Indigenous communities around the world are often identified as marginalised groups. Those living in remote areas are digitally disconnected with little or no access to information and communication technologies (ICT). Perez-Escolar and Canet (2023: 1064) identifies indigenous people as vulnerable communities who are one of the most likely groups to be excluded from the digital realm. A UN report identifies indigenous communities as affected by the digital divide and state that indigenous peoples “face unique challenges in digital inclusion, including the lack of digital content in their native languages.” (Deganis et al., 2021:3).
The United Nations permanent forum on indigenous issues declared that “Information and Communication Technology (ICT) should be used to support and encourage cultural diversity and to preserve and promote indigenous languages, distinct identities and traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples, nations and tribes” (United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, 2023: 2). Further, in their 2030 agenda, international agencies such as the United Nations recognise the importance of global interconnectedness and spread of ICT to accelerate human progress, in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the context of ICT and Sri Lankan indigenous communities, SDG #8, and SDG#10 are particularly salient (Sustainable Development Goals, 2023). Burga and Pavel (2020) argue that ICT can enhance the overall quality of life for people living in isolated communities and have presented compelling evidence in the context of remote Northern Ontario Indigenous communities (with reference to SDG#4 and 11). Therefore, it is important to explore whether use of ICT in a Sri Lankan could facilitate and accelerate human progress amongst the Veddhas communities by improving their quality of life through economic, social and cultural development.
The First People of Sri Lanka, also known as Veddhas, are a small community of around 2,000 individual who are in danger of extinction (Stegeborn, 2004; Tomei, 2005). Evidence suggest that they are a marginalised minority, neglected by officials and governments (see Rathnayake, 2022). Sumanapala and Wolf (2023) reported that one indigenous settlement (Dambana) has received some government assistance to develop tourism related activities but details are vague. There are several socio-anthropological studies being conducted about indigenous people of Sri Lanka (Thangaraja, 1995; Obeyesekere, 2002; De Silva & Punchihewa, 2011), nonetheless there is lack of interdisciplinary, in-depth research conducted to date on the adaptation and impact of ICT on these indigenous communities. Similarly, there is lack of information on ICT usage of members of this community and whether they use ICT for income generation purposes such as tourism. Therefore, this project aims to:
- Assess if ICT can support job creation and economic growth in indigenous tourism, contributing to SDG #8.
- Explore how ICT can help preserve the Veddhas' cultural heritage, including knowledge related to environmental sustainability, aligning with SDG #10.
- Analyze the impact of generational gaps on ICT adoption within the Veddha community.
Project activities and impact
Field data collection involving a sample of individuals from one of the indigenous communities living in Dambana, Sri Lanka who are already involved in tourism-related activities. The original, qualitative dataset collected via interviewing members of the indigenous community will be used to answer the research questions such as ‘Can ICT help promote indigenous tourism and as a result improve the socio-economic conditions of the Dambana indigenous community?’, ‘Are there generational differences that hinder the adaptation of ICT?’, and ‘What do the community members think about ICT use for capturing and preserving indigenous knowledge pertaining to sustainable living and environmental projection?’.
There is lack of research on ICT usage of Indigenous communities of Sri Lanka, particularly for economic/revenue generation activities and for the preservation of their cultural heritage. Thus, the proposed research would act as a pioneering research project in this area. This project has been designed to have an impact beyond its immediate academic environment. Its influence, while intended to be significant within academia, is planned to extend to the local communities. For instance, these findings could provide directions for the Government of Sri Lanka to plan and implement economic and social/cultural development programmes for the Veddha communities scattered around Sri Lanka and move forward to achieve SDG #8, and SDG#10.
Further, upon reaching our research objectives, the proposed study could provide recommendations to indigenous communities on how to use ICT for tourism related income generation activities. Recommendations could also be provided on how to preserve and digitise indigenous knowledge related to sustainability and environmental protection.
In addition, this exploratory study will pave the way for other researchers to design and conduct studies related to technology adoptation, indigenous tourism, sustainable practices of indigenous people and use of ICT for digitisation of such cultural knowledge etc. The scientific community will benefit from the proposed research through an improved understanding of the social, cultural, and economic implication of connecting with digital technologies for marginalised groups such as the Veddha community in Sri Lanka. Particularly, the findings of this research could provide insights about how other marginalised, isolated communities and minorities (e.g. ethnic minorities, gender based marginalised groups, neurodivergent groups etc.) could benefit from ICT with regards to economic, social and cultural development.
References
- De Silva, P. and Punchihewa, A., 2011. Socio-anthropological research project on Veddha community in Sri Lanka. Department of Sociology, University of Colombo: Colombo, Sri Lanka. Available online https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Asitha Punchihewa/publication/235335142_Socio _Anthropological_Research_Projecton_Veddha_Community_in_Sri_Lanka/links/09e41510f bdb7b07c4000000/Socio-Anthropological-Research-Project-on-Veddha-Community-in-Sri Lanka.pdf
- Deganis, I., Haghian, P.Z., Tagashira, M. and Alberti, A., 2021. Leveraging digital technologies for social inclusion. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
- Obeyesekere, G., 2002. Where have all the Väddas gone? Buddhism and aboriginality in Sri Lanka. In Neluka Silva (ed.), The Hybrid Island: Culture Crossing and the Invention of Identity in Sri Lanka, pp. 1-19. Colombo: Social Scientists’ Association.
- Perez-Escolar, M. and Canet, F., 2023. Research on vulnerable people and digital inclusion: toward a consolidated taxonomical framework. Universal access in the information society, 22(3), pp.1059-1072.
- Rathnayake, Z., 2022. Sri Lanka's last indigenous people. Available online https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20220327-sri-lankas-last-indigenous-people
- Stegeborn, W., 2004. The Disappearing Wanniyala-aetto ('Veddhahs') of Sri Lanka: a Case Study. Nomadic Peoples, 43-63.
- Sumanapala, D. and Wolf, I.D., 2023. A wellbeing perspective of Indigenous tourism in Sri Lanka. Annals Tourism Research https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annale.2023.100099
- Sustainable Development Goals, 2023 Online. Available from: https://sdgs.un.org/goals Accessed: 22 January 2024.
- Thangaraja, Yuvi., 1995. Narratives of Victimhood as Ethnic Identity among the Veddhas of the East Coast” In (eds) Ismail. Q, Jeganathan. P.Unmaking the Nation: the Politics of Identity and History in Modern Sri Lanka. Colombo: Social Scientist’s Association.
- Tomei, M. 2005. Indigenous and Tribal Peoples: An Ethnic Audit of Selected Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (Geneva: ILO), 37–38
- United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. 2023. Online. Available from: https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/ips_genderand_icts_en.pdf . Accessed: 22 January 2024.