The political, economic, social and gospel situation of global indigenous peoples

【Overview】

I. Introduction

Indigenous peoples usually refer to ethnic groups that have lived in the local area for a long time before colonization or the establishment of a country; they retain an inherent culture and political system that is different from mainstream society. Based on each country's definition of indigenous peoples, the estimated indigenous population worldwide was 220 million in 1997, 350 million in 2004, and the most recent figure is 370 million. (Note 1)

The emergence of indigenous groups as a political term means that these groups have become particularly vulnerable due to exploitation and oppression by the national government. Therefore, international organizations such as the United Nations, the International Labor Organization and the World Bank have formulated a set of political rights resolutions for indigenous peoples based on international law and require governments to comply with them. The United Nations issued the "Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples" to protect Aboriginal culture, identity, language, employment, health, education and natural resources. (Note 2)

The purpose of this article is to provide readers with a brief introduction to the definition of indigenous peoples and the various issues they face, and then to evangelize and suggest what Christians can do to help the plights faced by indigenous peoples.

2. Definition and distribution of indigenous peoples

1. Definition of Aboriginal people

Because some past definitions of indigenous peoples have caused confusion, the United Nations has deliberately avoided setting a formal definition of indigenous peoples. The United Nations established the Aboriginal Working Group in 1972 and began formal contact with indigenous groups. The working group did not establish any definition and relied mainly on its own approach. (Note 3)
For Aboriginal people, generally acceptable "descriptions" are:

(1) Initial residents: refers to the earliest people to settle in a country, or they are called aborigines.

(2) In Africa and Asia, due to the colonial structure created by the process of conquest, the indigenous peoples share the same culture and language and are differentiated from the surrounding peoples.

Between 1972 and 1986 the designation of Aboriginal people was extended to the following groups:

(1) Descendants of ethnic groups before other different cultures or ethnic groups arrived in the area;

(2) Because they are isolated from other ethnic groups, they retain the customs and traditions of their ancestors.

(3) They are even put into structures of national, social and cultural characteristics that are incompatible with them.

(4) In 1986, the following statement was added: If an ethnic group claims to be aboriginal, it can also be recognized. (Note 4)

It can be seen from this that the distribution range of aboriginal people is very wide and each has its own characteristics. It is difficult to generalize and there is a lack of consistent statistics. Table 1 lists some statistics about Aboriginal people.

2. Aboriginal population distribution

There are about 370 million indigenous people in the world, accounting for about 5% to 6% of the world's population. There are more than 5,000 different ethnic groups, 4,000 to 7,000 different languages, scattered in more than 70 countries, but 70% live in Asia . Aboriginal people also account for 15% of the world's poor population.

Indigenous peoples account for one-third of the world's 900 million extremely poor rural people. Aboriginal people are scattered in every region, but 70% is in Asia.
There are 50 million indigenous peoples in Latin America, accounting for 11% of the region's population. In the 1990s, the poverty gap among indigenous peoples in Latin America widened wider than before.
In 2001, approximately 90% of Australia's Aboriginal people were recognized as Aboriginal, and approximately 500 languages disappeared after the arrival of Europeans. (Note 5)
The indigenous peoples of the United States and Canada are mainly Indians. (Note 6) In the 19th century, there were more than 300 indigenous tribes in the United States, each with different cultures and religions. (Note 7)
Generally speaking, Aboriginal people refer to the ethnic groups who lived before colonization. Each ethnic group has a common historical continuity and a strong connection with their land. They maintain unique social, economic and political systems, and have unique languages, cultures, beliefs and knowledge systems. They are determined to maintain and develop their identity and become a non-dominant sector in society. (Note 8)

"Taiwanese Aboriginals": refers to the earliest ethnic groups who settled in Taiwan before the Han people immigrated to Taiwan. Before the Han people immigrated to Taiwan in the 17th century, Taiwanese aborigines had lived in Taiwan for about 8,000 years. Taiwan's aborigines belong to the Austronesian ethnic group and Austronesian in terms of genetics and linguistic classification, and are closely related to Austronesian groups such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Madagascar and Oceania. When introducing the relationship between Taiwan's aborigines and the Austronesian-speaking peoples of the world, the "Indigenous Peoples Committee" of the Executive Yuan of Taiwan stated that "Taiwan's aboriginal peoples belong to the Austronesian language family and are ethnically Taiwanese Austronesian people. Taiwan is an Austronesian people. The northernmost point of the distribution of the island language group."

Taiwan's aboriginal people were originally widely distributed in Taiwan's mountainous areas (especially central Taiwan) and gathered into tribes along the alluvial plains. (Note 9) As of February 2013, Taiwan’s aboriginal population was 528,232 (accounting for 2.1% of Taiwan’s population, including 258,300 males and 269,932 females). Most contemporary aborigines live in mountainous areas and cities. , there are fourteen ethnic groups recognized by the government, distributed across the country. (Note 10)

China uses the term "minority" to replace aboriginal people, which is broader than aboriginal people. It refers to 55 ethnic groups other than Han, accounting for nearly 9% of the total population, but accounting for 40% of China's extremely poor population. (Note 11)

3. Political, economic and social conditions of indigenous peoples

Aboriginal people are widely distributed and vary greatly, but they face similar problems, that is, they have the lowest living conditions on the planet and are also the poorest among the poor. Used as slaves and forced laborers in the past, they still face discrimination, poor health, unemployment, high crime and incarceration rates. (Note 12)

1. Being treated inhumanely for a long time

Aboriginal people are treated inhumanely in the following main ways:
colonial: During the period of European colonial expansion, many indigenous people were eradicated and their land was seized. They were massacred, forcibly relocated, children removed, and other assimilation effects. In Asia and Africa, artificial colonial boundaries separated them or turned them into powerless minorities.

ecocide: Aboriginal communities face the crisis of destruction of their natural and cultural environments. In the name of development, their lands and resources are exploited or destroyed by activities such as deforestation, mining, construction of dams and water conservancy projects, road construction, waste disposal and nuclear testing.

cultural extinction or destruction: Forced assimilation or prohibition from speaking native language, practicing religion and cultural expression, and denying the existence of ethnic groups. This behavior happens gradually and unnoticed.

Being at a non-mainstream disadvantage: Ethnic groups that have no power in modern countries and are considered inferior by the majority ethnic groups with different lifestyles, and usually have no representation in politics. The rights and interests of indigenous peoples are gradually being marginalized, turning "indigenous people" into a political term and relegating them to the Fourth World (before the disintegration of the former Soviet Union, the first world was the advanced countries, the second world was the communist countries, and the third world was the developing countries). countries, indigenous peoples are worse than developing countries, therefore fourth world).

Ignored internationally: All over the world, indigenous peoples are struggling to take back their lands and lives and regain their due rights. It was not until the 1970s that Aboriginal issues began to receive attention. In 1972, the United Nations established the Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP), which is dedicated to researching and formulating policies for indigenous peoples. The agency has now ceased operations and has been replaced by other units.

2. Aboriginal people become a poor ethnic group

Countries around the world have more than five major ethnic groups, and many countries have serious ethnic conflicts within them, including conflicts between indigenous people and other ethnic groups. Most indigenous people live in extreme poverty. Malnutrition, illiteracy, poor health, unemployment, and worsening income distribution make the problem more serious. For example, a World Bank study in the early 1990s found that the proportion of indigenous people below the poverty line was much higher than that of non-indigenous people. For example, Bolivia was 64.3% and 48.1%; Guatemala was 86.6% and 53.9%; Mexico was 80.6% and 17.9% respectively. TP3T; Peru 79.0% and 49.7%. (Note 13)

The United Nations published "The State of the World's Indigenous Peoples, UN, 1/14/2010" in 2010 and found that the 370 million indigenous peoples have a disproportionate number of people compared to other ethnic groups. , higher poverty rates, health problems, crime and human rights violations. Further rights to self-determination and land are vital to their survival. Although indigenous peoples only account for about 5% of the world's population, they account for one-third of the world's 900 million poorest people, or 300 million people. In other words, the vast majority of indigenous peoples are extremely poor. (Note 14)

Every day, indigenous communities around the world face the following issues: violence and cruelty, ongoing assimilation policies, land seizures, marginalization, forced migration, denial of land rights, the impact of large-scale development projects, and the misuse of military force. and various other disadvantages.

The report is the first survey study published by the United Nations and is expected to be highly influential. The report argued that Aboriginal people should be free to determine their own development. They have the right to claim their own land and territory, and they need to develop their own definitions of poverty and welfare. Although global statistics on the situation of indigenous peoples are lacking, it is clear that indigenous peoples live in extreme poverty, marginalization, lack of adequate housing and uneven distribution of income. Due to factors such as global commercialization, privatization and climate change, the traditional livelihood methods of indigenous peoples, such as fishing, hunting, livestock farming or small-scale farming, have been blocked, putting their lives in trouble. Immigrants to urban areas also face unemployment or can only engage in low-paying labor jobs because they lack the skills to make a living in modern society.

Many problems are actually global problems and are not unique to indigenous peoples. However, indigenous peoples face more severe challenges. For example, environmental issues, education issues (aboriginal people perform worse than other ethnic groups at all levels of education), health issues (life expectancy is lower), human rights issues, and other emerging issues, including violence and militarization, the effects of environmental protection, Globalization, migration and urbanization, and living in voluntary isolation. These issues are interconnected and represent the vulnerability of Aboriginal people and the vicious cycle of poverty.

The economic status of Taiwan's aborigines also confirms the fact that there are more poor people among the aborigines. According to a 2011 survey, the average annual income of all Taiwanese families decreased by 0.7% from 2006 (NT$1.082 million, the same below) to 2010 (NT$1.074 million). The average annual income of aboriginal families increased from NT$500,000 during the same period. 9,000 reduced to 497,000, a decrease of 2.4%. In 2010, the average annual income of Aboriginal families was only 46.3% of that of the entire family. It can be seen that the economic situation of aboriginal families is generally more than double that of all families.

The same survey shows that 38% of aboriginal families are in the top 20% with the lowest income among all families in Taiwan, the wealth gap between aboriginal families is 15.1 times, and the monthly minimum living expenses per person of aboriginal families are nearly 60% below Taiwan's legal poverty line (58.21 TP3T). (Note 15)

4. Efforts to assist indigenous peoples in improving their status

Faced with the widely distributed indigenous population, only the United Nations and its affiliated agencies, such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations Development Program, and international economic cooperation and development organizations such as the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), can and other international institutions have the ability and resources to make global efforts to improve the status and living conditions of indigenous peoples. Only when governments of various countries consciously formulate policies and measures to care for indigenous peoples can the status of indigenous peoples be truly improved.

The United Nations General Assembly resolved on December 23, 1994 that August 9 every year would be the International Day of the World's Indigenous People. However, the United Nations did not adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples until September 13, 2007. (Note 16) This is the clearest policy statement made by the United Nations on the rights and interests of indigenous peoples. Its main purpose is as follows:

"Reaffirming the full equality of indigenous peoples with all other peoples, recognizing at the same time the right of all peoples to be different from other peoples, the right to consider themselves different from other peoples, and the right to be respected for that reason, and the right of all peoples to share in the common heritage of all mankind the diversity and richness of civilizations and cultures, and also recognizes all doctrines, policies and practices that are based on or promote national superiority or personal superiority on the grounds of national origin, race, religion, ethnicity or cultural differences , are all racist." This declaration did not appear until the 21st century, which shows how much oppression and unfair treatment the world's indigenous peoples suffered during the colonial invasion in the past hundreds of years.

In line with the United Nations' emphasis on indigenous peoples, the World Bank has also provided relevant industrial loans and technical assistance to indigenous peoples in developing countries in recent years to help them improve their economic status. The World Bank does not define indigenous people and regulates the extent of its loans depending on the countries in the region. In addition, indigenous groups also actively communicate with international organizations to improve the well-being of indigenous peoples. For example, the International Fund for Agricultural Development established the Indigenous Peoples Forum at a representative conference from 28 indigenous groups around the world in February 2011, and held the first global forum in Rome from February 11 to 12, 2013. The Aboriginal Conference will be helpful in resolving Aboriginal issues in the future. (Note 17)

Thanks to the efforts of non-governmental organizations and society, governments around the world have also begun to actively pay attention to indigenous issues. (Note 18) For example, Taiwan’s central government has established an “Indigenous Ethnic Committee” to provide services and care for indigenous ethnic groups. Local and central public opinion representatives have guaranteed quotas for indigenous peoples. Some universities have established aboriginal-related colleges dedicated to the study of indigenous peoples (such as the Institute of Aboriginal Ethnic Studies at Donghua University), which has contributed to improving the economic, political and social status of indigenous peoples. Help.

5. Aboriginal people and the gospel

Because aborigines are widely distributed and have extremely different attributes, research on aboriginal beliefs is quite divergent. (Note 19) Before the gospel was introduced, the religion of the indigenous people was mostly traditional ancestral spirit belief, and in many places ancestral spirit belief was combined with Christian rituals (such as Native Americans). (Note 20) Although many missionaries have entered aboriginal areas to preach and Christianity has influenced many aboriginal groups, there is still a lack of statistics on the acceptance of Christianity by aboriginal groups.

Historically, missionary missions to indigenous peoples were often accompanied by violence, kidnapping, and bans on the use of their own languages by the colonial government and commercial monopoly groups, which caused dissatisfaction and harm to the indigenous peoples.

The early European missionary methods to the indigenous peoples of the Americas (North America and Latin America) especially require repentance and apology. For example, the Europeans who came to the Americas once believed that the Indians were not human. They used military force to seize land and believed that they were superior to others. The Indians must be transformed to accept their beliefs and culture. The missionary efforts of missionaries were received differently by various tribes. The most successful was the missionary mission to the Cherokees Indians in the southwest of the United States. (Note 21)

Through the efforts of missionaries, many indigenous people in Australia, such as in the Torres Strait Islands area, came to believe in Christianity. (Note 22) According to the 2006 census, 73% of Australia’s aboriginal population believe in Christianity (including Catholicism), and only a few believe in Islam, but the number is increasing. (Note 23)

The indigenous people of Taiwan have a high rate of believing in Christianity (Catholic or Protestant). The indigenous peoples of the southwestern plains were exposed to Western Christianity very early. Missionaries came to Taiwan during the Dutch and Spanish periods. During the Qing Dynasty, especially after the Second Opium War (1856-1860), Taiwan opened its port, and missionaries from Western countries came to Taiwan one after another. Some churches with a long history were established in the residence of the Pingpu people at that time. In the early and middle stages of the Japanese occupation, Western missionaries were not suppressed, and Protestant and Catholic priests could enter aboriginal areas to preach. (Note 24)

However, after the Second World War, the Chinese Communist Party took power in mainland China and banned proselytizing. Many missionaries came to Taiwan instead, and obtained permission from the Nationalist Government to enter the mountainous areas and preach with the help of relief supplies, charity, and medical services. As a result, the number of believers increased dramatically from the 1950s to the 1960s. increase. Currently, there are 80% aborigines in Taiwan who are Christians. Among the indigenous ethnic groups, except for the Saisiyat, Puinan, Thao, Malan Ami and Hengchun Ami, before 1970, almost the entire tribe converted to Christianity, or almost the entire ethnic group converted to Christianity. The phenomenon of Christianity was once called the "miracle of the twentieth century" in Taiwan's missionary history.

According to Lin Suzhen, a historical scholar of the Amis people, in the two books "Research on the Mission of the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan to Taiwan's Aboriginal People" and "Research on Contemporary Religion of the Amis People", at that time, the aborigines converted to Christianity and could not simply use relief products to attract them. You see, behind it are the definitions and expectations of religious beliefs of the indigenous peoples. From the perspective of ethnic relations, there is also a spirit of resistance to colonization that has long been dissatisfied with the rule of the flatlanders and the Japanese. (Note 25)

The areas where China's ethnic minorities live account for 60% of the country's total area, and most of them live in border areas. The main religions spread in China's ethnic minority areas include Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Shamanism and Orthodox Christianity. There are also many ethnic minorities who do not have clear religious beliefs. Most of them believe in gods or primitive polytheistic worship, and are spiritually bound. , living in darkness, life is relatively difficult. Preaching the gospel to ethnic minorities is relatively difficult, but missionaries still enter and pay the price of hardship and sacrifice. (Note 26)

6. Conclusion: What contributions can Christians make?

Aboriginal people are the weakest among the weak and need Christian care. Please remember that August 9th every year (the day after Taiwanese Father’s Day) is World Aboriginal Day.

In the face of more than 300 million indigenous peoples scattered around the world, we can first care about indigenous issues, especially the welfare of indigenous peoples, and do not discriminate against indigenous peoples.

Christians must have compassion, not just sympathy; with Christ's compassion, support with practical actions, such as advocating and supporting the government to implement policies that are beneficial to the indigenous peoples to improve their political, economic and social status.

There are still many indigenous peoples or ethnic minorities in the world who have not yet heard the gospel. There are currently many missionaries engaged in missionary work to the indigenous peoples. Christians can donate to support this arduous and important missionary work.

Note:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples.
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples
3. See document of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, OHCHR, 9/13/2001 memo
4. http://www.acpp.org/sevents/0809.html
5. For the global distribution of indigenous peoples, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples_by_geographic_regions; for the list of ethnic groups, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_indigenous_peoples; for Aboriginal statistics, see http://www.ruralpovertyportal .org/topic/statistics/tags/indigenous_peoples
6 Native Americans, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classification_of_indigenous_peoples_of_the_Americas
7 Native Americans and Christianity, http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2536601076.html
8 Vulnerable People, www.un.org/en/letsfightracism/indigenous.shtml, http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/topic/statistics/tags/indigenous_peoples
9 Wikipedia, Taiwan Aboriginal People
10 http://www.apc.gov.tw/portal/docList.html?CID=6726E5B80C8822F9
11 http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/List of Chinese Ethnic Groups
12 http://www.acpp.org/sevents/0809.html
13 Michael Todaro and Stephen Smith, Economic Development, 10th Edition, 2009, p.244, Table 5.7
14 http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/SOWIP_web.pdf.
15 Taiwan Aboriginal Peoples Council, 2010 Aboriginal Economic Situation Survey (May 2011), http://www.apc.gov.tw/portal/docDetail.html?CID=C5FBC20BD6C8A9B0&DID=0C3331F0EBD318C2808308C8D244806C 16 http: //www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf
17 http://www.ifad.org/events/ip/2012/index.htm
18 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_indigenous_rights_organizations
19 For the religious activities of indigenous peoples or ethnic minorities in individual countries and regions, please refer to the website of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic/464db4f52/464dbd9c2.html
20 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States#Religion
21 Native Americans and Christianity, http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2536601076.html
22 http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/spirituality/aboriginal-christians-christianity#toc0
23 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Australians
24 http://www.zwbk.org/zh-tw/Lemma_Show/2011.aspx
25 http://www.lihpao.com/?action-viewnews-itemid-5810 and http://www.catholic.org.tw/aborigine/aborigine.pdf
26 http://gospelherald.com/news/den-17044-0/#.UMX4iqywWSo

Table 1: Statistics on indigenous peoples around the world

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Author profile
Dr. Wen Yingqian is the chairman of the board of directors of this association and the editor of the talent section of this magazine. He is currently an honorary professor at National Dong Hwa University in Taiwan and a distinguished professor at Yuan Ze University. He is also the director of the American Chinese Outreach Ministry and a lecturer at KRC Investment and Financial Management Camp.