Ethnobotany & ethnomedicine

“Tribal languages are a treasure trove of knowledge about a region’s flora, fauna and medicinal plants. Usually, this information is passed from generation to generation. However, when a language declines, that knowledge system is completely gone.” – Ayesha Kidwai (Centre for Linguistics, School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi) quoted by Abhijit Mohanty in “Seven decades after independence, many tribal languages in India face extinction threat” (Down to Earth, 26 August 2020)
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/blog/governance/seven-decades-after-independence-many-tribal-languages-in-india-face-extinction-threat-73071
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=6879

eLearning | “Conserving Tradition and Practices of Adivasi Communities in India”: National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) and the Tribal Academy of Bhasha Research – Gujarat

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Source: Online Webinar Programme on “Conserving Tradition and Practices of Adivasi Communities in India” jointly organized by the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) and the Tribal Academy of Bhasha Research on 14 October 2021,URL: https://nidm.gov.in/pdf/trgReports/2021/October/Report_14October2021sg.pdfDate Visited: 5 March 2023

Giving Irula healing practices a place in modern medicine: A new source of livelihood for “one among the six oldest Adivasi tribes” – Puducherry & Tamil Nadu

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The term Irula means being capable of finding one’s path in dark forests, according to an Irula myth | Read the full report in the Times of India here >> Born in nature’s lap, Irulas share a symbiotic relationship with Mother Earth. They reside in the hills of northern Tamil Nadu and are one among the six oldest … Read more

Tip | Anthropology and more

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Learn more about India’s tribal communities – their cultural heritage, current conditions and aspirations – with the help of the links seen below Despite their vast differences, anthropologists, including [Verrier] Elwin and [G.S.] Ghurye, as well as Srinivas and other Indian public figures and intellectuals, effectively erased or negated tribes’ worldviews and beliefs. When discussing … Read more

Learning from tribal communities: Ecology and health issues

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For a natural balance A National Consultation on Wildlife Conservation and People’s Livelihood Rights stresses the need to work towards conservation projects that are equally sensitive to the needs of wildlife and local communities. […] The venue of the workshop thus offered a good opportunity for the participants to look at the collaborative work of … Read more

Sharing valuable rice varieties with farmers: Biodiversity for the sake of “vital nutrients and the ability to withstand flood, drought, salinity or pest infestations” – Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha Maharashtra & West Bengal

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IN BRIEF India originally possessed some 110,000 landraces of rice with diverse and valuable properties. These include enrichment in vital nutrients and the ability to withstand flood, drought, salinity or pest infestations. The Green Revolution covered fields with a few high-yielding varieties, so that roughly 90 percent of the landraces vanished from farmers’ collections. High-yielding … Read more