Getting information on forest land titles and compensation through the Right to Information Act – Maharashtra

In a major victory, tribal people in Maharashtra’s Thane district have managed to get information on forest land titles through the Right to Information Act. They were demanding this information for months, with over a thousand of them going on a “RTI Satyagraha” in April [2013]. Finally, the State’s Chief Information Commissioner, Ratnakar Gaikwad, has … Read more

eBook | “Indigenous cultures and knowledge systems at risk”: Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022-2032 – United Nations

Source: Lexicographer David Harrison interviewed by Srijana Mitra Das in “Indigenous languages have wisdom that can save us from climate crisis”, Times of India, 23 January 2021URL: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indigenous-languages-have-wisdom-that-can-save-us-from-climate-crisis/articleshow/80411082.cmsDate Visited: 26 July 2022 1. Language is one of the fundamental preconditions to human development, dialogue, reconciliation, tolerance, cultural and linguistic diversity, and the peaceful existence of … Read more

“We now had history on our side”: Poet Kamal Kumar Tanti on his search for identity – From Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal to the tea gardens of Assam

The Assamese poet Kamal Kumar Tanti won the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in the year 2012 for his book of poems, Marangburu Amar Pita. The phrase “Marangburu amarpita” can be roughly translated into English as “Marangburu, my father”. Marang Buru is the highest deity among some Adivasi communities of eastern and central India who follow … Read more

“A group of citizens who are the special responsibility of the President of India”: The meaning of Adivasi, Tribe and Aborigines for administrators and anthropologists – Government of India

Definition of Tribe The word ‘tribe’ conveys a neutral sense, a primary aggregate of people claiming descent from a common ancestor. The word ‘tribe’ has been a technical administrative term to denote aborigines. Tribes are regarded as the indigenous or autochthonous population of Indian subcontinent. Modern usage of this term suggests that it is a … Read more

“We plant the trees for our children in the memory of our elders who planted for us”: Trees are indispensable for India’s tribal communities

To enlarge, view other paintings and read the full article, click here >> My image shows the museum as a tree. It’s a strange tree. Things are a bit upside down and it’s a little frightening. Right on top, I’ve given it the shape of a drum that can be played. The branches are like paths leading to different … Read more