“Absence of a concept of ownership”: Karkala Conference on tribal communities – Karnataka

The Hindu, Karkala (Udupi District), April 18, 2010 Writer and former Vice-Chancellor of Hampi Kannada University Chandrashekhar Kambar said on Saturday that the Government should take help from sympathetic scholars belonging to tribal communities in understanding the needs and problems of tribal people. He was presiding over the inauguration of the two-day second tribal sammelan, … Read more

Resilience in the face of modernization: India’s Supreme Court protects the Dongria’s right to living in Niyamgiri forests – Odisha

[…] Twelve Dongria villages have now unanimously voted against Vedanta’s mine during consultations ordered by India’s Supreme Court in April 2013, because their religious, cultural and social rights would be jeopardized if mining were to go ahead. Dongria leader Lodu Sikaka said, ‘Our God lives in open space, you keep your God locked up with … Read more

Tip | A celebration of cultural diversity and other ways of living – Survival International

As global monoculture erodes cultural diversity, the variety of tribal festivals and rituals is a reminder that humans have diverse insights, different priorities, and choose other – successful – ways of living. Click on the photo or here to view the entire slideshow with more information and other series on tribal communities all over the … Read more

Peaceful coexistence with elephants: Avoiding human-animal conflict as part of tribal culture – Tamil Nadu

Shruti Agarwal, Gudalur, 30 September 2013 A Bettakurumba man watches a herd of elephants at close quarters | Read the full blog and view more photos here >> Coexisting with elephants would seem unthinkable and impossible to most of us. Yet adivasis in Gudalur have done so for generations and continue to do so. They share their home, the … Read more

Tip | Educational resources and information on indigenous customs: Wiki Resource for Indian Biodiversity

Nelumbo nucifera (Sacred Lotus) – the National Flower of India. Find out more national and state symbols of India here >> We strongly believe that knowledge is the first step towards any kind of change. Thus, we created this Biodiversity Of India website. The BOI website, part of the Project Brahma Initiative, is an open-source, community driven project, much like Wikipedia, where anyone … Read more