Paper Details

Northeast India, with its rich cultures, religions, and linguistic diversity, is home to several ethnic groups that have long struggled to preserve their unique identities in the face of language, culture, socio-political, and economic marginalisation. Drawing inspiration from B.R. Ambedkar’s visionary ideals for minorities, this paper examines the identity crisis faced by linguistic minority tribes in Northeast India, focusing on the tension between cultural preservation and linguistic assimilation into the dominant section of the society. It includes his vision of empowering linguistic minority tribes through inclusive policies, education, and recognition of their rights for ensuring equality, fraternity, and justice in Indian society. The study also examines the endangered languages of India, as recorded by UNESCO, of which more than half belong to the Tibeto-Burman family from northeastern India. It highlights their historical neglect, inadequate representation, and policies favoring majority languages, which have further aggravated their oppression, leading to a loss of linguistic heritage, followed by a loss of culture, and a fractured sense of identity. It involves the steps taken by the Government in safeguarding the Identity of linguistic minority tribes and their limitations.

Ethnic Identity, Linguistic Minority tribes, Endangered languages, Identity crisis, Marginalised.