Adivasi / Adibasi

“Adivasi [Adibasi] – which is derived from Sanskrit – is applied to the dark-skinned or Austro-Asiatic indigenous groups of India (usually those from Eastern India). It is a commonly-used term in Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha. It is also used by the local Mongoloid tribes of North Eastern India for the migrant workers who were brought in as indentured labourers to work in tea plantations during the colonial period. ‘Tribal’ is a very broad term in the English language, as we all know, and includes all the different indigenous groups of India.” – Santali poet, scholar and translator Ivy Imogene Hansdak (email dated 27 March 2020)
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=23032

eJournal | Understanding the importance of land-rights for Adivasi communities: Colonial laws that continue to affect various indigenous groups of Chotanagpur – Jharkhand

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Exploitation, land rights, and identity assertion Since the colonial period the question of land-rights has been crucial for Indian Adivasis. Attempts to regain lost lands have provoked successive rebellions from 1832 to 1905. Stressing that these forms of resistance and rebellion, as alternative forms of identity assertion, must be ‘understood and analysed on the basis … Read more

Tribal Politics – adivasi culture, language, and religion in Encyclopedia of India

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Tribal Politics The “tribal” peoples or adivasis of India, according to the 2001 census, constitute roughly 8.1 percent of the country’s population, some 83,6 million people, classified under 461 different communities. They occupy a belt stretching from the Bhil regions of western India through the Gond districts of central India, to Jharkhand and Bengal, where … Read more

Tip | Opportunities to appreciate India’s tribal cultural heritage from different angles: Visit one of India’s many museum collections

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Please note: India has far more museums and archives with “tribal collections” than can be shown here. Smaller collections are rarely advertised in tourist brochures or on the internet yet accessible by appointment (e.g. anthropology departments and research institutions). Collections and documentations of musical instruments are also found in the premises of the Sangeet Natak Akademi (New Delhi), exhibitions at some of the Zonal Cultural Centres (Government of India), and in … Read more

Video | Adivasi pithora artist Desing Rathwa: An art form noted for being spontaneous and detailed – Gujarat & Madhya Pradesh

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The clip opens with a description of Bhasha’s publishing activities and role in Gujarat’s general education system. It features Desing Rathwa, a adivasi pithora artist belonging to Rangpur Sadli Village near the border between Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Desing used to work as a daily wage labourer earlier. Several years back when Bhasha started work … Read more

eJournal | Local museums providing space for tribal culture, literature and other artistic expressions: Inviting communities to create exhibitions in their own way – Gujarat & Madhya Pradesh

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Source: Irish Journal of Anthropology, Vol. 19(2) 2016 Autumn/WinterEDITORIAL NOTE, LIDIA GUZY, MARINE CARRIN, HARALD TAMBS-LYCHEhttps://www.anthropologyireland.org/images/2016_2/2016_2_1_Editorial%20Note.pdfAccessed: 17-12-17 | Backup (PDF, 6,8 MB)