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These four concentric circles are an important symbol for us Indigenous Peoples. They can be found in various ancient cave frescos and paintings around the world from present day Australia to Africa to Mexico. They also exist in the thousand years old Karanpura rock paintings at Hazaribagh, Jharkhand (India) where our ancestors took shelter during transit.         

In our Adivasi (the Indigenous Peoples of Jharkhand prefer to be know as Adivasi meaning first people) tradition white symbolizes death and the colour red, life. Even today when a child is born and when he or she dies and leaves our community, four dots in red and white are marked on the forehead, indicating that our presence on this earth is eternal.   

The symbol among many other meanings symbolizes that our relationship with all life forms is egalitarian or non-hierarchical. Individuality is a unique gift of nature but individualism is alienating and life threatening.  

Present trends indicate that the expropriation character of surplus creation and profit making of civilisation or modernisation or colonisation may soon consume and destroy our lands, water, and forest wiping out our community, identity, values, and traditions. Against all these odds we want to say that our death does not alienate us from the life of eternity, and therefore we want to say today that, we are, we were, and we will be here.... and therefore this symbol is central in the work that we have set for ourselves as a Jharkhandi civil society organisation - B.I.R.S.A.