We are not myths of the past, ruins in the jungle, or zoos. We are people and we want to be respected, not to be victims of intolerance and racism. Rigoberta Menchu, Guatemala Nobel Peace Prize Winner, 1992

A Blind older SANTAL men sits in front of his house.The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is being observed on 9 August Tuesday 2011 in the country and around the globe at a time when the very identity of the adivasi people has become a subject of debate in Bangladesh according to the recent media report in Bangladesh. Thus,indigenous peoples have become the most marginalized and vulnerable group in the country of Bangladesh in its years of independence. There is no constitutional recognition of the indigenous peoples of Bangladesh the issue of the identity of the indigenous peoples of Bangladesh has led to much debate and controversy, and on occasions has brought indigenous leaders and government officials into sharp disagreement. Dinajpure November 2009 ©Monirul Alam