Tip | Brill’s Encyclopedia of the Religions of the Indigenous People of South Asia

This encyclopedia addresses the religions of a category of South Asians known as tribals, Ādivāsīs (“First Inhabitants”; or Janajātis, lit. “Class of People”; see also below), and, more recently, indigenous peoples. The three terms, “tribal,” “Ādivāsī,” and “indigenous peoples” are related, but have their own trajectories; they have come into use at different times and … Read more

Poet and novelist Mamang Dai: A member of a tribe of “ten thousand messengers / carrying the whispers of the world” – Arunachal Pradesh

Mamang Dai (India, 1957) is a poet and novelist. She lives in Itanagar in the North-east Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. She has one collection of poetry, River Poems, to her credit. Her next collection, Midsummer-Survival Lyrics, is due for publication in 2011. She writes in English. […] Dai’s poetic world is one of river, forest and … Read more

Understanding the lifestyle, rituals and social customs of seven indigenous tribes: “India’s first live tribal museum” – Madhya Pradesh Tribal Museum

As per the last news reports, India’s first live Tribal Museum has registered a marked increase in tourist footfall this year. And if data is to be analysed, the footfall of domestic and international tourists has considerably increased since it has been inaugurated on a year-on-year basis. | Read the full report on Times Travel … Read more

Traditional farming practiced by Baiga community: Planting 16 types of seeds every monsoon – Chhattisgarh

The Baiga tribals in Chhattisgarh have been repeatedly facing displacement from their home and forest-dependant livelihood over the years with more areas being notified as reserve forests in the State […] Old-timers like Sunarin can hardly see and doesn’t know her age, but remembers that she and some of the people in this village have … Read more

Video | Environmentalism of the poor: “Ecological issues are not a matter of luxury, but a matter of survival” – Centre for Science and Environment – Delhi

Environmentalism of the poor By Sunita Narain For many disadvantaged communities in developing countries, ecological issues are not a matter of luxury, but a matter of survival. In India, protests and social movements are expressing these worries. All over India today, protests are staged against infrastructure projects and what is generally considered “development”. […] It … Read more