Abstract

This paper focuses on the legacy of tribal leader Birsa Munda in regard of decolonization as well as cross-border indigenous solidarity. This paper traces Munda’s life from his childhood and analyzes his attempts at autobiography as well as other representations of his life and myth in the greater context of his ethnicity. The examination reveals that not only do ethnic minorities use autobiographical elements to construct an identity but may also mythologize ethnicity to achieve larger social and political objectives. Employing document-based research, this paper attempts to give Munda the proper place in history by putting his disengagement from the passive victim identity and actively participating in the history of the world he was inscribed in. He envisioned a pointing to the events that were not merely phenomenological but constitute reality to the extent which they invariably impact another region of the world. The examination portrays the processes which formed and reformed the tribal political movements in the background of the other emerging social movements. This scholar captures the idea of cross-border indigenous solidarity, particularly on how Munda's activism seems to have anticipated contemporary global movements such as the Zapatista uprising and the Standing Rock protests. Munda's activism is illustrative of the interlinkage among indigenous struggles for self-determination and justice, which calls out for the formation of global coalitions. This study marks the importance of Birsa Munda in the context of global indigenous resistance that is framed by the preservation of culture, land, and self-determination as fundamental aspects of unity. The focus of the research is on the continuing legacy of Munda’s leadership and how it relates to contemporary indigenous struggles throughout the world, which reinforces the need for collective action and unity in resisting colonial domination.