The river has a voice

The New Zealand government has just granted a large tract of forest land, which was formerly a national park, the rights of personhood. The decision, the result of protracted negotiations with the Maori people, gives the park a voice. In a similar agreement a few years ago, the country had given citizenship rights to its rivers. In 2008, Ecuador adopted a new constitution in which it instituted citizenship rights for rivers, forests and lakes. These orders, radical and new-age though they seem, are ironically being driven by a small and dwindling portion of these countries' tribal populations, and are the result of extremely ancient belief systems.

In New Zealand, the attorney general said while announcing the judgement, the Maoris believe 'I am the river and the river is me'. They also believe that protective deities called tanihwa live in pools, lakes, caves and oceans - they have been entrusted with the guardianship of earth's treasures. They are feared and worshipped at the same time, just as many ancient protector gods and goddesses are, even in the Indian subcontinent. Serpent gods are protectors of treasures hidden under the earth or under the sea, Dokkhin Rai of the Sunderbans is a tiger god and guardian of the forests while the rakshasa tribe protects forests, gold, iron ore and mountain gods their mountains.

Rivers are sacred in India. The story of Ganga and her descent is a familiar one as is her role as purifier of sins. But it is not just Ganga that is revered. Narmada, for instance, is also associated with Shiva; born of his sweat according to some tales. In some stories, her waters have purifying powers too. In another story, the river came down to earth on account of King Pururava's severe penance and Shiva aids her descent with help from eight mountains who were the sons of Vindhya.

Before the rivers and mountains were gods and goddesses, they were people, ancestors to the race of human beings. Mountains as sons and fathers, rivers as daughters and mothers; as for the Maoris, in India too nature was one with men and suffered the same follies. Diana Eck, in her book, India, A Sacred Geography, records this story: A marriage had been arranged for Narmada with Sone (one of the two big male rivers of the country which flows close to Narmada). Being a traditional Indian bride, Narmada had never seen her groom-to-be. So she was curious and sent her friend Jwala, the village barber's daughter, to spy on Sone. Sone, however, saw Jwala from a distance and thought she was his wife and asked for marriage celebrations to begin. Narmada was so offended that she turned her back on Sone and ever since has flowed in a direction away from him. Sone, meanwhile, flung himself over the cliff. The river is a person too.

Myths in every civilisation also record the conflict between early man and nature. A Rig Vedic hymn has Indra (the king of gods) battling the demon Vritra (guardian-controller of the waters of the universe). It was Vritra's hubris that brought him down, the hymn says. He refused to release the waters and earth was parched; Indra had to act to save his people.

In the Mahabharata, tables are turned when Indra's protected forest - the Khandava - is destroyed by Agni. Agni is starved of his rightful sacrifices, the story goes, because Indra does not want the Khandava to burn down as it is home to his Naga friend, Takshak. Agni approaches Arjuna and Krishna for help. With their support, he lets his flames sweep up the forest where pisacas, rakshasas, danavs, nagas and several other beings live.

Different tribes, often clubbed as demons in poorly translated texts, were seen as fearful protectors of natural treasures. They were revered and feared at the same time. Early settlers were often at conflict with them and that is perhaps why their violent deaths are recorded in epics, myths and folktales as the victory of good over evil.

Animistic civilisations did not see any distinction between human beings, the animal kingdom and nature. It was not always a harmonious existence but it was one between equals. It meant that one species could not claim rights over the universe, a principle that the new legislations in New Zealand and the constitution of Ecuador seem to echo. Rivers are sacred in India still, but we seem to have lost our ability to treat them as fellow humans.