Broadly speaking, there are two
different kinds of tribes in India. Adivasis (Plain Tribes) and Eastern Tribes
of India. The English word 'tribes' is derived from the Latin word 'tribus'
(Tri-Three, bhuor or bu- to be) which means to be three'. It was used to
identify the three basic divisions of the Romans, Tintinises, Ramneses and
Luceres, for the purposes of taxation, military levies and censuses. One of the
main tasks of theology is to interpret the person and work of Jesus Christ, and
the challenge for theology is to reinterpret the meaning and Jesus into a given
context so that its meaning affects the community. Interpreting Christ requires
an engaged encounter with the context, because it is the context that becomes
the site of theological reflection. The contemporary environment is
characterized by self-identity and this identity is shaped by Dalit
Christology, Tribal Christology, and Aboriginal Christology, Christology.
Dalit Theology:
The term Dalit has its roots in
three world languages namely Hebrew, Sanskrit and Akkadian. Dalit theology is
an Indian contextual theology. It is experiential theology. The purpose of the
Dalit religion is to free Dalits from all forms of oppression. [1] Webster
defines the Dalit religion in three different ways: The first possible answer
is that it is a Dalit-related religion or a theological reflection on Christian
responsibility towards the depressed classes. Second, it is a theology for the
depressed classes or a theology of the message. intended for classes of
depressed and to which they seem to respond. Thirdly, it is the theology of the
depression classes, that is the theology that they themselves would like to
explain.[2]
Dalit theology emerged as a
theological proposition in the early 1980s. In April 1981, Arvind P. Nirmal
gave a lecture titled "Towards Sudra Theology" at the Carey Society
of the United Theological Seminary in Bangalore, giving insight into "Dali
Theology" in Indian content. It paves the way for "special"
theology. However, it was K. Wilson who first used 'Dalit' as a category for
theology.[3]
The caste system has led to labeling
a large part of society as outcasts who are considered inferior. They prepared
people religiously, socially, economically and humanly.[4] According to A.P.
Nirmala, "The Christian Dalit religion is the story of Dalit poverty,
slavery, violence, labor and tears". Dalit theology is also a working
theology because it puts into practice theological goals to challenge and
eradicate the cruel injustices, cruel treatment and long-standing oppression
faced by the Dalit masses. It is also an awareness of the Dalits in the context
of their suffering and struggles to build a new order of life. It further
creates awareness among them that their station in life is not merely to
undergo suffering as their destiny, but to take responsibility and engage in
social change to eliminate their miserable, degraded and humiliated
existence.[5]
Dalit theology emerges from the
historical consciousness of a community of 'broken men [and women]' suffocated
in a hierarchical world of caste enfeeblement. And yet Dalat theology is
supported by the experience that God has sought all human beings in Jesus
Christ, is near, and will free and deliver such 'broken ones' into the fullness
of a reconciled life. According to Jesus' words: "The thief comes only to
steal, kill, and destroy; I have come to have more life" (John 10:10). So
theology consciously connects words and worlds for the sake of life. As a
discursive space claiming to be centered in God and liberating Dalit communities,
this view of theology is integrally connected to the practice of everyday life.
This engenders a deliberate move that connects the desire for life with the
promise of the incarnate Word to heal the Dalit world of death and
destruction.[6]
Dalit Christology: Dalit Christology presents a liberating experience
through the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is a reinterpretation of
Christology in Dalit categories. Dalit Christology is what creates within
Dalits the realization, the "awareness" of their own intrinsic value,
"their full humanity" through Jesus Christ.[7]
A. P. Nirmal argues that the God of
the Old Testament prophets is a servant God—a God who serves. Service to others
has always been the prerogative of the Dalit community in India. In order for
A.P. Nirmal proved the lust of Jesus, he brings pathos from the genealogy of
Jesus. Jesus used the title 'son of man', this title had three meanings and the
second way the Son of man is used to refer to his suffering and death. These
sayings speak of his encountering rejection, ridicule and scorn, suffering and
ultimate death. He underwent these Dalit experiences as a prototype of all
Dalits. Jesus is also seen as the Messiah in relation to his suffering to
provide salvation to the marginalized, including Dalits.[8] Nirmal states, “The
Jesus of India is in the midst of the liberation struggle of India's Dalits.
Jesus Christ himself was a Dalit. It is his dalitism that helps to understand
the mystery of his divine human unity.[9]
For James Massey, God preferred to
be born as a poor man, and this reflects the fact that in our context, Jesus is
a Dalit, the poorest of the poor. Felix Wilfred argues that Jesus' death
"beyond the gates" of the city of Jerusalem is a particularly
poignant event for Dalits. Since Dalits were considered untouchables in
traditional Indian society, they were separated from the main village and had
to confine themselves to dwelling in a separate place outside the village. The
Dalit experience of rejection also finds a connection with the life of Jesus.
Dalit Christology presents Jesus as the Messiah of the Dalit community, and
there is a visible connection between Jesus' life and the dehumanized life
experience of the Dalit community, thus providing them with hope against all atrocities
and injustices.[10]
Development of Tribal Theology:
The development of tribal theology
can be traced later back to the late 1980s and early 1990s when tribal
theologians like Nirmal Minz, Renthy Keitzar and after them K. Thanzauva, Wati
Longchar and others started doing theology from the perspective of tribal
people. The opening of the Tribal Study Centers at the Eastern Theological
College in 1995 and the Aizawl Theological College in 2000 was a decisive epoch
in history" the establishment of a tribal study center signaled the
emergence of tribal theology in the theological arena in the region and in the
Senate of Serampore College.[11]
Tribal Theology:
Tribal theology is new and this
emerging theology among alienated and marginalized minorities can be called
"indigenous peoples or tribal theology". Tribal theology is a
theological reflection of the tribal Christian experience of the interaction of
tribal culture and the gospel over the last hundred years in this region and
the struggle for liberation. It is a folk theology born out of the experience
of injustice and exploitation in the context of their assertion of rights and
identity. It is also a theology of liberation and resistance. It attempts to
express the Christian faith in the context of the so-called cultural,
religious, traditional and liturgical through the model of the indigenous
people. It uses experiences of oppression and hardship: traditional stories,
myths, symbols, dance songs and their connection to the land and environment as
a source of Dong theology. Minz and Longchar explain tribal theology in the
following terms:
In terms of theology, the point of
tribal theology from other contextual theologies is that tribal theology seeks
liberation from the perspective of "space". In the search for
liberation, the question of space is central and fundamental in theology.
Peculiar character of the tribe; the world view is that the culture, religion,
spirituality and even the supreme being of the tribal people cannot be
conceived without 'creation', 'earth' or 'space'. People always see themselves
as 'an integral part of creation/earth and not separate from it'.
The tasks of tribal theology are
basically threefold
a) Rediscovery of liberating motifs
from tribal culture
b) Re-evaluating the Bible and
Christian doctrine in our own context a
c) Consideration of the people's
struggle for further progress.[12]
A number of what is called tribal
theology can also be treated as:
a) Contextual theology, which takes
seriously the situatedness of creation and the social, political, economic, and
religious context of humans to produce relevant theology.
b) It is a theology of culture
because it tries to reflect the Christian faith on the one hand and to
re-appropriate the liberating and life-affirming cultural values for
theological and articulatory purposes on the other.
c) It is a theology of liberation that
appropriates the liberating message of the gospel to the political, social,
economic, religious and moral dimensions of life.
d) It is a theology of identity that
seeks to restore the dignity and maintain the tribal Christian identity by
adopting the architectural style of tribal Christian music, limiting the way of
worship and other good cultural values present in cultures and histories in
light of the expression of faith.
e) It is a theology of
development/social transformation that seeks to grow together in harmony with
tribal community life in order to build a shalomic society or common good for
all.
f) It is also a contextual
liberation theology that dealt with the liberation of men and women in tribal
society.[13]
Imagining Jesus as a tribe:
Imagining Jesus as a tribe would
mean that biblical symbols can be very attractive and meaningful to tribal
cultures; Jesus as healer, liberator, good Samaritan, good shepherd, obedient,
servant of all, the one who stands for the truth, the one who suffered for all,
the one who gives life in abundance, the one who can lead to eternal life, life
without ends, the one who is always ready to listen to us, the one who has no
prejudices, the one who respects human dignity and freedom, the one who
preferentially loves the poor and the weak, the defenseless and the voiceless,
the one who can obtain the forgiveness of all our sins. The tribe of Jesus does
not deny, but radicalizes the true, good and pure, loving and honorable,
virtuous or praiseworthy (Phil 4:8-9)
The representation of Jesus as a
tribe will give greater significance to the Christian faith among tribal people
when Jesus appears to them as their forefathers, tribal chiefs, the center of
their feasts and celebrations, the guardian of creation, the one who will never
separate them from their land.[14]
Thus, tribal tradition and context
as a resource for doing Christology is a theological necessity that will create
confidence in faith as a people with potential resources for conflict healing
in a torn world.[15]
Understanding Adivasis: Adivasi
(meaning original settlers or indigenous peoples or very first inhabitants) is
the term given to India's indigenous/indigenous people who have distinct
identities and cultures often associated with certain territories. For many
reasons, many Adivasis find themselves as migrants, either as a result of
displacement from their traditional lands or as economic migrants in search of
work or opportunities elsewhere. As a group, they are one of the most
marginalized and vulnerable communities in India, characterized by high rates
of poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, displacement and landlessness. As among
the poorest of the poor, Adivasis are overrepresented as victims of unfair
labor practices and as unorganized laborers across the country.[16]
Adivasi Understanding of Jesus:
Francis Minj, S.J., is an Adivasi
theologian who has written about the contextualization of Christology in the
Adivasi community, which he presents as "the first Christian theology
developed expressly from Written for Aboriginal people, Aboriginal Perspectives
aims to promote the faith of local Aboriginal churches. Minji noted that Sarnia
Aboriginal religion is characterized by fear of evil spirits and demons. While
some people in Sarna and some Hindus accuse Christians of trying to convert
themselves, Mingjay said it is important to associate Jesus Christ with
Aboriginal life and culture. Interprets Jesus Christ as "Paramadivasi"
in the context of five tribes in Jharkand state in central India: Munda, Oraon,
Kharia, Ho and Santals. He explains that the word "Paramadivasi" is
his own creation, based on three Sanskrit roots: "param" meaning "supreme";
"ādi" means "primordial"; and "vasi" means
"inhabitant". "Just as the adivasis are the original
inhabitants, so Jesus can be metaphorically interpreted as the Paramadivasi,
the Supreme primordial inhabitant, the image of the invisible God and the
firstborn of all creation (Col 1:15).
Minj relates Jesus Christ to the
custom of worshiping ancestors as role models, protectors and mediators between
God and people. Minj interprets Jesus Christ as the Liberator, the "voice
of the deaf" and the bearer of freedom: "Jesus Christ, the persecuted
and crippled one, shows his solidarity with the suffering Adivasis and instills
in them the hope that their daily 'death' by exploitation will turn into
liberation if they follow his practice.
In traditional Sarna mythology, the
horse is a symbol of "enmity, power, against life and disharmony";
and Minj suggests in response that “Jesus Christ the Liberator conquers the
horse. It seems relevant that Jesus is seen as the highest, noblest and best
tamer of horses, the one who makes the horses acknowledge his sonship.” Images
of Jesus as high priest (pahan) and healer/exorcist (deonra) also speak
powerfully to adivasi society. In the Sarna religion, the Pahans sacrifice
animals or food to appease the gods, create harmony, and ward off evil. Pahan
also offers sacrifices to spirits. Minj sees Jesus "as the supreme
heathen", quoting the Letter to the Hebrews.[17]
Conclusion:
Dalits, Tribals and Adivasis who are
marginalized and oppressed in the society is an appointment which unites them
in their search for freedom and a fuller life. Their Christology does not
center on the titles of Jesus or dogmatic definitions of his person. Their
interpretation of Jesus is someone who dwells among them (Jn 1:14), who shares
their life, its struggles and sorrows. In the Gospel stories of Jesus' dealings
with the poor, the marginalized found a great resonance in the hearts of the
poor in India. Consequently, the socio-economic reality of the community calls
for a Christology that can present Jesus as liberator.
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