A great proportion of the Catholic Community in Asian belong to the Indigenous peoples of the great continent.  They form the most important groups that are responsive to the Gospel. Hence they deserve the special attention of the Church.
        The major effort of the Church in the field of Inculturation and Dialogue has been, until recently, with the great cultural and religious Tradition of Asia. Quite unaware of the sturdiness of the little Traditions that are related to the cultures of indigenous peoples.  They are often referred to in passing as animistic communities, ignoring the fact that each community has an individuality of its own.
        The situation in which each of these ethnic minorities finds itself differs from the other and varies from country to countries, region to region.  There are situations in which the tribal land is protected by law and tribal people are given subsidies and official assistance. In other situations, they suffer from various forms of injustice.  Their land is threatened.  Their forests are cut down.  They are economically exploited.  They are politically excluded.  Opportunities for education and health-care are limited.  They themselves are considered second-class citizens. Some of them find themselves in fast growing urban agglomerations, painfully trying to eke out a living, as individuals and small groups, away from their communities.
        Nearly all the tribal communities suffer from economic disadvantages, inexperienced in a ”money-economy”, and totally unused  to saving and investing habits.  Their cultures are under pressure from the dominant national cultures and from strong modernizing trends.  This leads to a process of detribalization.
        In the midst of all these changes, these communities need to be helped to preserve their identity and the core values of their cultures.  They should be assisted to retain their dignity and pride in themselves, Those that have been oppressed for a long time, should be helped to regain  their self-confidence and shake off their inferiority-complex.  Their language need to be promoted.  Their culture symbols should be preserved and brought back to use in changing contexts.  All these activities are part of the work of evangelization.
        Mighty projects for the exploitation of mineral resources (e.g. for the development of mines) in tribal areas, or logging on a big scale, or any other development plans like dams should be undertaken only after weighting the advantages against the disadvantages to be derived from the proposed projects for the tribal communities themselves and the common good. Any attempt to damage the tribal  environment needs to be resisted.
        The Church has been working among many of these tribes a long time. Evangelical Churches has been ahead of us in many areas.  Many tribal  languages have been given a written script and literature developed,  their cultures have been studied and described by missionaries.  Their children have studied in missionary schools and given shelter in missionary boarding houses,  their sick have been cared for in missionary hospitals.  Missionaries also have taken up cases of injustice against the tribes,  their lands, their rights, and  their interests.
        Tribal cultures and tribal values can offer correctives to the culture of the dominant communities and to the materialistic world –view of the emerging global community.  With their caste-less, egalitarian  and democratic characteristics, and their spirit of sharing, nearness to nature, spiritual vision of the world, simplicity, fraternity, hospitality,  human touch, tribal communities can remind more advanced  societies of certain precious values they stand in danger of losing.
        Simple as they are, tribal communities are vulnerable, not only economically and politically, but in many other ways too.  Their members, especially the young are  quick to imitate changing fashions, all victims to tempting economic offers and  short term advantages and  act against the long-terms advantages of their own communities. The first persons to be educated from among them can become exploiters of their own people. Even Church leaders can take advantages of their docility and spirit of cooperation.
        Thus, even those are actively engaged in the service of the tribal people should avoid being over dominating, and retain a participatory style of functioning.
        The first to be educated among the tribal people can become bridge-builder between their communities and the larger society.  Church personnel  too comply such a role.  The Church must continue to help the tribal people in the preservations and development of their languages and cultures and support education, health and social activities, and defend their identity and their interests.  Church personnel will do well in keeping in touch with the teachers, poets, artists, and writers among the tribal people who assist in the collective thinking of the communities and who give new directions to their common destinies.  It is precisely such people who enable their communities to discover their identity and their potentialities and urge them on to new heights and possibilities.
        Every society has a right to develop at their own pace and in the manner it wishes to do.  It is not for the missionary to press them in any direction.   He/she offers the gift of the Gospel in a manner in keeping with the geniuses  of the tribe.  He / she  tries to integrate the rich symbolism  into church life.   Inculturation  should be the common responsibility of the pastors, experts and especially of the believing community.  The sensibilities of the believing community should never be ignored.
        There is a long way to go still for presenting the Eucharist  in a meaningful manner to the tribal people,  being  faithful always to the main structure of the mass preserved  for us in the ancient  Christian traditions
        The Bible may be studied and presented as a tribal document.  Theological reflection in tribal contents can be very fruitful for the promotion of Church life.   Centers of studies should be set up in tribal areas for the promotion of  inculturation and theological reflection.  More superficial inculturation will be found inadequate  Gifted tribal people should be given opportunity the pursue higher studies.
        Tribal people have to confront external pressures of various degrees. Some lives  still in total isolation.  Others stand in danger of being swamped by non-tribal.  Tribal people should be helped to a process of cultural analysis to rediscover who they are, how they have become what they have become, what their problems are and how they may confront them.  Study of their history and reflection on their collective experiences are preserved in their oral tradition, myths and stories, will help them to build up a  legitimate  pride in their identity and their collectives self-hood.
        Many of the above reflections had come up in the Hua Hin meeting of September 3-8, 1995  organized  by the Office of Evangelization.  The recommendations made in that meeting should be followed up.  The national commission or office in every Episcopal Conference should  co-ordinate activities, reflection and studies in behalf of the tribal people.  Such a commission should  plan and promote Evangelization  among tribal communities.  From time to time meeting of missionaries working in tribal areas should be organized at local, national and international level special training programme should be devised to empower tribal  people for the apostolate.  Tribal people should be helped to enter into an on-going dialogue with the larger society and with the universe Christian heritage for common benefit

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