“If all that is lost, then I am lost”

This article is part of an interview series featuring Indigenous voices from different parts of the world, including a Turkana and a Maasai from Kenya and a Sámi from Norway.

Who are you, where do you live, and what Indigenous community do you belong to?

My name is Sonami Baski, and I come from a village called Bishnubati in Bolpur, West Bengal. I am a student and belong to the Santal community.

What does your Indigenous identity mean to you? 

My identity as an Adivasi – the word means “original inhabitants” and is the name we and other Indigenous groups in India and Bangladesh have chosen for ourselves – means everything to me. It tells me who I am, what I am and where my roots are. 

My identity is carried by my language, culture, clothing, and food. If all that is lost, then I am lost.  I love everything about my community. The songs and dances, clothing and style, religions and festivities, even the rules and regulations. I also like the way both men and women are treated equally in our community.

What would improve the situation of your Indigenous community?

Our society is marked by poverty, which is why young people drop out of school early and are forced to work in the fields or move to large cities to find work. In our society, young men in particular start drinking alcohol at a very early age. There are also cases of early marriage, and people are not sufficiently educated and do not take good enough care of their health.

What can the world learn from your Indigenous community?

I think the world can learn a lot from us. For example, we have different dances for different seasons and occasions. We also have unique methods of building, cleaning and decorating our houses, weaving mats and brooms and hunting animals. In addition, we have extensive knowledge of herbal medicine.

Apart from that, our community may be more in line with some of the development goals than some non-Indigenous societies: our society is not strictly patriarchal; women are free. And we Adivasis are nature worshippers. We take only what we need from nature and do not destroy nature or kill animals unnecessarily.

Sonami Baski is a student and belongs to the Santal community. 
euz.editor@dandc.eu