“Having grown up within the largely oral Khasi community in Meghalaya, whose creative expressions mainly comprised song and “iathoh khana” (storytelling), it puzzled me that, in none of the canonical creative writing textbooks, had I come across a discussion on the influences of oral storytelling on craft.” – Janice Pariat in “Decolonising creative writing: It’s about not conforming to techniques of the western canon” (Scroll.in, 4 July 2021)
https://scroll.in/article/999215/decolonising-creative-writing-its-about-not-conforming-to-techniques-of-the-western-canon
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=3382
This lecture was recorded for broadcast on Ideas on CBC Radio One. Listen to the full episode (54:00) >> Every culture tries to answer a fundamental question: What does it mean to be human and alive? In the Milton K. Wong Lecture, anthropologist Wade Davis explores some of the diversity of human culture, and considers what … Read more
By Kamayani Bali Mahabal | To read the full article with images, click here >> Filmmaker Aditya Seth demystifies the traditions and culture of the matrilineal Khasi tribe of Meghalaya, as they discover their place in a fast-changing world. […] In his latest 60-minute documentary, ‘Are They Better Off’, screened recently at the National Centre for the Performing Arts … Read more
Prof. Sunil Khilnani profiles Birsa Munda, the young, charismatic healer who led his tribal community in revolt against the British and whose life, more than a century after his death, poses the question: ‘Who owns India?’ | Listen to the programme on the BBC Radio 4 website >> Scattered across the subcontinent, India’s tribal peoples … Read more
Chota Nagpur [Chotanagpur] plateau is in eastern India, in Jharkhand state. The plateau is composed of Precambrian rocks (more than 540,000,000 years old). Chota Nagpur is the collective name for the Ranchi, Hazaribagh, and Kodarma plateaus, which have an area of 25,293 sq m (65,509 sq km). Its largest division is the Ranchi Plateau, which … Read more
The Mundari Dance is a very common and popular dance of the Mundaris. All members of the community can participate in this dance. This dance is generally performed to celebrate the newly weds. Munda songs are often mixed with songs in other tribal languages in such a way, that one can rarely identify the pure … Read more