Indigenous Languages as Civilizational Heritage: A Case Study of Santali, Mundari, and Ho Languages of the Chota Nagpur Plateau in the Context of the UN Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032)

Abstract: Indigenous languages are far more than systems of communication; they constitute living repositories of collective memory, cultural identity, ecological knowledge, traditional institutions, and civilizational worldviews. Yet, despite their profound contribution to humanity’s cultural diversity, thousands of indigenous languages continue to face marginalisation, endangerment, and the threat of extinction. The loss of an indigenous language consequently represents not merely a linguistic decline but the erosion of an entire knowledge system and a distinctive way of understanding human–nature relations. Against this backdrop, the United Nations International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032) provides an important normative framework for rethinking language preservation as a question of cultural rights, social justice, sustainable development, and the protection of intangible cultural heritage. The declaration of the United Nations Decade of Indigenous Languages marks a significant global recognition of indigenous languages as vital to cultural diversity, sustainable development, and human knowledge systems. Framed within this international context, the present paper explores indigenous languages as civilizational heritage, through a case study of Santhali, Mundari, and Ho spoken across the Chota Nagpur Plateau of eastern India. The UN initiative provides an important opportunity to reassess indigenous languages not as marginal or endangered remnants, but as living, dynamic systems of knowledge and cultural continuity. Language is the primary vessel through which a community's cosmology, ecological knowledge, kinship systems, and historical memory are transmitted across generations. This paper examines the Santali, Mundari, and Ho languages, three cognate members of the North Munda branch of the Austroasiatic family spoken by indigenous communities of the Chota Nagpur Plateau as living repositories of civilizational heritage. Situating the discussion within the United Nations' International Decade of Indigenous Languages (IDIL) 2022–2032, the paper traces the historical evolution, scriptural journeys (Ol Chiki, Mundari Bani, and Warang Chiti), constitutional recognition, and contemporary endangerment of these languages. It further evaluates institutional responses constitutional safeguards, the Eighth Schedule, digital-AI initiatives such as Bhashini and Adi Vaani, and state-level pedagogical reforms and argues that safeguarding these languages is inseparable from safeguarding the Fifth Schedule areas' cultural autonomy, ecological stewardship traditions, and constitutional promise of linguistic justice to Scheduled Tribes. The paper concludes with policy recommendations aligned with the Decade's Global Action Plan. By situating indigenous languages within the broader discourse of civilizational heritage, the paper contends that protecting linguistic diversity is not simply about preserving the past; it is about safeguarding plural knowledge systems and enabling culturally sustainable futures. In this sense, the UN Decade offers an opportunity to transform indigenous-language preservation from a cultural conservation project into a broader global commitment to linguistic justice, cultural dignity, and civilizational pluralism. KEYWORDS: Indigenous Languages, Santhali, Mundari, Ho, IKS, UNDIL