Tribal traditions, colonial history and the birth of a modern state – Jharkhand

Forests and woodlands occupy more than 29% of the state which is amongst the highest in India – www.jharkhand.gov.in The region enshrouded in the hills and forests inaccessible to a large segment of people. The tribes of this state are living here from thousands of years and not much changed in their life and culture … Read more

eBook | The Indian Forest Acts: A concise history from 1876 through 1927 and its present implementation

Millions of people live in and near India’s forest lands, but have no legal right to their homes, lands or livelihoods.  A few government officials have all power over forests and forest dwellers. The result? Both forests and people die.  This Act recognises forest dwellers’ rights and makes conservation more accountable. Source: What is the … Read more

Audio | “Each language is an incredible creation of the human mind” – Success stories from the Endangered Languages Documentation Programme

A language is a window onto a culture, history and way of life. So what do we lose when a community stops speaking the language of its ancestors? John Gallagher is joined by Gwenno, who writes and sings in Cornish, and researchers working to reclaim endangered languages around the world. With Mandana Seyfeddinipur of the … Read more

eJournal | Human Elephant (no) Conflict: Tribal communities in the Nilgiri mountains – Tamil Nadu

In Gudalur, a plantation landscape in South India, about 150 elephants share space with a quarter of a million people. Using a quantified survey coupled with ethnographic fieldwork, we aim to better understand human diversity and tolerance of elephants that allows for coexistence. We find a marked difference between communities, with ethnicity being a better predictor of tolerance than … Read more