Category Archives: Colonial policies

“In 1871, the British passed the ‘Criminal Tribes Act.’ It notified about 150 tribes around India as criminal, giving the police wide powers to arrest them and monitor their movements. The effect of this law was simple: just being born into one of those 150 tribes made you a criminal.” – Dilip D’Souza (Bombay based freelance journalist) in “Vicious cycle” (Folio “Adivasi”, Special issue with the Sunday Magazine of The Hindu, 16 July 2000)
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=11460

“Colonialiality is a dynamic we need to be alert for as much in the present even within so-called independent, decolonized countries. “– Priyamvada Gopal on the rights of indigenous peoples including Adivasis (“Ideas” on CBC radio, 10 October 2019)
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/if-you-support-human-rights-you-re-obliged-to-be-an-anti-colonialist-argues-scholar-1.5315358
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=24574

“[O]wing to old colonial practices of ‘plantation’, the indigenous Mannan people lost their land and were rendered dependents on the activities pertaining to cultivation of cardamom. The ‘development’ of their land as cardamom plantation continued even after Independence; the colonial model of plantation development was in totality adopted by the nation-state, and it marked a cultural onslaught on the tribal people. The development model alienated tribals from their land, their culture and diluted their worldview.” – Anu Krishnan in “Plantation Development and Tribes: Experiences of Expropriation of Land, History and Identity-A Case of Mannans” (National Conference Tribes In Transition-II: Reaffirming Indigenous Identity Through Narrative, New Delhi, 27-28 February 2017)
https://www.indiantribalheritage.org/?p=23073

Map | A virtual journey across time and space

Posted on 02/04/2020 by website administrator

Whatever our own cultural background, there are amazing discoveries to be made, for India’s youth just as for scholars and visitors from all over the world! Learn more about – and from – some of India’s tribal communities by clicking on the button … Continue reading →

Posted in Adivasi, Archaeology, Central region, Colonial policies, Crafts and visual arts, Cultural heritage, Eastern region, Fashion, Gandhian social movement, History, Homes and utensils, Maps, Modernity, Names and communities, Nature and wildlife, Northern region, Press snippets, Quotes, Regions of India, Sacred grove, Seven Sister States, Southern region, Storytelling, Tips, Tourism, Trees, Western region, Worship and rituals | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Map | A virtual journey across time and space

Tribal tribal folk songs recorded colonial archivists

Posted on 30/03/2020 by website administrator

Shekhar Krishnan Posted: Sat Jul 12 1997 IST […] The recording industry has come a long way since the days when colonial archivists would travel the corners of British India recording tribal folk songs and temple bhajans making wax masters which … Continue reading →

Posted in Colonial policies, Cultural heritage, History, Media portrayal, Music and dance, Press snippets | Comments Off on Tribal tribal folk songs recorded colonial archivists

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

Posted on 28/03/2020 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, Childhood and children, Colonial policies, Community facilities, Cultural heritage, Customs, Democracy, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Endangered language, Ethnobotany, Gandhian social movement, Health and nutrition, History, Languages and linguistic heritage, Maps, Misconceptions, Modernity, Multi-lingual education, Names and communities, Networking, Organizations, Particularly vulnerable tribal group, 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

Learn more about tribal communities on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Posted on 28/03/2020 by website administrator
Posted in Anthropology, Assimilation, Colonial policies, Commentary, Customs, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Endangered language, Figures, census and other statistics, Government of India, Languages and linguistic heritage, Literature - fiction, Literature and bibliographies, Maps, Nature and wildlife, Organizations, Particularly vulnerable tribal group, Tips, Tourism, Worship and rituals | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Learn more about tribal communities on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Adivasi poetry that “expresses unwillingness and disagreement”: Probing into the culture of the ex-tea garden labourers – Assam

Posted on 20/03/2020 by website administrator

On second day of TLF, session on “Young Tribal Writers; Their Themes, Issues and Challenges was organized.” The session was chaired by Prof. Sivashish Biswas, Assam University, Assam. During the session, five speakers talked about the emerging young writers from the … Continue reading →

Posted in Adivasi, Assimilation, Colonial policies, Community facilities, De- and re-tribalisation, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Government of India, History, Literature - fiction, Literature and bibliographies, Maps, Media portrayal, Misconceptions, Names and communities, Photos and slideshows, Poetry, Press snippets, Revival of traditions, Rural poverty, Seven Sister States | Tagged | Comments Off on Adivasi poetry that “expresses unwillingness and disagreement”: Probing into the culture of the ex-tea garden labourers – Assam