Category Archives: Assimilation

“In contemporary practice, the tribal memory is greatly undermined. There is general insistence that tribal children attend schools where non-tribal children attend schools, that they use medicines manufactured for others and that they adopt common agricultural practices. All because the world has very little time to listen patiently to the tribals, with their immense knowledge and creativity.” – GN Devy’s seminal anthology of tribal literature, Painted Words, quoted by Ivy Hansdak in “Is tribal identity relevant in today’s world?”, Inaugural Speech for the National Conference “Tribes In Transition-II: Reaffirming Indigenous Identity Through Narrative” (New Delhi, 27 February 2017)
https://www.indiantribalheritage.org/?p=23032

Jawaharlal Nehru formulated the following five principles for the policy to be pursued vis-a-vis the tribals:
(1) People should develop along the lines of their own genius, and the imposition of alien values should be avoided.
(2) Tribal rights in land and forest should be respected
(3) Teams of tribals should be trained in the work of administration and development.
(4) Tribal areas should not be over administered or overwhelmed with a multiplicity of schemes.
(5) results should be judged not by statistics or the amount of money spent, but by the human character that is evolved.
Jawaharlal Nehru [1889–1964, first Prime Minister of India] quoted by Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf in “India and Ceylon: Unity and Diversity. A Symposium”, Institute of Race Relations (Oxford University Press, 1967).
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=17554

“[T]he process of homogenisation and assimilation has neglected the differences in the identity of various tribes [and] the structures thus imposed to understand tribal identities marginalise a large section of the populace that do not fit in the identity matrix.” – Pradyumna Bag in “Denial of Differences: Examining the Marginalisation of Tribal Cultures and Languages” (“Tribes In Transition” conference 2017)
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=23073

“Contingent and regionally nuanced concepts emerged [for regions inhabited predominantly by Adivasis], such as ‘racial’ minorities, Adivasi rights, and social solidarity that refocused public and administrative attention on Adivasi history and heritage. These concepts are easily forgotten in polarized debates on the workings of assimilationist vs. protectionist ideologies in respect of Adivasi peoples and lands. Yet such shifts prompted a revision of wider temporal and cultural relations between majority (mainstream) and minority (tribal) communities.” – Daniel Rycroft in Abstract: ANTHROPOLOGICAL ARCHIVES AND ‘CHIASMIC’ TIME IN MODERN INDIA
https://anthropologyireland.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/IJA_19_2_2016.pdf
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=31269

Teaching Santal children by Boro Baski

Posted on 16/09/2020 by website administrator

Since the inceptions of our organization we have been working towards striking a balance between our traditional way of life and modernity. The transition to a modern life should be gradual and not stressful, and allow us to keep rooted … Continue reading →

Posted in Adivasi, Assimilation, Childhood and children, Community facilities, Constitution and Supreme Court, Customs, Eastern region, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Figures, census and other statistics, Gandhian social movement, Globalization, Government of India, Languages and linguistic heritage, Literature and bibliographies, Maps, Modernity, Multi-lingual education, Museum collections - India, Names and communities, Nature and wildlife, Organizations, Photos and slideshows, Quotes, Rural poverty, Seasons and festivals, Social conventions, Success story, Tagore and rural culture, Tribal elders, Video contents, Worship and rituals | Tagged | Comments Off on Teaching Santal children by Boro Baski

Role models for members of “hill-tribes” forcibly brought down to the plains: Irulas in pursuit of higher education – Tamil Nadu

Posted on 02/08/2020 by website administrator

How Tamil Nadu’s Irula students are struggling to pursue higher education | To read the full story in the New Indian Express, click here >> As [the correspondent] travels across the northern districts of Villupuram, Kallakurichi, Vellore, and Tiruvannamalai, it … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Adverse inclusion, Assimilation, Bees and honey, Customs, De- and re-tribalisation, Education and literacy, Figures, census and other statistics, Forest Rights Act (FRA), Health and nutrition, Languages and linguistic heritage, Maps, Misconceptions, Modernity, Music and dance, Names and communities, Networking, Organizations, Press snippets, Revival of traditions, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Rural poverty, Success story, Tribal identity, Worship and rituals | Tagged | Comments Off on Role models for members of “hill-tribes” forcibly brought down to the plains: Irulas in pursuit of higher education – Tamil Nadu

The Adivasi way of life: Utopian or worth emulating by ‘mainstream’ society? – An ongoing debate

Posted on 02/08/2020 by website administrator

Anyone who has had some meaningful interaction with India’s indigenous or adivasi people, cannot fail to be touched by the encounter. There is a directness in them, an absence of artifice or guile, an almost childlike innocence, born of simplicity … Continue reading →

Posted in Adivasi, Assimilation, Bees and honey, Childhood and children, Commentary, Community facilities, Customs, De- and re-tribalisation, FAQ, Fashion and design, Health and nutrition, Media portrayal, Misconceptions, Modernity, Quotes, Southern region, Tribal culture worldwide, Tribal elders, Western Ghats - tribal heritage & ecology, Women, Worship and rituals | Comments Off on The Adivasi way of life: Utopian or worth emulating by ‘mainstream’ society? – An ongoing debate

Toda embroidery: an ancient art thriving in the Nilgiris – Tamil Nadu

Posted on 01/08/2020 by website administrator

The ancient Toda community people are the residents of Nilgiris that means ‘Blue Mountains’, popularly known as Ooty. Nilgiris is the abode of many interesting tribes and prominent among them are Todas, Kotas, Kurumbas, Irulas, Mullukurumbas and Paniyans. These Todas … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthropology, Assimilation, Crafts and visual arts, Cultural heritage, Customs, Dress and ornaments, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Endangered language, Games and leisure time, Health and nutrition, Misconceptions, Modernity, Names and communities, Nature and wildlife, Organizations, Particularly vulnerable tribal group, Press snippets, Revival of traditions, Seasons and festivals, Southern region, Success story, Tourism, Tribal elders, Western Ghats - tribal heritage & ecology, Women, Worship and rituals | Tagged | Comments Off on Toda embroidery: an ancient art thriving in the Nilgiris – Tamil Nadu

India’s tribal communities portrayed by leading periodicals and internet portals – Press roundup

Posted on 29/07/2020 by website administrator

For an up-to-date press roundup, type “Adivasi welfare”, “tribe citizen journalism”, “tribal youth technology”, “tribal women”, “Warli tribal art”, “Nigiris tribe heritage”, “rural education Chhattisgarh”, “tribe grassroots journalism”, “vulnerable tribal community”, “Santal education”, “Andaman Nicobar tribal tourism” or similar search terms … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Assimilation, Commentary, Crafts and visual arts, Cultural heritage, De- and re-tribalisation, Democracy, Eco tourism, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Health and nutrition, History, Media portrayal, Misconceptions, Modernity, Nature and wildlife, Press snippets, Regions of India, Revival of traditions, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Storytelling, Success story, Tips | Comments Off on India’s tribal communities portrayed by leading periodicals and internet portals – Press roundup