Two novels on West Ghat tribal cultural heritage: Changing perceptions of land and its ownership – Kerala & Tamil Nadu

Two novels that capture local history in English translationEach novel is written from a different angle, yet both chronicle the lives of people attached to their land and customs while facing the pressures imposed by mainstream society: one by male Malayalam writer ‘Narayan’ who hails from Kerala’s Malayarayar community; and the other by Rajam Krishnan … Read more

Film review of “Have you seen the Arana?”: Award winning documentary feature on Wayanad’s treasure trove of flora and fauna – Kerala

Online viewing: Trailer and more information >> Bikas Mishra writes about Sunanda Bhat’s documentary feature which won the John Abraham Award recently | Read the entire review here >> The Adiya people of Wayanad believe that their goddess has turned into the  lizard Arana. Earlier found everywhere, Arana is getting hard to spot nowadays. Filmmaker Sunanda Bhat uses the … Read more

Video | Interview with anthropologist Cristoph von Fürer-Haimendorf on the rapid transition into modernity by a previously untouched tribe: “Apatanis developed fast, not overrun by outsiders” – Assam

Source: “Interview of Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf by Alan Macfarlane, Part 1 of 3”URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV2aJLFU6_YDate Visited: 11 January 2023 “President Droupadi Murmu said that the high respect given to the women in the Naga society is demonstrated through the fact that the literacy rate among women in the state is higher than the national average, and … Read more

Tip | “Forests Alive”: Educational and other books combining scientific knowledge and hereditary practices of the Soliga and other tribal communities worldwide

ATREE at Biligiri Rangaswamy Wildlife Sanctuary The process, while documenting and archiving a vast resource of places and stories, also provided a critical understanding of the ways Soligas interacted with the landscape. ATREE used formal cartographic instruments such as GIS-enabled devices, to locate places and names that Soligas identified with in mainstream maps. ATREE has developed … Read more

Mahasweta Devi: Bhasha’s life time mentor remembered at the Adivasi Academy Tejgadh – Gujarat

An indefatigable crusader for tribal rights, eminent litterateur Mahasweta Devi was keen to be laid to rest at Tejgadh, a tribal village in Gujarat and also the site of the Adivasi Academy, says noted literary critic, linguist and tribal rights activist Ganesh Devy who wishes to bring some of her ashes to the academy that … Read more