Ecology & environment

“In Central India, individual plant species figure in the first fruit ceremonies of the adivasi (indigenous) communities. During certain periods of the year, their fruits, flowers, leaves or seeds are not collected or consumed. This allows those species to rest for a few weeks or months during crucial periods for their growth or regeneration. The norms around these practices or methods are often embedded within the cultural-religious traditions of communities. As a knowledge system being transferred between generations, seldom are they explained or discussed in terms of ecology or conservation.” – Madhu Ramnath in “How culture threatens species A note on Caryota urens in South India” (Current Conservation 16.3, accessed 4 December 2022)
https://www.currentconservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/16.3.pdf
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=20305

Sustainable use of biodiversity and associated traditional knowledge: Securing economic benefits for tribal communities – Kerala & Tamil Nadu

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The book explores the possibility of sustainable use of biodiversity and associated traditional knowledge with economic benefit for the communities and countries that have conserved them for generations. By S. GOPIKRISHNA WARRIER THERE is an irony related to biodiversity and economics. Communities that live in close contact with biodiversity-rich forests are economically poor, whereas people … Read more

‘Unity in Diversity’: All round modernization drive by the Anthropological Survey of India (ANSI)

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NAGPUR: The Anthropological Survey of India (ANSI) on Monday opened a new section, ‘Material Culture of Central India: Unity in Diversity’ at its museum in the city to mark the International Museum Day. The section was formally inaugurated by the director of the South Central Zone Cultural Centre (SCZCC), Piush Kumar. The section has on … Read more

“Indigenous economics is one of the keys to climate action”: UN Equator Prize for Nilgiri tribal collective providing value-added products – Tamil Nadu

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Aadhimalai, winner of UN Equator Prize from Nilgiris, offers a lesson in indigenous economics Traditional healer Janakiamma (60) belongs to the Kurumba community. An indigenous community in south India, Kurumba is listed by the government of India as one of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups or PVTGs in India. […] As the discourse around the … Read more

“Pithora paintings are soaked with religious and cultural significance”: Acclaim for Padma Shri Artist Bhuri Bai – Madhya Pradesh

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Madhya Pradesh-based Bhuri Bai has experienced acute poverty first hand and has also worked as a child labourer just to be able to afford one square meal. When she was 10, her house was burnt down in a fire, so her family built a makeshift house from hay and lived there for years. […] Bhuri’s … Read more

Sacred groves: Traditional practice and modern ecology

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Sacred groves are maintained by many tribal communities across India like the Santals and tribal communities in the Nilgiri mountain range of Tamil Nadu, adjoining Wayanad District, and the Kaani community Kanyakumari region on both sides of the border between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Some of their ancestral forests, sacred streams and mountains are now … Read more