TRIBAL PEOPLE AND ISSUES OF ACCESS TO LAND
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i3.2024.5636Keywords:
Access, Bodoland, Land, Landless, Conflict, Rights, TribalAbstract [English]
Issues of access to land for tribal people in the Bodoland Territorial Region have historically been a significant concern. The region has faced challenges related to land rights and conflicts over land ownership between tribal communities and non-tribal settlers, leading to tensions and sporadic violence. The present objectives of study are to investigate the historical land rights of the tribal people to understand their connection to the land and examine conflict related to land access. The study covers the three tribal groups in the four districts of the Bodoland Territorial Region of Assam, through the primary and secondary sources of data. The findings reflect the right-to-land, land disputes, and land conflicts over land ownership and rights often lead to displacement and insecurity, exacerbating their vulnerability. Limited access to land and resource production due to historical marginalisation and insufficient legal recognition of tribal land rights hinders their ancestral land ties and economic development. Efforts to address these issues by ensuring secure land rights through legal documentation to protect their lands from encroachment and displacement. It requires involving tribal people in decision-making processes on land rights and use, historical land maintenance, empowering tribal communities through capacity-building, education, advocating for policies, and fair distribution of land resources.
References
Agarwala, T. (2013). ‘Worse than a cowshed’: Inside a settlement camp where Assam is moving ‘encroachers’. https://indianexpress.com/article/india/assam-eviction-drive-children-away-from-home-8604929/
Archambault, C. S., & Zoomers, A. (2015). Global trends in land tenure reform. Taylor & Francis. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315765822
Balgir, R. S. (2006, October). Tribal health problems, disease burden and ameliorative challenges in tribal communities with special emphasis on tribes of Orissa. In Proceedings of National Symposium on “Tribal Health” 19th-20th October (Vol. 2006, pp. 161-76).
Bandyopadhyay, R., & Subedi, S. (2012). Human Rights of the Internally Displaced Persons: Law and Practice. Paragon International Publishers.
Barooah, D. P. (1979). Gazetteer of India Assam State (Goalpara District Gazetteer). Guwahati, Government of Assam.
Basumatary, M. (2009). Impact of conflict induced displacement in the Kokrajhar district of the Bodoland Territorial Council Assam (Doctoral dissertation, Gauhati University, Guwahati). https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/37053
Basumatary, R. (2018, October 14). Assam: Eviction drive carried out in Ripu-Chirang Reserve Forest. https://nenow.in/environment/assam-eviction-drive-carried-out-in-ripu-chirang-reserve-forest.html
Bavinck, M., Pellegrini, L., & Mostert, E. (Eds.). (2014). Conflict over resources in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa: Can legal pluralism help? Routledge.
Bhatia, A., Jha, S., & Wahi. N. (2021). Understanding the Land Rights of Tribal Populations in Scheduled Areas. Centre for Policy Research. https://cprindia.org/understanding-the-land-rights-of-tribal-populations-in/
Bhatiarai, T., Colchester, M., Fernandes, D. W., Gain, P., Joe, K., Trakansuphalon, P., & Roy, R. D. (1999). Forests and indigenous peoples of Asia (No. 4). Minority Rights Group.
Benjaminsen, T. A., Alinon, K., Buhaug, H., & Buseth, J. T. (2012). Does climate change drive land-use conflicts in the Sahel? Journal of Peace Research, 49(1), 97–111. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022343311427343 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0022343311427343
Bordoloi, B. N. (1999). Report on the Survey of Alienation of Tribal Land in Assam (First). Directorate of Assam Institute of Research for Tribals. file:///C:/Users/Asus/Desktop/AIRT_1999_0001_report.pdf
Brahma, A. (2018a). A Study of Women's Human Rights of Bodoland Territorial Council, Assam. International Journal of Innovative Research in Engineering & Multidisciplinary Physical Sceinces, 6(4), 558-566.
Brahma, A. (2018b). Political Participation of Women in the First Three BTC Government. International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts, 6(2). 864-869.
Brahma, A., & Mushahary, J. (2022). The struggle for land: Tribal land issues and debates. International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies, 15(1), 41-57. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5204/ijcis.2251
Brahma, A., & Mushahary, J. (2022a). The land access and conflict issues of tribal peoples in Bodoland territorial region of Assam, India. Linguistics and Culture Review, 6(S5), 80-91. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21744/lingcure.v6nS5.2075
Budlender, G. (1992). The right to equitable access to land. South African Journal on Human Rights, 8(3), 295-304. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02587203.1992.11827867
Castillo, D., Mitchell, B.C., Richardson, J., & Edlebi, J. (2023). Redlining The Reservation: The Brutal Cost of Financial Services Inaccessibility Native Communities. https://ncrc.org/redlining-the-reservation-the-brutal-cost-of-financial-services-inaccessibility-in-native-communities/
Colchester, M. (1999). Indigenous peoples and communal tenures in Asia. https://www.fao.org/4/y5407t/y5407t07.htm
Das, M. (2018). Socio-economic and political issues in Assam. EPH Publishers.
Deka, A. K. (2012). Understanding conflict in BTAD of Assam. Mainstream Weekly, 50(37).
Errico, S. (2017). The rights of indigenous peoples in Asia. ILO, 1-2.
Goswami, M.C., (1986). Traditional land tenure and land use system among the tribal communities. In B.N. Bordoloi (Eds.), Alienation of Tribal Land and Indebtedness (pp. 39-52). Tribal Research Institute.
Government of India, Ministry of Tribal Affairs. (2023). Empowering Tribals, Transforming India. Government of India, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Press Information Bureau. https://pib.gov.in/FeaturesDeatils.aspx?NoteId=151692
Homer-Dixon, T. F. (1999). Environmental scarcity and violence. Princeton University Press.
Hussain, M., & Phanjoubam, P. (2007). A Status Report on Displacement in Assam and Manipur. MCRG.
Hussain, B. (2012). The Bodoland violence and the politics of explanation. https://www.india-seminar.com/2012/640/640_banajit_hussain.htm
Nicholson, D. A., & Corbin, H. (2024). Institutional Arrangements for Hydropower Transition in Guyana, Belize, Brazil, China, India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Suriname: A Systematic Review (Paper 579). Papers do NAEA, 1(1). https://periodicos.ufpa.br/index.php/pnaea/article/view/18001/12011
Jairath, V., & Doley, P. (2013, March 3). Assam’s Evicted Communities Converge in Guwahati, Protest Against Govt's 'Land Grab'. https://thewire.in/rights/assam-protest-land-displacement
Kalita, J. (2022). Northeast Diary: How to protect land rights of indigenous people. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/northeast-diary-how-to-protect-land-rights-of-indigenous-people/articleshow/95618481.cms
Kennedy, C. M., Fariss, B., Oakleaf, J. R., Garnett, S. T., Fernández-Llamazares, Á., Fa, J. E. Fa, Baruch-Modo, S., & Kiesecker, J. (2023). Indigenous Peoples’ lands are threatened by industrial development; conversion risk assessment reveals need to support Indigenous stewardship. One Earth, 6(8), 1032-1049. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2023.07.006
Kujur, A. (2024). Several families evicted for encroachment in Assam's Chirang Reserve Forest. Land Conflict Watch. https://www.landconflictwatch.org/conflicts/several-families-evicted-for-encroachment-in-assam-s-chirang-reserve-forest#
Kumar, M. M., Pathak, V. K., & Ruikar, M. (2020). Tribal population in India: A public health challenge and road to future. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 9(2), 508-512. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_992_19
Land Policy, 1989 (1989). Land Policy, 1989. https://dlrar.assam.gov.in/documents-detail/land-policy-1989
Land Policy, 2019 (2019). Land Policy, 2019. https://landrevenue.assam.gov.in/sites/default/files/swf_utility_folder/departments/revenue_com_oid_6/latest/land_policy_2019_.pdf
Le Billon, P. (2001). The political ecology of war: Natural resources and armed conflicts. Political Geography, 20(5), 561–584. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0962-6298(01)00015-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0962-6298(01)00015-4
Mahapatra, A. K., Tewari, D. D., & Baboo, B. (2015). Displacement, deprivation and development: the impact of relocation on income and livelihood of tribes in similipal tiger and biosphere reserve, India. Environmental management, 56, 420-432. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-015-0507-z
Manav, A. (2013). Indian Tribes and Culture. Rishabh Books.
Mistri, A., & Das, B. (2020). Environmental change, livelihood issues and migration. Springer Singapore. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8735-7
Mission Basundhara. (2022, July). About Mission Basundhara. https://basundhara.assam.gov.in/about
Mosse, D., Gupta, S., Mehta, M., Shah, V., Rees, J. F., & Team, K. P. (2002). Brokered livelihoods: Debt, labour migration and development in tribal western India. Journal of development studies, 38(5), 59-88. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00220380412331322511
Mushahary, J. (2019). Conflict Induced Internally Displaced Persons and the Issue of Human Rights in Bodoland Territorial Council Assam (Doctoral dissertation, Bodoland University). http://hdl.handle.net/10603/234431
Mushahary, J. (2021). Living with Decades of Inequality and Deprivation: A Study on the Conflict-Induced Internally Displaced Persons of Bodoland Territorial Council, Assam (India). In Eurasian Business and Economics Perspectives: Proceedings of the 30th Eurasia Business and Economics Society Conference (pp. 213-223). Springer International Publishing. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65147-3_15
OHCHR. (2015). Land is not a mere commodity, but an essential element for the realization of many human rights. https://www.ohchr.org/en/land#
Obioha, E. E. (2008). Climate change, population drift and violent conflict over land resources in northeastern Nigeria. Journal of Human Ecology, 23(4), 311–324. https://doi.org/10.1080/09709274.2008.11906091 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09709274.2008.11906084
Oxendine, C. (2022). Barriers to tribal economic development hinge on sovereignty-related issues. Tibal Business News. https://tribalbusinessnews.com/sections/economic-development/13861-barriers-to-tribal-economic-development-hinge-on-sovereignty-related-issues
Pact, A. I. P. (2014). Overview of the state of Indigenous peoples in Asia. Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact, 1. https://aippnet.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/25.-Overview-of-the-state-of-Indigenous-Peoples-in-Asia.pdf DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003126690-1
Pathak, S. (2017). Conflict, livelihood security and children in the conflict affected Kokrajhar District BTAD, Assam. Social Sciences, 7(2), 138-147. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21013/jmss.v7.n2.p3
Peluso, N. L., & Watts, M. (Eds.). (2001). Violent environments. Cornell University Press.
Persoon, G. A., & Minter, T. (2020). Knowledge and practices of indigenous peoples in the context of resource management in relation to climate change in Southeast Asia. Sustainability, 12(19), 7983. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12197983
Pratidin Bureau. (2021, January 28). Massive Eviction Drive Due on Tribal Belts in BTC. https://www.pratidintime.com/latest-assam-news-breaking-news-assam/massive-eviction-drive-due-on-tribal-belts-in-btc
Phukan, M. D. (2013). Ethnicity, conflict and population displacement in Northeast India. Asian Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences (AJHSS), 1(2), 40-52.
Quan, J. (2006). Land access in the 21st century: issues, trends, linkages and policy options. In LSP Working Paper 24 Access to Natural Resources Sub-Programme. http://www.fao.org/3/ah245e/ah245e.pdf
Ram, A.L., & Shahzar, E. (2024). Land, loss and liberation: Indigenous struggles amid the climate crisis. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2024/02/indigenous-challenges-displacement-climate-change/
Rishabh. (2024). Indian Tribal Communities: Culture, Challenges, and Development. Sleepy Classes IAS. https://sleepyclasses.com/indian-tribal-communities/
Saxena, K. B. (2008). Rehabilitation and Resettlement of the Displaced Persons. Council for Social Development.
Sentinel Digital Desk. (2020). Land rights issue in BTR. Sentinel Assam. https://www.sentinelassam.com/more-news/editorial/land-rights-issue-in-btr-514330
Sentinel Digital Desk. (2021). Land alienation in BTR. Sentinel Assam. https://www.sentinelassam.com/more-news/editorial/land-alienation-in-btr-522472
Sha, S. (2024). Environmental degradation and migration: An analysis of tribal livelihoods. International Journal of Political Science and Governance, 6(2): 115-118. https://doi.org/10.33545/26646021.2024.v6.i2b.374 DOI: https://doi.org/10.33545/26646021.2024.v6.i2b.374
Shimray, U. A. (2006). Tribal Land Alienation in: North East India: Laws and Land Relation. NESRC.
Sinha, S. (2024). 10000 people face eviction from tribal council land in Assam’s Karbi Anglong. https://www.landconflictwatch.org/conflicts/10-000-people-face-eviction-from-tribal-council-land-in-assam-s-karbi-anglong
Tantra, N. (2024). Challenges, Politics, and Legal dynamics of land acquisition in tribal areas of Northeast India. https://nititantra.com/challenges-politics-and-legal-dynamics-of-land-acquisition-in-tribal-areas-of-northeast-india/
The Assam Tribune. (2010, September 15). BTC admn adopts tough stance on eviction drives . https://assamtribune.com/btc-admn-adopts-tough-stance-on-eviction-rives?infinitescroll=1
The Hindu Bureau. (2024). 10000 people in Assam face eviction from tribal council lands. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/10000-people-in-assam-face-eviction-from-tribal-council-lands/article67878373.ece
Feiring, B. (2013). Indigenous peoples’ rights to lands, territories and resources. International Land Coalition, Rome, 94, 12-21.
Treisman, R (2021). How loss of historical lands makes Native Americans more vulnerable to climate change. https://www.npr.org/2021/11/02/1051146572/forced-relocation-native-american-tribes-vulnerable-climate-change-risks
United Nations. (2022). Climate Change. https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/climate-change.html
U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit. (2024). Tribal Nation. U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit. http://toolkit.climate.gov/topic/tribal-nations
U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2024). Tribal and Native American Issues. U.S. GAO. https://www.gao.gov/tribal-and-native-american-issues
Vijetha. (2024). Developmental projects and their impact on tribal displacement and problems of rehabilitation. https://vijethaiasacademy.com/blog/developmental-projects-and-their-impact-on-tribal-displacement-and-problems-of-rehabilitation-anthropology-optional-upsc
Wahi, N., & Bhatia, A. (2018). The legal regime and political economy of land rights of scheduled tribes in scheduled areas of India. Available at SSRN 3759219. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3759219
World Bank. (2018). Indigenous Peoples Overview. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/indigenouspeoples
Xaxa, V. (2011). The status of tribal children in India: A historical perspective. IHD-UNICEF working paper. https://ihdindia.org/pdf/virginius_xaxa.pdf
Zaman, R. (2022, December 30). Why eviction drives in Assam are no longer facing resistance. from https://scroll.in/article/1040558/why-eviction-drives-in-assam-are-no-longer-facing-resistance
Zein, Z. M. (2022). The colonial roots of indigenous tourism in Asia. Kontinentalist. https://kontinentalist.com/stories/is-indigenous-tourism-a-form-of-colonial-exploitation
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Ashok Brahma, Dr. Jhanin Mushahary
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
With the licence CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author.
It is not necessary to ask for further permission from the author or journal board.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
