The Lau people demarcate areas they call Yien, which means watershed, for worshipping.
They teach the younger generation to respect nature and to fear reprisals from nature if the Yien are misused.
"People can collect some wild vegetables from Yien, but we cannot take more than what is necessary for our family, as the forest's guardians will punish those who exploit it,'' said Tan Wittayapa-ngam, a Lau women's leader from Mae Hong Son province.

The Lau people also set up non-killing zones where animals cannot be hunted.
"The regulations are respected by us as we are the ones who set them,'' said Ms Tan.

But in the Lau lands as well there are some developments which do not take traditional forest management into account.



FEAR FOR THE FUTURE: These young Karen want the government to pay more attention to education for indigenous people.

"Some encroach on our forest land and grow mono crops, but we cannot do anything. We don't know where to complain and our voice would not be heard anyway,'' she said.

LAWS MUST CHANGE
Indigenous people say the laws supposedly put in place to protect the forest often do great harm (see box). Many members of the Darra-ang or Palung from Pang-daeng village in Chiang Dao district of Chiang Mai have been arrested for forest encroachment over the past few years. They encounter even more troubles than most tribal people as many of them don't hold Thai citizenship.
As a consequence they move around a lot to avoid the authorities.
"We believe that where there is a forest, there are human beings, there is soil, there is grass and there is water,'' said Kham Nainuan, who speaks in reasonable Thai but holds a card identifying her as an alien.



Ms Kham wants Darra-ang people to obtain Thai citizenship.

Ms Kham was arrested and jailed for 49 days in 1998 for forest encroachment. Another 48 villagers have been arrested on the same charge.
The Darra-ang group say they will no longer move around in the forest, and some of them have lately gained Thai citizenship. The Thai nationality status makes them eligible for government loans, and a new village has been set up.
"Small people like us farm just enough to sustain our family, not for profit."
"Now we have a chance to set up our lives. Moving will lead us to nowhere and our young people will lose the opportunity to be educated,'' said Ms Kham. She pointed out that being without land and citizenship presents special problems for the young, who she feared might end up in "entertainment businesses''.

A number of women interviewed expressed concern that if they are prevented from accessing the land and other natural resources it will make it very difficult to pass on their traditions to the younger generation.

"If we cannot commit fully to our traditions, such as worshiping the guardians of the forest or the mountains, this will affect our young. How can they learn and fully appreciate who we are?'' said Wipa Srilimpanon, a Lisu women's leader from Chiang Mai.


COMMUNAL LAND RIGHTS



MAKING THEIR VOICES HEARD: Ms Nasae, far right, wants women to participate more in local politics.

Many indigenous groups are among the 2,700 communities the government maintains are living illegally on protected forest or national park land. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, there were 6,711 lawsuits filed in 2007 and 2,625 lawsuits filed from January to April 2008 for forest encroachment, representing a total of 55,027 rai for both years.
In the North, according to records from the Regional 5 Court of Appeals, in 2007 alone there were 1,144 lawsuits pending in the court for trespassing on forest reserve areas and 103 for national parks.

Participants in a recent meeting of indigenous groups in Chiang Mai called on the government to honour the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as well as its own policies on communal land rights.
"We don't want to own the land privately, but we want the communal land rights in which the communities set up their own rules and regulations in using the land and forest,'' said Wipa Srilimpanon, a Lisu women's leader from Chiang Mai, who pointing out that granting individuals land rights will only lead to more forest destruction.

"Some locals are now hired to clear-cut and then the land is sold to outsiders, but communal land rights will allow each community to regulate the land and forest utilisation,'' she said.

Indigenous leaders point to the policy of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, declared on Dec 30, 2007, that the government will allocate land for poor farmers and will accelerate issuing land rights for poor farmers and communities on state land and deteriorating forest.
"We want to see if the government can keep its promise,'' said Ms Wipa. The Network of the Indigenous Peoples in Thailand has already assessed the readiness of all member communities to implement the communal land rights scheme. There are 114 communities from a number of different indigenous groups that have already been assessed.

Ms Wipa and other indigenous women who have a role in passing on the traditions of forest and land management to the younger generation place high hopes on Mr Abhisit's commitment to land allocations for poor and indigenous people.
"We are ready, but what about the government?'' asked Ms Wipa.

LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER

The Network of Indigenous peoples in Thailand has submitted a petition asking PM Abhisit to look into their concerns, listed in this excerpt from the letter. The Thai government must:
1. Honour the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as well as other International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).
2. Respect and accept cultural diversity and should provide citizenship rights for children that were born on Thai soil.
3. Promote indigenous women's participation in politics, education and society.
4. Support alternative education for indigenous peoples, such as promoting the use of their mother tongue (this conforms to the UN declaration, article 14, on the right to establish and control their educational systems.)
5. Return the rights in managing natural resources to indigenous people and abolish schemes, projects and policies that would affect their livelihoods and their communities.
6. Support community rights and provide mechanisms that allow people to participate in natural resources management at all levels.
7. Protect and provide land for residence and cultivation for indigenous people.



WE WANT OUR RIGHTS: This Kachin woman is asking for communal land rights for indigenous people.



DON’T BLAME US: Indigenous people have been accused of contributing to global warming.