Category Archives: Languages and linguistic heritage

“They have lost their livelihood, their forests and even their Gods. Now they will also lose their language.” – Raghavan Payyanad (folklorist and exponent of indigenous knowledge), in “Relinking tribal youth with their culture” on efforts to revive and reacquaint youngsters from different tribes with endangered tribal arts at the Kerala Institute for Research, Training and Development Studies of Scheduled Castes and Tribes Kozhikode (The Hindu, 16 December 2015)
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kozhikode/relinking-tribal-youth-with-their-culture/article7994424.ece
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=19376

“There are 418 different tribes in India, with even more languages and dialects. […] To accommodate these diverse and culturally distinct communities with a single educational policy is a mammoth task, verging on the impossible. Thus, despite good intentions, tribal-education policies are mostly dysfunctional. And when such systematic dysfunction continues for years or even generations, social unrest erupts.” – Boro Baski in “Teaching Santal children” (D+C Development and Cooperation, 2 July 2009)
https://www.dandc.eu/en/article/long-term-success-non-formal-adivasi-school-west-bengal
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=2274

“Nations don’t make us human – languages make us human [and] behave like civilised beings.” – Ganesh [G.N.] Devy (co-founder, People’s Linguistic Survey of India) in a video interview (Scroll.in, 25 November 2017)
https://www.facebook.com/scroll.in/videos/1600744976675043/
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=24320

“All languages created by human communities are our collective cultural heritage. Therefore, it is our collective responsibility to ensure that they do not face the global phonocide let loose in our time.” – Ganesh [G.N.] Devy (in a lecture at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore (26 September 2010)
https://indiantribalheritage.org/wp-content/uploads/Inclusive_Education_NIAS_Lecture_2010_Prof-Ganesh_Devy.pdf
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?page_id=27950

“1500 km and 1300 years separate the IVC [Indus Valley Civilisation] and Keeladi. The gap may not lead to too many direct and immediately recognisable similarities. But the fact that we have found graffiti that looks very similar to Harappan script in the Keeladi excavations [Tamil Nadu] is extremely important, especially since this is not the first time that graffiti similar to Harappan scripts have been found in South India and even Sri Lanka.” – Tony Joseph, author of Early Indians quoted in “The Dig” by Sowmiya Ashok (Fiftytwo.in, 2 April 2021)
https://fiftytwo.in/story/the-dig/
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=38630

Quality education and health for children from marginalized families: Vidyodaya & Thulir – Tamil Nadu

Posted on 18/01/2022 by website administrator

Vidyodaya School, located near Gudalur in the Nilgiris, TN, teaches mostly tribal children. […] Vidyodaya is more than just a school. It is a major education programme to ensure that over 3500 tribal children in the Gudalur Block of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Community facilities, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Figures, census and other statistics, Games and leisure time, Globalization, Health and nutrition, Languages and linguistic heritage, Organizations, Quotes, Rural poverty, Southern region – Southern Zonal Council, Women | Comments Off on Quality education and health for children from marginalized families: Vidyodaya & Thulir – Tamil Nadu

eBook | Adivasi languages – Ganesh Devy on changing languages and the question of legislation

Posted on 18/01/2022 by website administrator

There are two things. One is the state of Indian languages— the bhashas. Prof. Ananthamurthy has often argued that the bhashas have been drawing conditionally from many other bhasha systems, the subsets of bhashas. I’m only reporting what he has said—there’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Adivasi / Adibasi, eBook eJournal PDF, Education and literacy, Globalization, Languages and linguistic heritage, Misconceptions, Modernity, Quotes, Resources | Comments Off on eBook | Adivasi languages – Ganesh Devy on changing languages and the question of legislation

“We are so much more than that”: Book by S. Swarnalatha documenting the lives her own community, the Irula, who are known for their knowledge of nature and medicinal herbs – Tamil Nadu & Kerala

Posted on 17/01/2022 by website administrator

“My grandmother told me if someone ever pointed out our dance movements are peculiar, we should tell them these are the feline steps of a hunter” | To read the full story, click here >> Swarnalatha belongs to the tribal … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthropology, Childhood and children, Customs, Ecology and environment, Education and literacy, Endangered language, Ethnobotany, Games and leisure time, Languages and linguistic heritage, Misconceptions, Music and dance, Names and communities, Nature and wildlife, Organizations, Press snippets, Quotes, Southern region – Southern Zonal Council, Storytelling, Worship and rituals | Tagged | Comments Off on “We are so much more than that”: Book by S. Swarnalatha documenting the lives her own community, the Irula, who are known for their knowledge of nature and medicinal herbs – Tamil Nadu & Kerala

eBook | Research on tribal communities, their customs, languages and rights facilitated by Indian universities: PhD theses published on Shodhganga (public access)

Posted on 17/01/2022 by website administrator

To focus on PhD theses, make sure you include “shodhganga” in your search About Shodhganga The Shodhganga@INFLIBNET Centre provides a platform for research students to deposit their Ph.D. theses and make it available to the entire scholarly community in open access. … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Adivasi / Adibasi, Adverse inclusion, Anthropology, Assimilation, Biodiversity, Colonial policies, Community facilities, Constitution and Supreme Court, Crafts and visual arts, Cultural heritage, Customs, Democracy, Dress and ornaments, eBook eJournal PDF, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Endangered language, Ethnobotany, Forest Rights Act (FRA), Government of India, Health and nutrition, History, Hyderabad biodiversity pledge, Languages and linguistic heritage, Modernity, Nature and wildlife, Networking, Organizations, Particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG), Press snippets, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Rural poverty, Social conventions, Tips, Topics and issues, Tribal identity, Women, Worship and rituals | Comments Off on eBook | Research on tribal communities, their customs, languages and rights facilitated by Indian universities: PhD theses published on Shodhganga (public access)

International Mother Language Day (annually observed on 21 February): “Language teaching and particularly multilingual education are a key factor in the development of understanding among peoples and dialogue for peace” – Unesco

Posted on 17/01/2022 by website administrator

How to celebrate Mother Language Day in your school | Read the full post by Unesco for updates >> Schoolteachers Encourage children to use their mother languages to introduce themselves and talk about their families and culture Celebrate culture by having them read … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood and children, Community facilities, Cultural heritage, Education and literacy, Endangered language, Globalization, Languages and linguistic heritage, Literature and bibliographies, Multi-lingual education, Networking, Organizations, Quotes, Revival of traditions, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Seasons and festivals, Success story, Tips, Tribal culture worldwide | Comments Off on International Mother Language Day (annually observed on 21 February): “Language teaching and particularly multilingual education are a key factor in the development of understanding among peoples and dialogue for peace” – Unesco