Kohima, August 10 (MExN): Kohima Law College observed International Day of the World’s Indigenous People on August 9 with the theme ‘Indigenous Languages.’
Addressing the law students, Professor-in-Charge (BCI), Kezhokhoto Savi said that indigenous peoples are groups historically associated with a specific territory, stated a press release issued by Media Cell, Kohima Law College.
Savi in regard to the rights of Naga indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland as indigenous people stated that the Article 371A of the Constitution of India is to be considered as a special right where it provides a provision to protect the Naga people of Nagaland from their own way of life, its land and resources. “The original inhabitants of the Nagas in Nagaland must seriously consider the proposed RIIN which should not affect the rights of the Naga indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland and it is very important to take it as a very serious measure not to register the same to others,” he said.
In his opinion, the date line of the year of settlement should never qualify a non-indigenous or non-local for the proposed RIIN. “Every citizen has its own origin and he/she is the indigenous of that origin or ancestral land and therefore, any citizen come to settled in another land temporarily/permanently may not claim the title of ‘Indigenous’ as she/he continually holds ‘indigenous’ of her/his original land.”
He said that the village councils, town wards and colony leaders and the issuing authority has to take all precaution so as not to issue the said certificate to others especially one has to be very careful in issuing residential certificate, etc.
The practice of adoption is to be discouraged amongst the indigenous people of Nagas in Nagaland especially adopting a non-indigenous person or child. “And in this regard the adopted non-indigenous Naga would not have the right to own the land as the Article 371A of Indian Constitution provided that only the Naga Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland can only owned the land,” he said.
“The Naga people should never allow any mechanism to exploit the rights of the indigenous inhabitants of the land,” he added.
In the closing remark, Kohima Law College, Principal Visevonuo Pienyu stated that “many Naga children especially residing in towns and cities cannot speak own dialect properly which is a threat to our identity as indigenous people.”
