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

Tip | “How to address misconceptions on tribal customs and culture in the classroom?” – Ideas and practices worth sharing among peers and students

Posted on 18/09/2021 by website administrator

There’s much to learn from the positive contributions made by tribal communities on a daily basis. To start with, let’s learn from insiders and others who have dedicated their lives to ensuring that a precious heritage will continue to make … Continue reading →

Posted in Adverse inclusion, Biodiversity, Childhood and children, Colonial policies, Community facilities, Cultural heritage, Customs, Democracy, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Endangered language, Ethnobotany, FAQ, Gandhian social movement, Health and nutrition, History, Languages and linguistic heritage, Misconceptions, Modernity, Multi-lingual education, Names and communities, Networking, Organizations, Particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG), Press snippets, Quotes, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Sacred grove, Storytelling, Success story, Tagore and rural culture, Tips, Tribal identity | Comments Off on Tip | “How to address misconceptions on tribal customs and culture in the classroom?” – Ideas and practices worth sharing among peers and students

Slideshow | Changing the education system through “sahbhagita”: Collective participation of a community, students and teachers practiced at Adharshila Learning Centre – Madhya Pradesh

Posted on 07/09/2021 by website administrator

This was my first visit and I will not deny that the experience was many times more rewarding than what I had imagined it would be. Creativity of the students – it is a primary school up to 8th class … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Activities, Adivasi / Adibasi, Central region – Central Zonal Council, Childhood and children, Community facilities, Crafts and visual arts, Cultural heritage, De- and re-tribalisation, Democracy, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Health and nutrition, Homes and utensils, Languages and linguistic heritage, Misconceptions, Multi-lingual education, Names and communities, Narmada, Networking, Organizations, Performing arts, Photos and slideshows, Press snippets, Quotes, Revival of traditions, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Rural poverty, Storytelling, Trees, Tribal elders, Websites by tribal communities | Tagged , | Comments Off on Slideshow | Changing the education system through “sahbhagita”: Collective participation of a community, students and teachers practiced at Adharshila Learning Centre – Madhya Pradesh

Indigenous peoples in the modern world: A call to end colonial misconceptions and racial stereotyping – National Museum of the American Indian

Posted on 04/09/2021 by website administrator

In the Washington Post [22 November 2017], Kevin Gover, director of the museum, deals with five popular misconceptions about Native America | Read the full story here >> Thanksgiving recalls for many people a meal between European colonists and indigenous Americans … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Adverse inclusion, Anthropology, Assimilation, Childhood and children, Colonial policies, Commentary, Constitution and Supreme Court, Cultural heritage, Customs, Democracy, Dress and ornaments, Economy and development, Figures, census and other statistics, Health and nutrition, History, Languages and linguistic heritage, Media portrayal, Misconceptions, Modernity, Museum collections - general, Names and communities, Organizations, Photos and slideshows, Press snippets, Quotes, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Storytelling, Topics and issues, Tribal culture worldwide, Tribal identity, Video resources - external | Comments Off on Indigenous peoples in the modern world: A call to end colonial misconceptions and racial stereotyping – National Museum of the American Indian

Video | Setu “bridge” on Adivasi poet and publisher Jeetendra Vasava belonging to the Narmada region – Gujarat

Posted on 20/08/2021 by website administrator

The clip is called Setu, meaning bridge and features Jeetendra Vasava, a young writer belonging to the Narmada region in south Gujarat. Jeetendra speaks Dehwali, a tribal language spoken in regions of south Gujarat and northern Maharashtra. Jeetendra is a faculty … Continue reading →

Posted in Adivasi / Adibasi, Childhood and children, Languages and linguistic heritage, Literature - fiction, Literature and bibliographies, Modernity, Narmada, Organizations, Poetry, Quotes, Revival of traditions, Storytelling, Video contents | Comments Off on Video | Setu “bridge” on Adivasi poet and publisher Jeetendra Vasava belonging to the Narmada region – Gujarat

Learn more about tribal communities in Uttarakhand

Posted on 04/08/2021 by website administrator

The Uttarakhand of today brims with the lively hum of life with people from various communities and religions contributing to make it into a wonderful profusion of the festival called life. The original natives of the land of Uttarakhand belong … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Anthropology, Community facilities, Customs, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Government of India, Health and nutrition, History, Languages and linguistic heritage, Names and communities, Nature and wildlife, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, Northern region – Northern Zonal Council, Press snippets, Quotes, Resources, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Tourism, Tribal identity, Women, Worship and rituals | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Learn more about tribal communities in Uttarakhand