Customs

“We have a song for every situation. We feel money takes away from the enjoyment of life. But to earn a livelihood, people have to learn other languages.” – Santal teacher Pada Murmu interviewed by Nandini Nair (OPEN Magazine, 13 January 2017)
https://openthemagazine.com/features/dispatch/santali-talking-time/
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=21581

Ethnomedicinal plants to cure skin diseases, poison bites, wounds and rheumatism: Traditional knowledge of Kaani (Kani) community in the Tirunelveli hills (Kanyakumari) – Tamil Nadu

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Costus speciosus (J. Koenig) Sm. (Costaceae) has long been considered an important medicinal plant in the Indian sub-continent and other countries of the world. The plant has been reported to have a wide array of ethnomedicinal uses [see Table 1: Ethnomedicinal uses]. Various parts of the plant including the rhizome are used by different tribal communities [e.g. … Read more

Video | Chenchu hunter-gatherers: An Ethnographic film by Sathya Mohan – Andhra Pradesh

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This award-winning ethnographic documentary film made by Sathya Mohan PV, deals with the socio-economic and religious life of the Chenchus, the only Telugu speaking prehistoric hunting-gathering tribe living in the Nallamalai forests of Andhra Pradesh, India. They are a conservative tribal group and have not made many changes in their lifestyle or tried to adapt … Read more

eBook | Museum of Santal Culture: A Catalogue on Santal Cultural Items – West Bengal

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To learn more about specific items and their usage, type words like “instrument”, “ornament”, “drum”, “flute”, “puppetry”, “dress”, “ceremony”, “fish” etc. in search inside. For up-to-date reports type “Santal culture”, “Santali education”, “Santal heritage”, “West Bengal Santal dance”, “Tagore Santals”, “Santal Santiniketan” or similar combination of keywords in the search fields seen below.

The Bhils, a proud and ancient ethnic group: On the descendants of some of the original inhabitants of India – Madhya Pradesh

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The Bhil tribe is a proud and ancient ethnic group inhabiting the Western part of Central India with the highest concentration in Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh State. | Read more >> The western region is home to a wide variety of people with different religious ‘s and cultures, most of whom have distinctive traditional … Read more

The social significance of an individual’s name: The Oram community – Jharkhand

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Name of the Individual […] The selection of individual’s name bears relevant social significance in the Oram community. Generally the main purpose of name selection for an individual is to point out the particular person who is being granted specific social position in the contemporary society. Oram vs Gotra (clan): crises in the use of … Read more