Modernity

“Our vital traditions are being lost. They are bing ‘modernized’.” – A tribal mother’s concerns (interviewed for Survival International) in “Factory Schools: Destroying Indigenous People in the Name of Education” (accessed 28 March 2021)
https://www.survivalinternational.org/about/factoryschools
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=34514

International framework through ILO and U.N. Conventions recognises rights of indigenous and tribal communities to ownership, control and management of land and resources

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Tribal and indigenous communities across the world have been asserting their rights to the mineral wealth often found under the land they own or possess or have traditional rights to. They have been historically denied even a share of that huge wealth, leave alone legal rights of ownership. Under the contemporary deregulated neo-liberal policy framework, … Read more

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

Video | Dungri Latar (At the foothills): In quest of “a life beyond the world of quarry” – West Bengal

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On the occasion of World Indigenous People’s Day on 9th August, I present the song ‘Ḍuṅgri Latar’ (At the foothills) that talks about the struggle and plight of Muni (name changed), a 14 years old girl, the third generation member of the family working at a stone-quarry situated at the border area of Birbhum and … 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