Written by representatives of Indigenous groups from Nepal (Tamang), East Timor, and Papua New Guinea during the 10-day extensive media production training for Asian Indigenous youth in Kep Province, Cambodia, in March 2024.
Tamang (རྟ་དམག་; Devanagari: तामाङ; tāmāṅ) are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group from Nepal, Southern Bhutan, and North India. In Nepal, Tamang people constituted 5.6% of the population, with over 1.3 million individuals in 2001, increasing to 1,539,830 according to the 2011 census. They are concentrated in the central hilly region of Nepal. In India, Tamangs are found in significant numbers in the state of Sikkim and the districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong in West Bengal. Bhutanese Tamangs are native to various districts in the southern foothills of Bhutan, including Tsirang, Dagana, Samtse, Chukha, Sarpang, and Samdrup Jongkhar. The Tamang language is the fifth most spoken language in Nepal.
East Timor reflects the mixed origins of the different ethnolinguistic groups on the island. The indigenous languages fall into two language families: Austronesian and Papuan. Depending on classification, there are up to 19 indigenous languages with up to 30 dialects. Aside from Tetum, Ethnologue lists the following indigenous languages: Adabe, Baikeno, Bunak, Fataluku, Galoli, Habun, Idaté, Kairui-Midiki, Kemak, Lakalei, Makasae, Makuv’a, Mambae, Nauete, Tukudede, and Waima’a. According to the Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, there are six endangered languages in East Timor: Adabe, Habu, Kairui-Midiki, Maku’a, Naueti, and Waima’a. The largest Malayo-Polynesian group is the Tetum, mostly around Dili or the western border.
Papua New Guinea has more languages than any other country, with over 820 aboriginal languages, representing 12% of the world’s total. However, most have fewer than 1,000 speakers. With an average of only 7,000 speakers per language, Papua New Guinea has a greater density of languages than any other nation except Vanuatu. The most widely spoken aboriginal language is Enga, with about 200,000 speakers, followed by Melpa and Huli. Aboriginal languages are classified into two large groups: Austronesian and non-Austronesian (Papuan). There are four languages in Papua New Guinea with statutory recognition: English, Tok Pisin, Hiri Motu, and, since 2015, Papua New Guinean Sign Language.
We underline traditions and technology. In tradition, we have dance, songs, mimicry, and many other cultural practices. We promote these traditions with the use of technology.
Names we suggest for this initiative include ‘We Are Our Initiatives,’ ‘Asia Oceania Rise,’ and ‘Aboriginal Voices through Technology.’ It can have commissions like the Aboriginal Media and Communication Commission, Cultural Commission, and Spirituality and Theology Commission. Possible activities include virtual meetings once every three months and physical meetings once every two years. We name the virtual meeting ‘Asia-Oceania Virtual Meet,’ and suggest activities like aboriginal music and film festivals, short media courses, and workshops.
We can derive morals and values from the storytelling of our aboriginal traditions, such as respect for elders and the environment. These values are a way of life. The Church must listen to these stories because many beliefs are in harmony with the Catholic Faith, such as sharing and caring for others. Of course, we need to reflect on elements that do not align with Christianity, like polygamy. Ancestral stories can be preserved on media platforms for future generations.
In the Bible, we find many references to ancestors and their importance: “In the past, God spoke through events and prophets, but in an appointed time, God will speak through his only son Jesus Christ ” (The Word made flesh) – Jn. 1:14. We must promote the positive aspects of our ancestral stories because they embody great values and virtues, which can even be found in catechism and other moral systems. Therefore, we need to promote video documentaries, host programs, forums, documentation, and compile catechism. Aboriginal stories should be integrated into educational curriculums, with annual programs to continue these efforts.
Ancestral land is a treasure for Aboriginal peoples. It serves as a vital resource for hunting, gardening, and building shelters, and it can be passed on from generation to generation in patrilineal or matrilineal societies.
Reflecting on the Book of Genesis, we see humans as administrators of land and the environment. – Gen 1:28-30.
It is our duty to protect our ancestral lands, and we should seek ways to register them as state lands, ensuring legal protection. We advise our aboriginal siblings to suspend practices such as selling ancestral lands for purposes that lead to their destruction, like deforestation, unless the sale is for ecological reserves like wildlife sanctuaries.
Ancestral lands should be clearly marked with visible signs and posts to ensure that anyone entering is aware and must seek permission from aboriginal authorities. Without boundaries and signs, people might enter and cause destruction without considering the impact on our communities. There are strict rules governing ancestral lands that we must know and uphold.
Preserving and conserving ancestral lands also helps protect against climate change. People should understand that protecting aboriginal territories is directly linked to ecological protection. Displacing aboriginal communities and destroying forests contribute to global warming.
Thus, protecting aboriginal lands concerns not only Aboriginal peoples but everyone in a country. We need funds to work on this and to create open forums to promote the protection of aboriginal territories.
Technology can significantly aid in these campaigns by facilitating contact and communication with other groups globally and promoting our projects. We can create social network groups to fight against the destruction of ecosystems and ancestral lands, share success stories from other countries for inspiration, and compile videos from platforms like YouTube. We can also document illegal land destruction and report incidents to NGOs dedicated to environmental preservation.
Home for us is where we find our land, environment, and aboriginal people, who complement it, along with the resources we obtain from it and the food we prepare from the land, not forgetting the sense of love communicated in the land.
The Catholic Church must understand our aboriginal identities well, as it is the only way to grasp our ritualistic world, beliefs, and traditions. Catholic means universal, so the Church should embrace all traditions. There should be cultural dialogue between the Church and our cultures to discover common values and harmony. Cultural practices like art, music, and dance should be integrated with Catholicism. Offertory items could include pigs, chicken, and buffalo (from both the Old Testament and New Testament). Most aboriginal rituals connect us to the Most High, from Earth (Mother Earth) to Heaven, with representations such as stones, images, rivers, and forests. The Church, on the other hand, teaches about revelation: “Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe” (Hebrews 1:1-4). Baptizing the world means even baptizing the culture of people and their entities.
In every aboriginal group, there is an elder who connects the people to their beliefs while preserving their traditions. Similarly, a priest serves as a medium connecting God with humanity. In some aboriginal communities where Christianity is practiced, some priests become the spiritual leaders (elders) of the communities, and some aboriginal youth have also become priests. Therefore, there should be open communication, sharing, and respect for the presence and actions of elders as spiritual guides.
In colonial times, our aboriginal peoples faced violent actions, such as the persecution of our ancestral languages and traditions, the imposition of colonial names, and the destruction of ritual houses and religious impositions. It is important to acknowledge this history, even if it is painful, not to create divisions but to reflect on the future. Today, we see traditional aboriginal music, dances, and many ancestral elements in Catholic masses in our regions, which is already a sign of hope and dialogue.
Religion is revelation. We can distinguish between spirituality and religion: one can be spiritual without being religious. Spirituality involves being one with oneself and understanding one’s existence as a spiritual being.
