“We are nothing without the forest, and the forest is nothing without us”: Kattunayakans in the Nilgiris, one of the last few remaining honey gathering communities of the world – Tamil Nadu

Living in the Nilgiris, the Kattunayakans are one of the last few remaining honey gathering communities of the world. Over many generations they have mastered the skills required to tap honey and they take great pride in their knowledge and expertise. For the tribal community, honey gathering is of social, cultural, economic and spiritual relevance. … Read more

“Economic and social development are interrelated”: Make Kerala’s globally acclaimed system truly inclusive for its Scheduled Tribes

Source: “Kerala: Path we’ve taken favours privileged” by Madhavan K S, Times of India 3 June 2020URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/kerala-path-weve-taken-favours-privileged/articleshow/76174319.cmsDate visited: 1 November 2021 Total Scheduled Tribal population in Kerala composes 1.5 percent of the total population. (Census 2011) All India sex ratio of ST is 978 in (2001 Census) and 990 in (2011 Census) and in … Read more

Reviving native ecology as to restore the wealth of the people: Cultural continuity for the twenty-first century – Kerala

Places like Kerala where there were numerous sacred groves and related culture, are ecologically disturbed now due to ill conceived developments chartered out by those who did not have any knowledge or concern about nature/ecology. Modernists could not understand the natural significance of the numerous rituals and myths. The tribal communities had their own thoughts … Read more

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

Source: “Perceiving the Forest: Early India Studies” in History (February 2001 17: 1-16)URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/025764300101700101 | Backup (PDF, 1MB) >>Date Visited: 6 November 2021 The Aryans describe their enemies as dark in complexion, noseless or flat-nosed, of harsh speech, not honouring the Aryan gods, not observing the Aryan religious ritual, but rich in material possessions and … Read more

The “participatory guarantee system” (PGS Organic Council): A renewed effort to sustain the lives and cultures of indigenous communities – Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve

Rich Forests: Making a living under the canopy […] PGS has been received enthusiastically in India and elsewhere. The PGS Organic Council was registered in Goa, India, in April 2011. Since then, the Government of India – under the national project on organic farming – has officially launched the participatory guarantee system (PGS India) for organic produce. In India … Read more