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

Participatory resource monitoring, implementation of the Forest Rights Act and welfare schemes – Karnataka

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Learn more about tribal communities, biodiversity and wildlife related issues across Karnataka and the Western Ghats (e.g. search for “Karnataka Adivasi Abhivrudhi Mandali”, “Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve”, “man animal conflict Karnataka”, “Karnataka tribal welfare”, “Valmiki Scheduled Tribes”, “forest based tribal communities”, “Soliga development, “Jenuba Juruba rights”, “BR Hills”)

The “Sohrai” harvest festival of the Santals: A large mural created by village artists to express their cultural identity – West Bengal

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Sohrai – The First Day The most important festival of the Santals is called Sohrai. It is the Harvest Festival celebrated after the rice harvest in early January. The celebrations stretch over several days. The first day is Um hiloah. Every family contributes half a kilo of rice, a young chicken, salt, turmeric powder, potatoes, … Read more

The Santals by Boro Baski

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Santals are the largest homogeneous tribal community in Eastern India. In the 1991 census, more than 5.2 million Santals were counted [5.8 million in the 2001 census]. People of this ethnic group are also found in neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. Santals have an oral tradition; songs and rituals play an important role … Read more

UNICEF study on tribal education conducted by the National Institute of Advanced Studies

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Adivasis in India receive the “lowest-cost, poorest-quality and indifferently administered education”, a [2012] study backed by the UNICEF has revealed. Not only are the Adivasis marginalised, even affirmative action/reservation programmes for Adivasis (as Scheduled Tribes) in higher educational institutions have not had the desired effect, the report suggests. Conducted by the National Institute of Advanced … Read more

eBook | The Leopard and the Barber (Kunkna) – A story from Gujarat

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There once lived a poor barber by the name Bhaglo. Since he was a barber by profession, he was known as Bhaglo Hajam. Bhaglo lived in a small village and could earn very little …