Rights of Indigenous Peoples

“The power of the Universal Declaration is the power of ideas to change the world. It inspires us to continue working to ensure that all people can gain freedom, equality and dignity. One vital aspect of this task is to empower people to demand what should be guaranteed: their human rights.” – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Illustrated edition of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (2015 ed.)
https://www.un.org/en/udhrbook/pdf/udhr_booklet_en_web.pdf
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=25720

Film | “Mahua Memoirs” by Vinod Raja on Adivasis communities who live in the mountain tracts and forests of the Eastern Ghats – Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Chattisgarh & Jharkhand

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Date and Time: 28-30 August, 2020 (48 hours, 6 pm-6 pm)Film: MAHUA MEMOIRSDirector: Vinod RajaDuration: 83 minutesFilm type: Documentary (with English subtitles)Produced by Grassroots media and Equations SYNOPSISSaloo, the bard and Thirku, the Baiga, takes us on a journey through the lives of the many Adivasis communities who live in the mountain tracts and forests … Read more

Forests mean different things to different people: Biologists and conservationists, strategic planners and tribal people – Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand & Odisha

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Forests mean different things to different people, for biologists and conservationists, an ecosystem has to adhere to certain scientific norms to qualify it as a forest. For strategic planners, forests are “an administrative category implying a desired land use” whether or not trees are included, but it is useful in making claims to “extend the … Read more

A historical plea to ‘secure the advancement of the tribals without disturbing the essential harmony of their life and secure their integration without imposition’: Scheduled Areas and Scheduled Tribes Commission – Government of India

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Indians are truly rooted in an ethos of living in harmony with their land. There was a time when the Indian subcontinent was carpeted in green… watered by glacial rivers, blessed by rolling hills and productive grasslands, lush rainforests and wave-kissed mangroves. All creatures, great and small, found niches here and thrived. Varied cultures were … Read more

“India is unique in having a highly sophisticated minority rights protection system for its Scheduled Tribes”: Constitutional provisions and their implementation

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The highly heterogeneous Adivasi (“original inhabitants”) represent India’s de facto indigenous peoples. De jure, however, they are not recognised as indigenous and are instead designated as Scheduled Tribes in the Fifth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. India is unique in having a highly sophisticated minority rights protection system for its Scheduled Tribes, which is, however, … Read more

Honey and wax production “a major seasonal activity” for Mahudharali (Honey gatherer) communities – Odisha

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Honey and wax production is a major seasonal activity of bees in forest areas. Around 5000 locals earn their livelihood by gathering honey and bee-wax in the season from April to June. They are locally called as ‘Mahudharali’ (honey collector). […] Around 5000 locals earn their livelihood by gathering honey and bee-wax in the season from … Read more