Category Archives: Storytelling

“[A]ll the stories we hear (from Adivasis) are from Oxford graduates and ‘upper’ caste people. Those are not our stories. But nothing is too late; we have to write our own stories, about our issues, from our own perspectives. It is better late than never.” – Scholar-Activist Abhay Xaxa quoted by Mahtab Alam (The Wire, 10 April 2020)
https://thewire.in/rights/remembering-abhay-xaxa-a-fiercely-unapologetic-adivasi-scholar-activist
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=32717

Swarnalatha, an academic who runs an NGO that works for the upliftment for her Irula community (known for their snake-catching skills) insists:
“We are so much more than that. We follow a tradition rich in music, dance and love” – in an interview (“Irulas much more than a community of snake catchers”, Times of India, 23 February 2018)
Learn more: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/irulas-much-more-than-a-community-of-snake-catchers/articleshow/63035204.cms
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=1753

“Consistent across time and cultures is the use of the body to communicate and express—to tell stories, participate in the cycles of nature, mourn, pray, and celebrate” – Exhibition text, “Circle of Dance” (National Museum of the American Indian in New York)
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=9325

“The adivasi has always been described as a figure of pity by mainstream writers. But there is a group of tribal writers, who, through their literature, are giving an answer to the questions raised on their identity. This is a phase of revolt for tribal writers, who are trying to showcase the tribes in the same light. It is only after this that the tribal writers can write about the beauty of their world.” – Jitendra Vasava, a lecturer at Adivasi Academy, Tejgadh (Indian Express, 28 February 2010)
http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/symposium-held-on-gujarat-tribal-literature/585310
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=6304

“My poetry is firmly rooted in Kerala. It talks about trees unique to our landscape, fish that can only be found in our ponds, and tribes that carry ancient memories of Malayalam. There are many amidst us who are despised, humiliated and oppressed by human conditions such as caste, colour and gender. They shouldn’t be apologetic but assert themselves. […] If you put together two baskets you can make a globe.” – S. Joseph, who introduced Malayalam poetry to hitherto unexpressed human conditions in “Joseph and his brothers” by John Cheeran (Times of India, 23 January 2016)
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/Arrackistan/joseph-and-his-brothers
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=4413

“If Adivasis were to start writing their own Discovery Of India, it would be something like this: There are those who talk of India’s ‘5000 year-old culture,’ there are those who talk of its ‘timeless traditions.’ If India has a timeless tradition, it is ours.” – Gail Omvedt in “Call us adivasis, please” (ADIVASI Special issue, The Hindu, July 16, 2000)
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=26645