“[I]ndigenous people in India also feel the claustrophobic confines of their identity which has been imposed on them by others, be it the colonial administrator, the colonial anthropologist.” – Santali poet, scholar and translator Ivy Imogene Hansdak in “Is tribal identity relevant in today’s world?”, Inaugural Speech, National Conference “Tribes In Transition-II: Reaffirming Indigenous Identity Through Narrative” (2017)
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Watch a video documentary on Santali marriage customs >> The original inhabitants of South Asia are known as Adivasi. Their lifestyle is generally marked by a profound respect for nature. It is this sense of harmony that sustained the life of countless tribal communities for thousands of years. Today’s changes include carbon dioxide pollution caused … Read more
Introduction: Some considerations on dance in tribal India (Excerpts pp. 126-127) The symbolic and ritual use of dance in the Indian Subcontinent is so diverse and widespread that we cannot but restrict ourselves here to some general considerations. Acting as a rhythmic order, the dance of gods and mythical heroes contributes to the cyclical adjustment … Read more
Within the world of food collection […] Hunts such as these, all of them taking place in the months preceding the monsoon and involving only men, made me first realize that ‘hunting’ is not synonymous with ‘meat’ or ‘food’, and that there were other connotations attached to the activity. They inevitably involved rituals and, often, first fruit … Read more
Manipur tribe turns to music to preserve culture | Read the full report here >> IMPHAL: Aimol, a Scheduled Tribe community in Manipur with a small population, is on the warpath to preserve and promote its culture, tradition, costume and ethnic social traditions, which are dying slowly. Members of the community celebrated the first anniversary … Read more