Outcasts in Their Own Land

Outcasts In Their Own Land 

Herald Review August 24, 2014

Cyril Fernandes' book 'Justice at the Grassroots' provides an insight into the lives of the original inhabitants of the State. 

LISA ANN MONTEIRO 

They may be original inhabitants of the State but the tribals in Goa continue to be denied their rightful place in mainstream society. Cyril Fernandes’ book ‘ Justice at the Grassroots’ which is a tribute to Antonio Francisco Fernandes, a leader of Goa’s tribal communities from Quelossim, brings the tribal community out from the shadows.

Very little research has been carried out on the ethnic tribes of Goa and this book provides an insight into their history, culture, struggles and plight today. Fernandes finds that no one has put Goa’s history into proper perspective and this book, he claims, is his attempt to do so by examining history from their standpoint.

Fernandes didn’t expect to encounter any hurdles when documenting Antonio’s life since the activist maintained diaries and old records. But to his dismay, when he approached the family after Antonio’s death in 2011, he found that they had burnt all his records.

And so the author was forced to start from scratch. He spoke to over 30 of his contemporaries to gather facts about Antonio’s life, devoted to fighting for his community and for Goa’s progress.

The book will be released in Antonis own village of Quelossim, where the community’s presence is very prominent.

The author didn’t think it fair to make money from telling Antonio’s story.

“ We’re all part of a cause,” he says. Proceeds from the book which is priced at Rs 200 will instead go into a fund called the Bab Anton Francisco Fund which will be used to propagate his ideals and his mission.

If the government is really interested in their welfare, he says they should make sure the book has a wide reach, especially in schools and colleges so that it reaches all ST community students.

He also wants to get the book digitized so that readers across the globe have access to it. He says, “ This issue is not limited to Goa. It is a global phenomenon.

I want people to know their fate.

When we talk of modern day development, it is always only the indigenous people who suffer the consequences.” 

He explains their plight in finding jobs today. He writes that as of 2011 there was a backlog of 2442 vacancies reserved for STs yet to be filled, with 18 corporations and departments not filling vacancies reserved under the tribal category.

He writes, “ Despite government’s assurances, tribal villages and hamlets have not been officially surveyed. Tribal areas are not demarcated or notified by the government of Goa. This lack of clarity gives scope for diversion of funds to non- tribal projects.”

The culture also is dying out and he stresses on the need for tribal schools and colleges. He doesn’t feel these will categorise them further. Instead he says there will be more focused development.

The state doesn’t even have a tribal museum.

“ Maharashtra has tribal schools, institutions and even a tribal museum.It is only in Goa that they have been kept subjugated and marginalized. Goa only wants to show the world that they have beaches and properties for SEZs.Nothing else,” he says in disgust.

Another major problem the community encounters today is that of scarcity of land. The tribals always owned land collectively under the ganvkari system but this worked against them when the Portuguese, in connivance with the Church, usurped their land. While those belonging to the upper castes were able to enter their names, the tribals couldn’t. Today Cyril Fernandes says the village of Quelossim and St Jose de Areal are the only two villages where only tribals are members of the comunidade.

He blames the Church too and says they cannot wash their hands of this since they were a part and parcel of the Portuguese government and didn’t do anything to prevent the injustice.

The land which wasn’t taken away from them by the Comunidade system is now being acquired by the government for industrial use. Their grazing grounds are being taken away from them. Rapid development is also resulting in large scale upmarket housing which is beyond their reach. He fears they could soon be displaced from their own land. The community’s faith originally revolves around Mother Earth. He writes that the Gavvdas were first Sanskritised.

A section of them was then converted to Christianity in the 16th century.

One section of Christian gavddas bore the brunt of yet another conversion when in 1928 a missionary Masurker maharaja converted them to Hinduism.

They became the Nav- Hindu gavddas, distinct from the Christians and Hindu Gavddas. Fernandes writes that this load of conversions have contributed to their deprivation with other communities surpassing them and outgrowing them by utilizing their resources.

On the fringe of Goa’s development today, the tribal community deserves more. “ We have played with their lives to promote our own agenda. They have gone through so much. The whole focus of the government is aligned towards things which are not at all in consonance with the real life and real people in Goa.

This marginalized section has been totally neglected. They are simply not in the picture.” Review Bureau  

link: http://epaperoheraldo.in/Details.aspx?id=17799&boxid=174724359&uid=&dat=08/24/2014