Course Prerequisites
- Please note that this course has the following prerequisites which must be completed before it can be accessed
- PGDIS 501 – Indigenous Research Methodologies (2 Credits)
- PGDIS 502 – Intro to Indigenous Knowledge (2 Credits)
- PGDIS 503 – Foundation for Indigenous History (2 Credits)
- PGDIS 504 – Foundations for Indigenous People’s Identity (2 Credits)
- PGDIS 506 Myth, Meanings and Indigenous Epistemology (2 Credits)
About This Course
For Indigenous people, their land is part of their identity. If their community land is taken away from them, that is considered, they became a people without an identity. In this sense, the land owns the people and it is that land makes them who they are. The indigenous wisdom is also influenced by their environment and hence the two are closely connected. While this is true, at the same time, the worldview often leads to communal tension unless it is understood in the light of the Bible. A full course on Indigenous People, Land and the Bible is offer to provide a balance view wherein we protect our land and at the same time share it with others who are in need.
Objectives
- To critically review the Indigenous landholding systems and identify both strengths and limitations
- To have an overview of communal conflicts due to land ownership claims
- To explore the theology of land in the Hebrew Bible for insights to deal with land issues
Learning Objectives
The students became aware of issues surrounding land and land holding systems among Indigenous people
The students gained knowledge about the theology of land and human responsibility
The students acquired knowledge and skills to address issues concerning land ownership claims and counter-claims among indigenous communities
Requirements
- Akhup, Alex, ed., Identities and their Struggles in North East (Kolkata: Adivaani, 2015)
- Brueggemann, Walter, The Land: Overtures to Biblical Theology (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1977)
- Havea, Jione, People and Land: Decolonizing Theologies - Theology in the Age of Empire, (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2019)
Curriculum
Unit I: Understanding Indigenous People’s Concept of Land
Clans, Clan system and Establishment of a village lands; Land as Life; Land as Identity
Unit II: Challenges to Indigenous People’s Concept of Land
Privatization of lands; Exploitation of natural resources; communal tension over claims of ownership; Introduction of Government policies
Unit III: Biblical Theology of Land
Land as a gift from God; Land owner as a care-taker; Christian spirituality and Creation Care
Your Instructors
Fr Peter Haokip
Core Faculty
Employment/Academic Experiences
See more
- Episcopal Vicar, Professor Emeritus, Oriens Theological College, Shillong, Mawlai- 793 008, Meghalaya.
- Professor of OT, Hebrew, Latin, Tribal hermeneutics, contextual theology
- Regular member of seminar and contributor on Tribal theology for over ten years at north eastern regional social research centre, Guwahati
- Regular participant and contributor of seminars conducted by Sanskriti: North East Social Research Centre, Guwahati for over 10 years
