Category Archives: Adivasi / Adibasi

“Adivasi [Adibasi] – which is derived from Sanskrit – is applied to the dark-skinned or Austro-Asiatic indigenous groups of India (usually those from Eastern India). It is a commonly-used term in Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha. It is also used by the local Mongoloid tribes of North Eastern India for the migrant workers who were brought in as indentured labourers to work in tea plantations during the colonial period. ‘Tribal’ is a very broad term in the English language, as we all know, and includes all the different indigenous groups of India.” – Santal scholar Ivy Imogene Hansdak (email dated 27 March 2020)
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=23032

“Since the Indian Constitution uses the term ‘Scheduled Tribes’ or ‘tribals’ to refer to indigenous communities in India and the colloquial reference used by several indigenous communities themselves is ‘adivasis’ these two terms shall be used interchangeably.” – Rebecca S . David in “An analysis of the impact of the Forest Rights Act (2006) in three states of India” (MPhil University of Cambridge, UK, 2014), p. 1
https://www.academia.edu/30648733/
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=15257

“[A] large section of different tribal bodies off late have also started demanding for an Adivasi code. Claiming that all tribals can’t be forced to accept their identities as nature worshippers, they have announced to launch a protest. This in turn has forced the state government to take a middle path by naming the draft as Sarna/Adivasi code.” – Report titled “It’s Sarna, not adivasi, code for tribals: Bandhu Tirkey”, on a move by the Jharkhand government to introduce a “Sarna/Adivasi” code in a special Assembly session (Telegraph Ranchi, 8 November 2020)
https://www.telegraphindia.com/jharkhand/its-sarna-not-adivasi-code-for-tribals-bandhu-tirkey/cid/1796860
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=11009

“Adivasis do not form a homogenous community. Achievements related to socio-economic well-being were found to vary across groups and places among the members of the same community. […] Instead of seeing the Adivasis as ‘problems,’ the entire country can benefit massively by perceiving the Adivasis as co-citizens and sharing their historically constructed cultural values which often manifest the best forms of democracy and uphold the notions of higher levels of justice, fairness and equality than those which prevail in the seemingly mainstream societies. By ensuring their rights to live their own lives, the country can in fact guarantee itself a flourishing democracy.” – Brochure for the report titled “Living World of the Adivasis of West Bengal: An Ethnographic Exploration”, issued on the occasion of the Kolkata International Book Fair 2020
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=31882

“Adivasi people have an alternative world view, which has rarely been acknowledged or recognized. Their existence was never based on accumulation or consumerism. […] All of us can learn from them.”– Mari Marcel Thekaekara (“Adivasi people: proud not primitive”, New Internationalist 15 July 2013)
https://newint.org/blog/2013/07/15/india-adivasi-survival-international/?55521117611331971
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=11937

“Adivasis is the collective name used for the many indigenous peoples of India. The term Adivasi derives from the Hindi word ‘adi’ which means of earliest times or from the beginning and ‘vasi’ meaning inhabitant or resident, and it was coined in the 1930s, largely a consequence of a political movement to forge a sense of identity among the various indigenous peoples of India.” – Minority Rights Group International (World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – India: Adivasis 2008)
https://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/49749d14c.html 
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=8415

“The Adivasis, who have made sacrifices during our freedom struggle were not given their due respect and recognition. The Tribal museum aims at showcasing the involvement of Adivasis in our freedom struggle.” – Prime Minister of India in “English rendering of PM’s speech at inauguration of new Civil, Cancer & Eye Hospitals in Ahmedabad” (Prime Minister’s Office Posted On: 04 MAR 2019)
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1567548
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=36256

Jaipal Singh and the adivasi (adibasi) movement of modern India: A gifted speaker from Chotanagpur – Jharkhand

Posted on 21/07/2021 by website administrator

Ramachandra Guha, India After Gandhi: The History of the World’s Largest Democracy (p. 115) | More information and book review >> The first report on minority rights, made public in late August 1947, provided for reservation for Untouchables only. Muslims were denied … Continue reading →

Posted in Adivasi / Adibasi, De- and re-tribalisation, Democracy, Economy and development, History, Literature and bibliographies, Modernity, Names and communities, Quotes, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Scheduled Tribe (ST), Video resources - external | Tagged | Comments Off on Jaipal Singh and the adivasi (adibasi) movement of modern India: A gifted speaker from Chotanagpur – Jharkhand

Marriage customs of the Santals: A large mural created by village artists to express their cultural identity – West Bengal

Posted on 20/07/2021 by website administrator

Marriage Reception A Santal marriage takes five days and involves various, often complex, rituals. On the day of the Gidi-chumara (Marriage Reception) the women arrive to bless the bride and groom with grass and grains of rice which are kept … Continue reading →

Posted in Adivasi / Adibasi, Community facilities, Crafts and visual arts, Cultural heritage, Customs, Eastern region – Eastern Zonal Council, Education and literacy, Literature and bibliographies, Museum collections - India, Music and dance, Names and communities, Organizations, Photos and slideshows, Quotes, Revival of traditions, Seasons and festivals, Storytelling, Tagore and rural culture, Tourism, Trees, Women | Tagged | Comments Off on Marriage customs of the Santals: A large mural created by village artists to express their cultural identity – West Bengal

eJournal | Impact of public presentations of Adivasi (Santal) music – West Bengal

Posted on 20/07/2021 by website administrator

Adivasi music and the public stageBy Jayasri Banerjee These days, no festival or utsav is considered complete without some sort of folk music or dance. The idea of presenting the music and dance traditions of the Adivasis in a public forum is generally … Continue reading →

Posted in Adivasi / Adibasi, Commentary, Crafts and visual arts, Cultural heritage, Customs, eBook & eJournal, Misconceptions, Modernity, Music and dance, Musicology, Names and communities, Nature and wildlife, Performing arts, Quotes, Seasons and festivals, Tribal identity, Worship and rituals | Tagged | Comments Off on eJournal | Impact of public presentations of Adivasi (Santal) music – West Bengal

Adivasi art “A Disappearing World” – Gandhi Foundation (London)

Posted on 20/07/2021 by website administrator

The exhibition, “A Disappearing World: Ancient Traditions Under Threat in Tribal India”, opened at the Brunei Gallery at SOAS on April 13 and will run until June 25. Seminars are also being held to discuss the suffering of the tribals. … Continue reading →

Posted in Accountability, Adivasi / Adibasi, Colonial policies, Constitution and Supreme Court, Crafts and visual arts, Cultural heritage, De- and re-tribalisation, Democracy, Ecology and environment, Economy and development, Figures, census and other statistics, Gandhian social movement, Globalization, Health and nutrition, Misconceptions, Modernity, Nature and wildlife, Organizations, Press snippets, Quotes, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Rural poverty, Social conventions, Tribal culture worldwide, Women, Worship and rituals | Comments Off on Adivasi art “A Disappearing World” – Gandhi Foundation (London)

In search of a development that preserves the best parts of Adivasi culture and collectivity: Imagining an alternative “Discovery Of India”

Posted on 11/07/2021 by website administrator

Call us adivasis, please If Adivasis were to start writing their own Discovery Of India, it would be something like this: There are those who talk of India’s “5000 year-old culture,” there are those who talk of its “timeless traditions.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Adivasi / Adibasi, Adverse inclusion, Anthropology, Colonial policies, Commentary, Customs, Democracy, Eastern region – Eastern Zonal Council, Ecology and environment, Ekalavya (Eklavya, Eklabya), EMR & Factory schools, History, Misconceptions, Modernity, Names and communities, Nature and wildlife, Northern region – Northern Zonal Council, Press snippets, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Storytelling, Success story, Western region –  Western Zonal Council | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on In search of a development that preserves the best parts of Adivasi culture and collectivity: Imagining an alternative “Discovery Of India”