Hillol Ray

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES: THE FABRIC OF GLOBAL HUMANITY

Historians of all ages agree that the colonization
Construed the violation of human rights –
While the New World saw the racism,
Massacres, starvation, and the “Indian fights”!
Such practices today, known as the ethnic cleansing
And genocide, are still going on –
And seem appalling ‘cause subjugation
Was legally sanctioned from dusk until dawn!

As per indigenous law, indigenous interests
Can hold native title with restrictive clause –
While the law introduced by Euro immigrants
Obscures native title via excuses and flaws!
Indigenous peoples were truly marginalized
Without allowing them any turnaround time –
By dominant descendents of Europeans
Who valued indigenous lives with nickel or dime!

The harshness of this fallacy caused some people
To disappear or become victims of race –
And still feel separation from their lands
While allowing sadness to permeate global face!
Indigenous peoples, forcibly separated from their heritage,
Continue to tackle the fears –
Of poverty and marginalization, loss of culture
And language, followed by trail of tears!

Social problems like alcoholism and suicide
Are creeping in to suppress the hidden pain –
Among the indigenous peoples, lying below
The social structures, and without any gain!
Threatening from political upheavals and
Civil wars are creating tantrums in their mind –
While modern conservation policies protect the animals,
But keep these humans behind!

Being driven out of homeland, they became unable
To lead life in their traditional way –
And facing hardship with assimilation
While modern world is not fast enough to sway!
Language, religion or cultural beliefs of theirs
Are object of ridicule and found in the tale –
While the values, inherent to their knowledge,
Is unrecognized and going down to hell!

To curb down discrimination against them,
My pen is scribbling under moonlit night –
And vows to draw global attention
To their problems before they become out-of-sight!
I appeal to the “dominant community”
To embrace them with passions and heartfelt love –
And allow them to live as fabric of global humanity
With blessings from the Lord above!

Well, as I conclude with my thoughts,
I can view a glittering star on the horizon now –
And hear a whisper from the United Nations
That stands ready with its priority vow!
The progress towards reconciliation is a necessity
To enforce the rules without a flaw –
While violators of human rights must be punished
To show that no one is above the law!!