Learn from “insiders” to fight misconceptions: Ideas and practices worth sharing

There’s much to learn from the positive contributions made by tribal communities on a daily basis. To start with, let’s learn from insiders and others who have dedicated their lives to ensuring that a precious heritage will continue to make a difference to people from all backgrounds – all over India and even beyond: “[I]t … Read more

Spreading benefits evenly across Rajasthan’s tribes: On differences within a state having an above-average tribal population – Rajasthan

Rights for forgotten tribes Predictably, public discourse on the Gujjar-state-Mina  (as the census spells them) standoff in Rajasthan has centred on two, or, at best, three issues […] It is easy to forget, in the midst of all this noise, that the Minas are not the only Scheduled Tribes (STs) in Rajasthan. But everyone, ranging from … Read more

Tips | Biodiversity, ethnobotany, health and nutrition

Public health and food security depend on citizens’ willingness to “use and share resources in a sustainable and equitable manner”. The nation’s “primary conservers” – often tribal farmers – are now seen as guardians of biological diversity (Genome Saviour Award); and entitled to protection under the law known as Biodiversity Act. – M S Swaminathan, the scientist … Read more

Role of sacred groves in adivasi society: Adivasi Munnetra Sangam Gudalur – Tamil Nadu

Role of Sacred Groves and their current status in adivasi societyConservation of natural resources has been an integral part of diverse cultures in different ways. Indigenous communities all over the world lived in harmony with the nature and conserved its valuable biodiversity. There were many traditional conservation practices of adivasis in many parts of the … Read more

The Museum of Voice (Vaacha) and Adivasi Academy: “A laboratory for contemporary ethnic, anthropological and artistic studies carried out from the perspective of Adivasis” – Gujarat

Vaacha – The Museum of Voice The Adivasi Academy has been built brick by brick with the support of the tribal community and well wishers of Bhasha. It took nearly four years of continuous construction work for the Museum and Library, the first major buildings of the Academy to be completed, so intricate is the … Read more