#dravidian

All humans first evolved in Africa. Early hominids (the ancestors of both humans and apes) evolved in Africa. We humans and our closest relative chimpanzees had our last common ancestor 5.5 million years ago, and chimpanzees & humans had our last common ancestor with gorillas 8 million years ago. The cradle of humanity is in Africa. The Homo genus evolved from some species of Australopithecines in Africa. The earliest species of Homo genus, according to the latest scientific evidence, is Homo Habilis who lived around 2 million years ago. There were several hominin species living in Africa. These species were human-like, but not humans simply because they weren't our ancestors directly, but the cousins of our ancestors. All of those cousins and their offspring went extinct in Africa, or perhaps mixed with the Homo Sapiens, our lineage. The hominins that had migrated to Eurasia evolved into the Neanderthals, Denisovans, etc. and new fossil discoveries will further illuminate the history of the migration of hominins in the span of over a million years. The Homo sapiens, that is the ancestor of all humans today, migrated out of Africa around 50,000 years ago and encountered strange looking creatures in Eurasia, who resembled them but weren't quite like them. They competed for the same resources, likely had conflicts, and there's evidence of Neanderthals mating with Sapiens. The last "pure" Neanderthals went extinct 40,000 years ago.

As you can see, all hominins migrated from Africa to Eurasia. Paleolithic hominin species, including humans, in the Indian subcontinent either intermixed or went extinct, but humans kept migrating to the subcontinent. Mesolithic hunter-gatherers migrated to India. Neolithic farmers from the Zagros mountains migrated to India. The Bronze Age tribes migrated to India. They all also migrated to and from the subcontinent.

If you're asking whether Vedic people were native to India or if they were migrators or invaders, then it depends purely on your world view and the ideology you possess at the moment. We have established in the previous paragraphs that all humans migrated out of Africa to Eurasia. This means that no human is native to the Indian subcontinent. If your follow-up question is that which tribe was the first to migrate to India, then that too is hard to tell because the very first tribes may have already gone extinct or just simply mixed with the newcomers. If you're still wondering whether an Austro-Asiatic tribe, "Dravidian" tribe or a Vedic tribe migrated earlier to the Indian subcontinent, then you'll find a bunch of highly politicised search results online. In the Indian Republic, it's, quite frankly, forbidden to tell the truth because the "Dravidian nationalists", "Indian secularists" and "Hindu nationalists" all appeal to pseudoscience and made-up origin myths for polarisation and vote bank politics. Especially in the "Dravidianist" separatist political landscape, archaeological excavations spark unreal controversy. Many archeological surveys in India are sealed from the public domain for this very reason.

I ask you, are you ready to see the uproar if anyone talked publicly about how austro-asiatic tribes migrated later to the Indian subcontinent than the Vedic tribes did? This would open up the question that how legitimate is the "Adivasi" term or the "Scheduled Tribe" category in the Indian affirmative action system. Are you ready to go tell a "Dravidianist" that his ancestors were neolithic farmers from the Zagros mountains?

If your intention of this question was to ask how native the Vedic tribes are to India, then all you need to do is read what kind of flora and fauna are mentioned in the Rigveda. Here's a mention of Ficus Religiosa (asvattha, peepal) in the Rigveda 1.164.20. And in this Rigvedic verse, Agni is compared to a bull of the Bos Indicus species, which is native to India. There's no peepal or humped back cows in the steppes of Ukraine!

By the way, the term Aryan was made up in the 19th century by European eugenicists. It has nothing to do with the word arya, which has a very specific definition and it does not allude to race. For example, the victorious Vedic tribes called fellow Vedic tribes, who were defeated in dasarajna yuddha (the battle of 10 kings), as anarya.

Unlike most familial words, the term 'mother ' has echoed across human societies for at least 15,000 years, dating back to a time when glaciers covered much of the Earth and woolly mammoths roamed freely.

Linguists recently traced the origins of ancient words shared across diverse languages like Uralic, Dravidian, and Inuit-Yupik.

In their research, they uncovered 23 "ultraconserved" words, linguistic relics that have barely changed over millennia.

Among these enduring words is 'mother.'

This can be traced back to their vital role in early human communities, where women stayed in the camps to care for the children while the men ventured into the wilderness in search of food.

While it may not shock us that the word 'mother' survived the passage of time, its place alongside other primal words like 'fire' and 'worm' speaks volumes.

It underscores how deeply ingrained the concept of motherhood is in our collective human experience.

Social hierarchy: The Brahmins established a social hierarchy in which they occupied the topmost position, giving them immense power and control over other communities and perpetuating systems of oppression.

Caste system: Brahmins created and maintained the caste system, which divided society into rigid hierarchies based on birth. This system reinforced Brahmin dominance and enabled them to control the resources and opportunities available to different groups.

Caste-based violence: The Brahmins perpetuated violence against lower caste communities, particularly Dalits, through the caste system, which allowed for institutionalized discrimination and violence.

Marriage practices: The Brahmins established strict rules around marriage and family structures, which helped to perpetuate their social and economic power.

Religious monopoly: Brahmins claimed a monopoly over religious knowledge and practice, which allowed them to control and manipulate the spiritual lives of others. This further reinforced their social and political power.

Religious hegemony: The Brahmins established themselves as the custodians of religious knowledge and texts, giving them significant influence over religious practices and beliefs across South Asia.

Cultural appropriation: The Brahmins appropriated and assimilated elements of indigenous cultures and traditions, erasing the contributions of other communities and further consolidating their power.

Intellectual property: The Brahmins often appropriated the knowledge and intellectual property of other communities, erasing their contributions and further consolidating their own power and influence.

Education: The Brahmins monopolized education, particularly in the pre-colonial period, creating a system that privileged their knowledge and excluded other communities from accessing educational opportunities.

Education: Brahmins controlled access to education and knowledge, which further reinforced their social and economic dominance. They monopolized education and ensured that only members of their own caste could become scholars, priests, and teachers.

Land ownership: Brahmins acquired vast amounts of land through various means, such as gifts from kings or temples, and used their wealth and power to further consolidate their control over society.

Land ownership: The Brahmins, particularly in colonial times, acquired large tracts of land, often through exploitative means, consolidating their economic and political power.

Language and literature: The Brahmins established Sanskrit as the language of knowledge and literature, excluding other languages and literary traditions from the mainstream.

Language dominance: Brahmins promoted the use of Sanskrit, which was the language of the elite and the language of many Hindu religious texts. This gave them further linguistic dominance and helped to consolidate their cultural and political power.

Political influence: The Brahmins have played a significant role in shaping political structures and institutions across South Asia, often to their own advantage.

Systematic exclusion of lower castes from religious and social institutions

Appropriation of land and resources from indigenous communities

Imposition of Sanskrit as the language of power and knowledge, leading to the neglect and suppression of other regional languages and cultures

Establishment of a rigid caste system, with Brahmins at the top and other castes relegated to lower social status and economic opportunities

Monopolization of education and intellectual discourse, leading to the suppression of dissenting voices and alternative knowledge systems

Co-optation of indigenous spiritual practices and beliefs, leading to the marginalization and erasure of non-Brahmin religious traditions

Control over political power and governance through the Brahminization of the state

Promulgation of patriarchal norms and practices, leading to the subjugation and exploitation of women and other gender minorities

Promotion of vegetarianism as a moral and ethical ideal, leading to the marginalization and stigmatization of non-vegetarian communities

Use of violence and coercion to maintain Brahmin hegemony and suppress dissenting voices and movements

Creation of a cultural hegemony that has influenced and shaped the social, political, and economic structures of South Asia for centuries

Control over the production and dissemination of knowledge, leading to the suppression of alternative epistemologies and worldviews

Consolidation of economic power through the control of trade networks and commercial enterprises

Implementation of discriminatory and oppressive laws and practices against lower castes and non-Brahmin communities

Maintenance of a system of inherited privilege and power that has perpetuated Brahmin domination across generations

Control over religious and cultural practices, leading to the erasure and marginalization of non-Brahmin traditions and beliefs

Construction of a narrative of Brahmin superiority and moral authority, leading to the internalization of caste-based discrimination and oppression by non-Brahmin communities

Establishment of a culture of fear and intimidation, leading to the suppression of dissenting voices and the perpetuation of Brahmin hegemony

Appropriation and commercialization of cultural artifacts and practices, leading to the exploitation and erasure of indigenous communities and traditions