Misinterpretation of Cultural Shifts as Invasions: Weaponizing Confusion and Ignorance through the Aryan Myth

Misinterpretation of Cultural Shifts as Invasions: Weaponizing Confusion and Ignorance through the Aryan Myth

 

    Cultural Shifts are a natural phenomenon noticed in any longstanding civilization, since it is natural for a living civilization to undergo shifts based on environmentally, economically, and socially favorable conditions. It is a necessity for any society to adapt to move forward to continue to survive millennia. The Indian Subcontinent has seen many such cultural shifts during the early historic period. The paleolithic phase is mainly noticed in coastal and mountainous regions, while Mesolithic is noticed near plains. The Cultural shifts become even more obvious with the move to more settled civilization beginning with Bronze, Chalcolithic, and Neolithic phases. This phase of civilization is dated variously between 15000 Years Ago (YA) to 12000 YA. At some early archaeological locations, the Mesolithic phase co-exists with the Neolithic or Megalithic phase. Sometimes it is said that Megalithic followed the Neolithic phase, but Mesolithic tools are found in Megalithic tombs, which indicates continuation from the Mesolithic phase. Cultural shifts are noticed in moving one type of early culture to another culture in the same region or to a different, but more far off place are noticed sometimes.

Such peaceful movement of people from one end of the Subcontinent to another end of the Subcontinent is recorded in archaeological evidence as well as India’s oldest texts the Vedas. Later part of Vedas note one such cultural shift in which people have moved from Northwestern India (Saptasindhu region) toward the East. But it is not a violent takeover. In fact, no large amounts of weapons indicating violent take-overs during any phase of the early civilization of India are noticed in any region of the Subcontinent.

There is also the movement of people from the Northern end of the Subcontinent to the Southern region. Tamil text Agattiyam records such arrival of sage Agastya and his pupils to the Southern tip of the Subcontinent. The history of Andhra Pradesh records the arrival of the Andhaka tribe from northern India. Numerous such movements and settlements are recorded in texts datable between 1500 BCE (about 1700 YA) to 1000 BCE. Lack of largescale weaponry in any historical location across the Subcontinent for the period between 1500 BCE to 1000 BCE only indicates that these movements could be classed as only as Cultural Shifts rather than invasions/migrations of some unknown/alien tribes. If in fact there was any invasion and migration that should have been noticed in archeological record with the presence of lots of weapons indicating war, and abrupt disruption to the existing culture, which should be replaced by a new culture. But no such weapons or abrupt disruptions or displacements are noticed anywhere in the Indian Subcontinent in the archeological record. Continuation of different phases of civilization together simultaneously indicates coexistence rather than a takeover. Many megalithic sites in Southern India also show cultural assemblages resembling Harappan culture. This leaves us the conclusion that Indian civilization is a continuous and longstanding civilization since the foundations 80000YA. It was only the Cultural Shifts and movements of populations across the Subcontinent that enriched India with immense multiplicity marked by pluralism unlike any other civilization in the world.

Colonial history misconstrued the evidence of internal Cultural Shifts as violent Invasions and takeover of native civilization by outside tribes. Colonial constructions of the early history of India verges on the mythical theories rather than utilizing ground facts and known from ancient classical texts and archeological data of India. Therefore, Indian history created between the 1880s to 1940s included in all the textbooks of India and taught to the colonial subjects of the British Empire perpetrate the single agenda of invasions by a superior race, occupation, and suppression followed by replacement. This constructed history of India had not been corrected but continued in textbooks under the successive governments of independent India.

To take their agenda forward colonial historians, linguists, sociologists, and anthropologists set to work with support from East India Company initially followed by the then British Imperial governments. Linguists, especially Max Mueller, construed a theory in such a way that it might suit the purpose of colonial master in misreading and misinterpretation of the texts to twist and construct the mythical history of India. The colonial state employed immense mechanism to create and apply the Aryan invasion/migration theory to change Indian history and society beyond recognition.

The Brahmins were doubly affected by this colonial agenda. In the constructed new social history of India Brahmins became high caste but branded as manipulative keepers of texts on the one hand, while on the other hand they were branded as enemies and oppressors of all other people identified as the descendants of invading mythical Aryans. Thus, the few members of the Indian society who are learned in the Vedas were silenced into submission for fear of facing repression from the state-power, while also simultaneously facing rejection from their neighbors as descendants of Aryans. As one section of Indian society was thus silenced, British Anthropologists are appointed as Census Directors began categorizing, re-organizing, and dividing Indian society into myriads of castes. The administration set out to declare anyone opposing or questioning their new ways of administration and classification as criminal caste.

This is another way to silence powerful Kshatriyas and rebel groups and used as a framework to suppress opposition. A notable example of such categorization is notable in each region the British administration is extended. Some castes classed as criminal tribes lived in British territories lived as peaceful members of the Princely state in their neighborhood and they were never branded as such in the Princely state of India. Thus the British sociologists and anthropologists created a new universe of Hindu social system on an all-India scale instituting the British policy of ‘divide and rule’. British rule altered Indian society by recasting otherwise peaceful people as criminal tribes, marshal races, or a variety of castes divided and arranged hierarchically as upper and lower.

Close to three-quarters of a century later it is the duty of every member of Indian society to correct this British record of history and bring the true history of India forward.