Indigenous tribes of NE to celebrate World's Indigenous Peoples day

A CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG, Aug 8: During the celebration of “Intertiol Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples” on August 9 the tribals of northeast India will connect local initiatives on sanitation and well being to the global concern of ensuring indigenous peoples’ health and well being.

This was informed by Phrang Roy chairman of NESFAS (North East Slow Food & Agrobiodiversity Society).

Roy also said that, the Slow Food Intertiol will celebrate the occasion by releasing the first “intertiol press release about the Intertiol “Mei-Ramew” 2015 or intertiolly called the Indigenous Terra Madre 2015.

The Intertiol “Mei-Ramew” 2015 will be held in Shillong from November 3 to 7.  

It will take place over five days, featuring an opening ceremony, two conference days, workshops, visits to local villages, and closing with a food festival at Mawphlang.

This intertiol gathering of about 400 to 500 delegates and observers coming from about more than 100 indigenous communities around the world is intended to be a platform for participants to interact with each other and exchange knowledge and stories with scientists and policymakers as they reflect on the theme of ITM 2015: The Future We Want: Indigenous Perspectives and Actions.

The Intertiol Mei-Ramew 2015 will have a plery session on “Well Being”.

It will discuss the findings of an intertiol study of indigenous on Well Being that has been conducted in Meghalaya, Kenya, Nicaragua and Peru.

Dr. Daphne Miller, a Professor of Family Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and author of Farmacology where she introduces the critical idea that it is the farm where food is grown that offers the real medicine.

She will be one of the speakers. The other medical professor to help the discussion on well being, health and peace is Dr. Evaleen Jones, of the Clinical Faculty of Stanford Univesity, Palo Alto, California.

Forty-one villages came forward to offer to co-host the Intertiol “Mei-Ramew” festival along with Mawphlang where the closing ceremony and food festival will be held.

Ten of these nearby villages will be visited by the intertiol delegates.

In preparation for the Intertiol Mei-Ramew, many of the villages have worked very hard to improve their sanitation and to show case the best of their traditions, food and culture.

Roy also said that the state government has been giving all round support for the event.