As the global combat against COVID-19 pandemic has intensified, most of the countries are now under partial or total lockdown.
. In India, for example, this is the 3rd week under a nationwide lockdown. And although the Novel Coronavirus doesn't discriminate between classes or races or communities, the lockdown does affect some more than others, especially the Indigenous Peoples who are hardly ever involved when official decisions are made. Today, I want to share a few snapshots of the way the crisis is affecting the indigenous peoples across the globe.
Assam (India)
The largest tea producing state in India - 50% of the country and 1/6 of world's total tea produce comes from here - has just lifted the lockdown to allow production in its 803 tea farms. Traditionally, harvesting in tea gardens begins on April 1 and so, this year, harvesting has been already delayed by 2 weeks. According to the farm owners, if the harvesting is delayed any longer, leaves will grow too old and unfit for consumption. So, if the lockdown continued, not only the leaves in this peak season would be wasted, but the overgrown bushes would also make production hard in next season.
But opening up of the estates has left the state's 8 million+ indigenous workers with a Cornellian Dilemna: if the lockdown continues, they would face starvation as most employers in the tea sector practice 'No work, no pay' policy, and without lockdown, the threat of a virus spread grows bigger than ever before.
Historically, Adivasi people of the tea estates have been described among the poorest Indians who live in little or no education, high poverty, hunger, malnutrition and poor health. It doesn't take much effort to imagine how devastating the effect would be on these people if anyone gets the coronavirus. The threat is especially huge to indigenous women who are the main harvesters in any tea garden.
A union of these women had appealed to the government to continue the lockdown. But of course this has not been considered. The government has just instructed the gardens to maintain social distancing. But it would take more than an instruction. They would need masks, gloves and all the protection required to stay safe. Besides, there would have to be strict vigilance to see that the social distancing is maintained across the production areas including plucking (in the garden, its possible), weighing yard (not so easy) , in the processing unit (also hard as some tasks need more than one person to work together) and in sorting/drying.
The question is, is the govt serious enough to ensure these safety measures or will the matter be left on the indigneous people to fend for themselves - like they have always been?
Brazil
Last week, the Amazon indigenous territories witnessed its first COVID-19 death which sent shocks across the forest communities. Now, why is a single death so shocking when countries are reporting thousands of death , some in a single day?
The answer is, the indigenous people of Brazil, especially the uncontacted tribe do not have the immunity to fight against a deadly pathogen like the Novel Coronavirus and are therefore particularly vulnerable against a disease like COVID19. If we look into the history, every viral disease breakout has wiped out a sizeable population of the Amazonian people, pushing them near extinction.. And this time, as the president of Brazil stubbornly undermines the deadliness of COVID19, the indigenous people are again at great risk.
According to a press release by the Survival International protection of indigenous territories is "a matter of life and death". There are primarily two reasons behind this: 1) the govt of Brazil has continued to let Christian missionaries from outside of Amazon move freely in the uncontacted tribes territories and 2) Loggers, miners and ranchers also allowed wide access and free movement in the tribes land. Both could possibly infection the tribes with the coronavirus..
"Although the entire world now understands how dangerous new diseases can be, Brazil's President Bolsonaro is actively encouraging fundamentalist missionaries to make contact with uncontacted Amazonian tribes, who lack resistance to outside diseases. In addition, many tribes in Brazil such as the Yanomami, the Kawahiva, the Uru Eu Wau Wau, the Munduruku and the Awá, are seeing their territories invaded by goldminers, ranchers and loggers. All are home to uncontacted communities, who are the most vulnerable peoples on the planet and extremely susceptible to outside diseases," says the press release.
Update: On 17th April, a court in Brazil blocked evangelical missionaries from making contact with uncontacted tribes in the Javari Valley, home to the greatest concentration of such peoples anywhere on Earth. The judge stated in his ruling that "Uncontacted Indians are especially vulnerable... To make contact with them is hugely risky," and ordered the authorities to strictly enforce the ruling.
This is certainly a very positive development but it also puts the onus on the govt now. Unless the ruling is honored and strictly enforced, the threat of the pandemic is unlikely to wane, let alone be gone.
Papua (Indonesia)
As of today, Indonesia has over 6,760 positive COVID-19 cases including 107 in Papua. an indigenous territory. 590 people have also died so far, 6 of them in the Papua .
The 6 fatalities might not sound big but, like in the Amazon, has created high tension in Papua as the remote province has very health infrastructure which is totally incapable of handling a large number of infectious disease.
According to a BBC report, the hospitals in Papua are already almost full with non-COVID patients. If the Coronavirus spreads, the administration won't be able to treat them.
So, the indigenous peoples are putting up check points and barricades, social distancing system to prevent a potential virus spread. But tension and fear prevails high. And in a fear-gripped land, rumors are flying: a few days ago, there was rumor of the Papuan governor getting COVID-19 and flew out to Jakarta for treatment. The government has denied that.
The fact, however, is that the indigenous peoples are vulnerable, resource-less and have little to depend on except luck to stay safe and healthy in the growing pandemic.
Nellore (India)
Amidst all the doom and gloom, there is something good happening in at least one indigenous area and I want to wrap up with that. 2 years ago couple of years ago, I had reported on Yanadi - the largest group of homeless indigenous people in India.
As millions of poor Indians struggle to find a square meal now, two charities have joined hands to provide food to the Yanadis. These are Reliance Foundation - the charitable arm of the Ambani group of industries and Association for the Rural Development - an NGO based in Nellore district which has the largest population of the Yanadi people. The food aid kit has 10 kg rice, 1 kg daal, besides salt, sugar and cooking oil.
The number of the Yanadis is of course too huge to be covered by a NGO alone. But its good to see that the most forgotten and left out people of all are not being forgotten in this pandemic. May their effort find more support!
. In India, for example, this is the 3rd week under a nationwide lockdown. And although the Novel Coronavirus doesn't discriminate between classes or races or communities, the lockdown does affect some more than others, especially the Indigenous Peoples who are hardly ever involved when official decisions are made. Today, I want to share a few snapshots of the way the crisis is affecting the indigenous peoples across the globe.
Assam (India)
The largest tea producing state in India - 50% of the country and 1/6 of world's total tea produce comes from here - has just lifted the lockdown to allow production in its 803 tea farms. Traditionally, harvesting in tea gardens begins on April 1 and so, this year, harvesting has been already delayed by 2 weeks. According to the farm owners, if the harvesting is delayed any longer, leaves will grow too old and unfit for consumption. So, if the lockdown continued, not only the leaves in this peak season would be wasted, but the overgrown bushes would also make production hard in next season.
But opening up of the estates has left the state's 8 million+ indigenous workers with a Cornellian Dilemna: if the lockdown continues, they would face starvation as most employers in the tea sector practice 'No work, no pay' policy, and without lockdown, the threat of a virus spread grows bigger than ever before.
 |
| An indigenous woman workers walks through a tea garden. Courtesy: Indian Chamber of Commerce |
Historically, Adivasi people of the tea estates have been described among the poorest Indians who live in little or no education, high poverty, hunger, malnutrition and poor health. It doesn't take much effort to imagine how devastating the effect would be on these people if anyone gets the coronavirus. The threat is especially huge to indigenous women who are the main harvesters in any tea garden.
A union of these women had appealed to the government to continue the lockdown. But of course this has not been considered. The government has just instructed the gardens to maintain social distancing. But it would take more than an instruction. They would need masks, gloves and all the protection required to stay safe. Besides, there would have to be strict vigilance to see that the social distancing is maintained across the production areas including plucking (in the garden, its possible), weighing yard (not so easy) , in the processing unit (also hard as some tasks need more than one person to work together) and in sorting/drying.
The question is, is the govt serious enough to ensure these safety measures or will the matter be left on the indigneous people to fend for themselves - like they have always been?
Brazil
Last week, the Amazon indigenous territories witnessed its first COVID-19 death which sent shocks across the forest communities. Now, why is a single death so shocking when countries are reporting thousands of death , some in a single day?
The answer is, the indigenous people of Brazil, especially the uncontacted tribe do not have the immunity to fight against a deadly pathogen like the Novel Coronavirus and are therefore particularly vulnerable against a disease like COVID19. If we look into the history, every viral disease breakout has wiped out a sizeable population of the Amazonian people, pushing them near extinction.. And this time, as the president of Brazil stubbornly undermines the deadliness of COVID19, the indigenous people are again at great risk.
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"Although the entire world now understands how dangerous new diseases can be, Brazil's President Bolsonaro is actively encouraging fundamentalist missionaries to make contact with uncontacted Amazonian tribes, who lack resistance to outside diseases. In addition, many tribes in Brazil such as the Yanomami, the Kawahiva, the Uru Eu Wau Wau, the Munduruku and the Awá, are seeing their territories invaded by goldminers, ranchers and loggers. All are home to uncontacted communities, who are the most vulnerable peoples on the planet and extremely susceptible to outside diseases," says the press release.
Update: On 17th April, a court in Brazil blocked evangelical missionaries from making contact with uncontacted tribes in the Javari Valley, home to the greatest concentration of such peoples anywhere on Earth. The judge stated in his ruling that "Uncontacted Indians are especially vulnerable... To make contact with them is hugely risky," and ordered the authorities to strictly enforce the ruling.
This is certainly a very positive development but it also puts the onus on the govt now. Unless the ruling is honored and strictly enforced, the threat of the pandemic is unlikely to wane, let alone be gone.
Papua (Indonesia)
As of today, Indonesia has over 6,760 positive COVID-19 cases including 107 in Papua. an indigenous territory. 590 people have also died so far, 6 of them in the Papua .
The 6 fatalities might not sound big but, like in the Amazon, has created high tension in Papua as the remote province has very health infrastructure which is totally incapable of handling a large number of infectious disease.
 |
| Members of the Indigenous Miyah community. Courtesy: Samdhana Institute and IUCN.org |
According to a BBC report, the hospitals in Papua are already almost full with non-COVID patients. If the Coronavirus spreads, the administration won't be able to treat them.
So, the indigenous peoples are putting up check points and barricades, social distancing system to prevent a potential virus spread. But tension and fear prevails high. And in a fear-gripped land, rumors are flying: a few days ago, there was rumor of the Papuan governor getting COVID-19 and flew out to Jakarta for treatment. The government has denied that.
The fact, however, is that the indigenous peoples are vulnerable, resource-less and have little to depend on except luck to stay safe and healthy in the growing pandemic.
Nellore (India)
Amidst all the doom and gloom, there is something good happening in at least one indigenous area and I want to wrap up with that. 2 years ago couple of years ago, I had reported on Yanadi - the largest group of homeless indigenous people in India.
As millions of poor Indians struggle to find a square meal now, two charities have joined hands to provide food to the Yanadis. These are Reliance Foundation - the charitable arm of the Ambani group of industries and Association for the Rural Development - an NGO based in Nellore district which has the largest population of the Yanadi people. The food aid kit has 10 kg rice, 1 kg daal, besides salt, sugar and cooking oil.
The number of the Yanadis is of course too huge to be covered by a NGO alone. But its good to see that the most forgotten and left out people of all are not being forgotten in this pandemic. May their effort find more support!
