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Up-to-date reports by Indian journalists and commentators

To search Indian periodicals, magazines, web portals and other sources safely, click here. To find an Indian PhD thesis on a particular tribal community, region and related issues, click here >>

Search tips

Combine the name of any particular state, language or region with that of any tribal (Adivasi) community.

Add keywords of special interest (music, poetry, dance just as health, sacred grove and biodiversity); learn about the rights of Scheduled Tribes such as the “Forest Rights Act” (FRA); and the United Nations “Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”, “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, “women’s rights”, or “children’s right to education”.

Specify any other issue or news item you want to learn more about (biodiversity, bonded labour and human trafficking, climate change, ecology, economic development, ethnobotany, ethnomedicine, global warming, hunter-gatherers in a particular region or state, prevention of rural poverty, water access).

For official figures include “scheduled tribe ST” along with a union state or region: e.g. “Chhattisgarh ST community”, “Himalayan tribe”, “Scheduled tribe Tamil Nadu census”, “ST Kerala census”, “Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group Jharkhand”, “PVTG Rajasthan”, “Adivasi ST Kerala”, “Adibasi ST West Bengal” etc.

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Note: hyperlinks and quotes are meant for fact-checking and information purposes only | Disclaimer >>

Points to consider

Some of India’s “tribal” (Adivasi) communities live on more than one national territory (e.g. the Santals of India and Bangladesh).

“Tribal” is a very broad term in the English language; here it is understood as including all the different indigenous groups of India.

Indian tribal cultural heritage: museum collections, eBooks, maps & more

Anthropological Survey | Anthropology

Books on tribal culture and related resources

Community facilities

Crafts and visual arts | Homes and utensils Crafts and visual arts | Masks

Cultural heritage | Revival of traditions

Dress and ornaments | Fashion | Tattoo

eBook | Background guide for education

eBook | Free catalogue: Banam: One of the ancient musical instruments of the Santals – West Bengal

eBook | Free catalogue: Museum of Santal Culture (Bishnubati) – West Bengal

Games and leisure time | Martial arts

India’s 28 States and 8 Union Territories – From Andhra Pradesh to West Bengal

Museum collections – general

Museum collections – India

Music and dance | Musicology

Seasons and festivals

Tribal customs, homes and ornaments in South India: Videos and photographs by Vicky Lakshmanan

Worship and rituals

Tips for using interactive maps

Toggle to normal view (from reader view) should the interactive map not be displayed by your tablet, smartphone or pc browser

For details and hyperlinks click on the rectangular button (left on the map’s header)

Scroll and click on one of the markers for information of special interest

Explore India’s tribal cultural heritage with the help of another interactive map >>

Regions noted for their wealth of tribal heritage: culture & ecology

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Bastar

Chotanagpur

Gadchiroli

Narmada

Nilgiri Biosphere | Bake Restudy Project (UCLA Digital Library)

Seven Sister States & Sikkim

Wayanad

Western Ghats

Regional Zonal Cultural Centres

Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre, Kolkata
Eastern region – Eastern Zonal Council

North Central Zone Cultural Centre, Prayagraj
Uttar Pradesh

North East Zone Cultural Centre, Dimapur
Seven Sister States & Sikkim – North Eastern Council

North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala
Northern region – Northern Zonal Council

South Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur
Central region – Central Zonal Council

South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur
Southern region – Southern Zonal Council

West Zone Cultural Centre, Udaipur
Western region –  Western Zonal Council

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Up-to-date information: Zonal Cultural Centres >>