Literature & bibliographies

“The whole body of writings on the tribes has been marked by i) Orientalist stereotyping ii) nationalism, because of which they were largely misrepresentations.” – Joseph Bara, on the need to critique the existing narratives and knowledge systems about the tribals in India, Report on the National Conference “Tribes In Transition-II: Reaffirming Indigenous Identity Through Narrative” (2017)
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=23050

The Koli (Kori, Kol), aboriginal communities found “from Kashmir to Kanya Kumari”: Representations from ancient epics to freedom struggle and modern India

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[…] It is interesting to note that Koris trace their history to the past where all present day downtrodden reach. This again bursts the myth that there was an amicable agreement between Asuras (aboriginals of Harappan Civilization and Indus Valley Civilization) and Suras who came from Iran. There are myths indicating that Asuras were made … Read more

eJournal | “Environmental groups and movements have been at the forefront of efforts to democratize state institutions”

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[…] In India, as elsewhere, colonialism is “first, foremost and always” about land. As in North America and Africa, the policing of reserve forests has often resulted in what amounts to ethnic cleansing, with Indigenous peoples being evicted from their homelands for the benefit of the tourism industry and its urban, middle-class clients. Displaced Adivasis … Read more

Museum & Society – A re-evaluation of Adivasi Heritage by Prof. Ganesh Devy

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“There is an intimate connection between the historical process of the creation of ‘Adivasi’ as a social category and the construction of the knowledge about the Adivasi communities as well as the popular imagery of Adivasis. Therefore, the management of memory in relation to the Adivasi communities is likely to run into contradictions when placed within … Read more

Research and Indigenous Peoples: A counter-story to Western ideas about the benefits of the pursuit of knowledge

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Decolonizing MethodologiesResearch and Indigenous PeoplesLinda Tuhiwai Smith To the colonized, the term ‘research’ is conflated with European colonialism; the ways in which academic research has been implicated in the throes of imperialism remains a painful memory. This essential volume explores intersections of imperialism and research – specifically, the ways in which imperialism is embedded in … Read more

Unicef packages: tribal languages as the medium of instruction for children – Jharkhand

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At a time when the state is red-faced about rural primary schoolchildren clueless in class, Unicef (Jharkhand) has embarked upon a pioneering project of preparing textbooks in tribal and regional languages for children for whom Hindi is as alien a medium of instruction as English. […] Textbooks include a theme-based pictorial dictionary in tribal and … Read more