Status of Indigenous Language and Cultural Issues in Northeast India

Today

Today in a global era, there are both diminishing trends as well as the growth of a new
cultural identity. Most Indigenous cultures in Northeast India were distinct in many ways,
particularly in terms of languages that identify each other. There is no written script and clear
history of the origin of mother tongue in any of the tribes; most history has followed an oral
tradition and this oral tradition has kept the tribal history alive through folk tales, dances, and
songs, which was narrated by their ancestor. And therefore, these traditions of folk tales,
dance, and songs are still practice today to preserve their culture and traditions, while the
languages are diminishing because of the globally dominant language. For indigenous people,
language is crucial for the definition of their identity as distinct peoples and the preservation
of their traditional knowledge and practices.

Language holds the first place in identifying one another, it gives an identity to a
particular person or community and it is through the language they analyze, express, and
relate to the world around them. It is an important agency that holds a community together as
one family and creates a feeling of oneness. Without a distinct language, a community cannot
exist as a homogenous group. A major function of language is to act as a reservoir of people's
identity and self-expression. It helps people to dream their dreams and assists them to
articulate their hopes and visions of a new future. Language is also one of the most important
social agencies that unite people and creates feelings in the community by providing identity.
It confirms and affirms who a person is, where one comes from, and one’s sense of identity.
However, today many indigenous languages in North East India are in a state of deep crisis.
Many indigenous languages have already gone and most of the indigenous languages are
close to extinction. Any community or family that failed to protect language will lose its
distinct identity, culture, ways of thinking, community, and traditions forever.

Each indigenous language is strongly connected to its respective culture. In many

cases, among the indigenous people due to the dominant structure of globalization for
development purpose, their cultural identity and traditions are gradually disappearing.
External influences have taken a major role in the life of indigenous people particularly in
terms of languages through social and educational purposes. Today, fewer and fewer children
are learning their indigenous languages from their parents or grandparents. It is often only the
elder generations that know the language now. Sooner or later if that knowledge is not
recorded in writing or audio, the language is going to extinct as soon as the last language
holders leave this world.

Why are the native languages were disappearing today?

First, the colonizer’s language, by contrast, became a necessity for all those who
wished to advance socially and participate in the colony’s public sphere. Especially socially,
up-ward mobile people quickly came to eschew the local native languages and favor the
colonial language. In fact, colonizers generally did not specifically set out to eradicate a
language but by systematically limiting its role to increasingly fewer domains and functions
and by adopting certain positive discourses about the dominant languages, they actively
brought about its disappearance.

Second, technological systems found in most indigenous places were all colonized
products, which in one way help the people to make things work easily. However, on the
other hand, all the systems have to operate only in English; ultimately, it is imposing on every
people to be familiar with the languages even those in the village and uneducated areas. This
is how technology has been connecting and affecting each individual both young and old,
literate as well as illiterate in terms of languages, it becomes so influential, especially among
the young generation. Gradually, it has become impossible for indigenous people to steer
their destiny from their cultural perspective. In one way, his technological system may be
helping in terms of information and guideline but in terms of languages and cultural practices
it is becoming more complex day by day, all the traditional practices and values systems are
diminishing and it is leading them away to lose their indigenous identity.

Third, most educated people increasingly opted to raise their children in the colonial
language rather than in their native language. English has become a commonly spoken
language at home. Their children become more comfortable with English than their native
language. Thus, these ongoing practices have now become a crucial impact on the local
linguistic situation where the mother tongue has become less important in the family as well
as in society.

Why is it important to Preserve Indigenous Languages?

 Most young people overlook on mother tongue as they depend on common language.
Forgetting that native mother tongue is their cultural identity, which is an integral part of their
culture. If there is no mother tongue, their identity will become the slave of other replacing
culture. If they lose any of these encyclopaedias of knowledge of languages that dates back
thousands of years, they will suffer an irreplaceable loss that diminishes all of them. This is
indeed true since indigenous mother tongues possess a wealth of knowledge that can help the
people to address one of the humanity’s greatest challenges: how to live in a sustainable
manner, maintain biological diversity, cultural identities and diverse unique identity across
the world.

To sum, mother tongue and culture is inseparable for the tribal people in Naga society
as it holds their cultural identity. Each indigenous mother tongue is a unique expression of
their diversity that holds a single understanding of the world and different methods living in
it. It is through their native mother tongue they communicate, exchange knowledge and build
relationships with others. Indigenous mother tongue holds a prominent part in one’s own
identity that needs to be preserve for culture generation. So, when native languages of
indigenous people disappear an integral part of indigenous peoples’ culture disappears with
it. Therefore, it is essential for every indigenous people to preserve their own mother tongues
that holds their identity especially among the youngsters who is so ignorant towards their
mother tongue.

Protection of Language and Cultural Identity

At the present scenario in Northeast India, many indigenous writers feel it equally
important to insist on the need for the institutions and cultural practices to open themselves
up to indigenous texts by encouraging the learners to learn and use their languages in their
perspective society. At the same time, parents need to be made aware of and educate their
children about the value of one’s culture and languages which is their identity. Some
approaches for protecting language and culture have been mentioned here:

First, a method that proved very useful in this respect is the Language Awareness
approach that will aim to interest and open up youngsters to the notion of diversity towards
discovering, recognizing, legitimizing, and valorising the linguistic and cultural identities and
competencies of each member. Second, it aims to develop youngsters’ aptitudes for observing
and analyzing languages to enhance their language learning skills, reinforce, and improve
their existing linguistic competencies. Third, to remind them to revitalize their roots and
know the distinctions. Fourth, to positively encourage them to learn their language value
alongside the dominant languages. Fifth, to preserve their language and history, they should
take steps in the education fields by imposing young people to learn their community history
that will support the maintenance of their cultural identity.

Hence, preserving indigenous language is first and foremost dependent on

empowering indigenous communities by drawing support for indigenous culture and
traditions as well as defense for their rights. Each different indigenous group should
encourage its group of people to promote and protect their indigenous language apart from
the dominant language and empower the young people to participate in relevant processes.
There is also in need to educate the parents to remind them to take serious note of their
children's attitude towards their mother tongue. Parents should be mindful to maintain the
balance in terms of languages to preserve one’s own identity. And to stop their attitudes of
imposing others languages their children because presently most parents are so ignorant
believing that English proficiency can open doors of opportunity for children as they move
through life to suit with the modern world while forgetting their heritage practices.

Conversely, even to preserve their languages some indigenous people stressed that
government or organization must enact appropriate legislation and policies to guarantee and
protect their rights while they forget about themselves. These kinds of depending attitudes or
mindsets must be changed. Every individual, community, organization, and government has
to take initiative of being responsible for their own by respecting linguistic diversity and
enable the survival of all indigenous languages. Hence, protection and recovery of language,
and their identity, is thus crucial for the indigenous people. Every language should be
encouraged to exercise, as indigenous people's mother tongue holds a close connection with
cultures, identities, and traditions.

For the rights of indigenous people, some steps have been initiated by UNESCO to
protect indigenous languages: The survey and record brought by North Eastern Social
Research Centre India (NESRCI), says that UNESCO is leading the International Year of
Indigenous Languages plan of events and activities that promote indigenous languages by
focusing on three directions. The following features need to be taken seriously in preserving
indigenous languages:
  Creating momentum for maintaining indigenous languages;
 Enabling indigenous people’s access to education and information; and
 Promoting indigenous knowledge to help the communities pass their languages,
customs, and traditions to their children.

Biblical reference on the Significance of the Native Language

Biblically, it is thought that tongues signal blessing or God’s favour. Luke’s attention
on Acts 2:1-11 was given more to linguistic in order to expressed God’s mighty works that
the speakers were known to be Galileans who had a reputation for being uncultured and they
had difficulty in speaking pronouncing gutturals and had the habit of swallowing syllables.
They were even looked down by the people of Jerusalem as being provincial. Yet God used
them through the outpour of the Holy Spirit, they could be able to speak in tongue which was
said to be the ‘native tongue.’ Some claims they spoke only one language, but the people
from different place around the gatherings heard in various languages that they could
understand the message spoken by the apostles in their own native tongues unlike the tongue
found in 1 Cor. 14:2-23 which is unintelligible that need the interpreter. Clearly, this tongue
speaking in Acts 2: 1-11 was miraculous that perhaps signifies all language are equally
significant in God’s side, which is also a tool to truth and salvation for all the believers. In
spites of all the different claims and debate it is to note how appropriate that God chose this
event, where so many Jews were present and witness the mighty works of God through the
native language spoken by the apostles which signifies that God has a great value and
blessings upon each language without any distinctions.

Henceforth, everyone should acknowledge that all languages are from God and must
appreciate its uniqueness and value them through coordination without being ignorant
individually and socially. It should note that everyone must all grasp one’s own language as it
led to their heritage and building up of community. Languages can lead to chaos when people
become ignorant and when God is not honoured. Thus, Language should be spoken as
empowered by God through Holy Spirit as we can see in Acts 2:1-11, Holy Spirit
empowering the people to speak in native tongue in amidst of Greco-Roman imperial
structure which signifies every tongue has its own significance.

References:

Homi Bhabha. The Location of Culture. London/New York: Routledge, 1994.

Temsukala. “Building of Naga Identity through Education: Pre-Colonial, Colonial and
Missionary Eras.” Journal of Tribal Studies, vol. XX, no. 1&2. Jan-June & July-Dec. 2005.

Gail P. Kelley and Philip G. Altbach. “The Four Faces of Colonialism.” Education and the
Colonial Experience, ed., Gail P. Kelley, and Philip G. Altbach. New Brunswick:
Transaction, 1984.
Samuel Longkumar and Moanunsang. A Reader in Primal Religious Tradition and their
Select Movement in India. Kolkata: ESPACE, 2012.

Wati Longchar. Transforming Culture and Praxis. PTCA Series, No. 16. Kolkata:
PTCA/YTCS, 2017.

John B. Polhill. “Acts.” The New American Commentary: An Exegetical and Theological
Exposition of Holy Scripture, vol. 26. Edited by David S. Dockery. Nashville: Broadman
Press, 1992.

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