Category Archives: Trees

“She, in tribal myth, lives in palmyra fruit trees. To the tribals, palmyra juice is the breast milk of Tallur Muttai. She, therefore, is the earth mother. But then there is the massive Hindu-isation of the tribal myth and the earth mother is made to sit on a tiger as Hindus prefer their goddesses on the tiger. I have a problem with this makeover. If the tribal gods are comfortable on the trees, let them be…why make them a Hindu?” – Niranjan Mahawar, author of a book titled Bastar Bronze, interviewed by Suvojit Bagchi (The Hindu, 24 October 2012)
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=16409

“We also have to get rid of the mistaken notion that complex natural ecosystems, once destroyed at one place can be easily created elsewhere. Such a notion is evident in government’s compensatory afforestation programmes that implicitly assume first that natural ecosystems such as forests can often be created de novo. Policy makers need to distinguish between a stand of trees and a natural forest with diversity of species, and a myriad of ecological interactions and processes, evolved over millions of years.” – Kamaljit S. Bawa in “Our biodiversity, our life, our future” (Survey of the Environment, The Hindu, Sci-Tech / Energy & Environment, 2 August 2010)
https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/Our-biodiversity-our-life-our-future/article16148419.ece
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=5026

“Small community harvesting has given way to large scale commercial cash crop cultivation. Teak has replaced traditional trees in the jungle and resorts are coming up along the river bringing tourists and plastic. The natives of Wayanad feel uncomfortable with the change around them; however, they seem to be in little control of the situation.” – Bikas Mishra about Sunanda Bhat’s award winning documentary feature film on Wayanad’s treasure trove of flora and fauna “Have you seen the Arana?” (DearCinema.com, 21 April 2013)
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=11104

“The Small and Marginal Tribal Farmers Mutually Aided Cooperative Society of Paderu (SAMTFMACS), formed in 2007 as a coffee processing and marketing enterprise, has successfully changed the socio-economic and geographic landscape of the region by creating a steady source of income to its members apart from greening the forests […] The best part is the community is following up on the plantation and taking care to nurture the sapling till it grows into a full-fledged tree. In case any plant withers away it is replaced by another one and its growth monitored.” – “Citibank award for Paderu tribal coffee collective” (The Hindu, Visakhapatnam, 29 January 2013)
https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/citibank-award-for-paderu-tribal-coffee-collective/article4356508.ece
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=10704

See also:
Tribal elders

Forest dwellers in early India – myths and ecology in historical perspective

Posted on 27/11/2020 by website administrator

By Romila Thapar, Emeritus Professor of History, Jawaharlal Nehru University  The hunt introduces us to the forest dwellers. These tended to be either creatures of the imagination such as the raksasas who are abundant, or else humans with supernatural faculties. Raksasas have … Continue reading →

Posted in Bees and honey, Customs, De- and re-tribalisation, Ecology and environment, Elephant, History, Literature and bibliographies, Maps, Misconceptions, Nature and wildlife, Quotes, Resources, Sacred grove, Storytelling, Trees, Women, Worship and rituals | Comments Off on Forest dwellers in early India – myths and ecology in historical perspective

Exploring human evolution in the Narmada Valley: Rich in fossils and archaeological sites, facing submergence – Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra & Gujarat

Posted on 27/11/2020 by website administrator

VADODARA: Much is known about how the Harappan Civilization flourished on the banks of the Indus almost 5,000 years back. But now is the time to move ‘ahead’ of the Indus Valley Civilization. Through the largest exploration exercise ever undertaken, … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthropology, Archaeology, Central region, Commentary, Cultural heritage, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Government of India, Health and nutrition, History, Maps, Modernity, Narmada, Nature and wildlife, Organizations, Press snippets, Quotes, Trees, Western region | Comments Off on Exploring human evolution in the Narmada Valley: Rich in fossils and archaeological sites, facing submergence – Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra & Gujarat

Landless Kol tribe forest dwellers: Permission required to plant or use trees such as neem, amla and mahua – Uttar Pradesh

Posted on 05/07/2020 by website administrator

Though the Kols are anthropologically tribal, they are recognized as a Scheduled Caste in Uttar Pradesh. Not only has this deprived them of their traditional source of living-the forest, it has largely left them dependant and landless, languishing in silica … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthropology, Assimilation, Colonial policies, Community facilities, De- and re-tribalisation, Democracy, Education and literacy, Forest Rights Act (FRA), Government of India, Health and nutrition, History, Maps, Misconceptions, Names and communities, Press snippets, Rural poverty, Scheduled Tribe (ST), Trees, Women, Worship and rituals | Tagged | Comments Off on Landless Kol tribe forest dwellers: Permission required to plant or use trees such as neem, amla and mahua – Uttar Pradesh

“We have a special responsibility to document, monitor and conserve our most precious asset”: Biodiversity for sustaining their livelihoods – Survey of the Environment

Posted on 25/05/2020 by website administrator

India may be the only large country with huge scientific capability to lack a serious programme to monitor the state of its ecosystems. Because the major drivers of habitat loss or change are rooted in political, economic and social factors, … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Adivasi / Adibasi, Commentary, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Forest Rights Act (FRA), Government of India, Maps, Modernity, Nature and wildlife, Photos and slideshows, Press snippets, Resources, Seven Sister States, Tiger, Trees | Comments Off on “We have a special responsibility to document, monitor and conserve our most precious asset”: Biodiversity for sustaining their livelihoods – Survey of the Environment

Serving endangered languages, denotified and nomadic Communities: Ganesh Devy on the need for a “sustainable economic and social base in the homeland”

Posted on 10/05/2020 by website administrator

A Nomad Called Thief: Reflections on Adivasi Silence and Voice by GN Devy A collection of essays on Adivasis. Tribal groups (adivasis) in India have often been excluded, marginalized and oppressed by ‘mainstream’ society. In many ways this exclusion, marginalization and … Continue reading →

Posted in Adivasi / Adibasi, Adverse inclusion, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Anthropology, Colonial policies, Commentary, Community facilities, Constitution and Supreme Court, Cultural heritage, Customs, Economy and development, Education and literacy, Endangered language, Figures, census and other statistics, Government of India, History, Languages and linguistic heritage, Literature and bibliographies, Maps, Misconceptions, Modernity, Museum collections - India, Names and communities, Nature and wildlife, Networking, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes, Organizations, Particularly vulnerable tribal group, Photos and slideshows, Press snippets, Quotes, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Trees | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Serving endangered languages, denotified and nomadic Communities: Ganesh Devy on the need for a “sustainable economic and social base in the homeland”