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

eBook | Constitutional obligations towards communities “suffering from extreme social, educational and economic backwardness” and “untouchability” – Government of India

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Welcome to NCST – National Commission for Scheduled Tribes The framers of the Constitution took note of the fact that certain communities in the country were suffering from extreme social, educational and economic backwardness arising out of age-old practice of untouchability and certain others on account of this primitive agricultural practices, lack of infrastructure facilities and … Read more

The changing character of sacred groves (kaavu): Tiny oases rich in floral and faunal biodiversity converted due to urbanization – Tamil Nadu & Kerala

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Many small towns across India also have sacred groves. The kaavus of Kerala are managed by the government, temple trusts, local community, or even privately. In Thrissur, there are as many as 970 such kaavus in the district, of which 220 are in the heavily populated urban taluk of Thrissur. These kaavus are tiny oases … Read more

eBook | Giving ‘voice’ to Adivasi communities in India and inspiring projects in other states: Bhasha Research and Publication Centre – Gujarat

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Bhasha Research and Publication Centre was founded in 1996 with the purpose of giving ‘voice’ to Adivasi communities in India. The Adivasi Academy is founded by Bhasha at Tejgadh in Chhotaudepur district of Gujarat as an institute to combine the functions of the national academies, museums and literary bodies in the country, with respect to … Read more

Video | Swang Nritya, the drama of the Sahariya tribe: Songs and dance that spread awareness about social issues like child marriage, women’s rights, the need of education – Rajasthan

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Living amidst the forest in symphony with the ways of nature, the Sahariyas are one of the last remaining tribes of Rajasthan. This group of self sufficient people has lived all their lives without the use of modern day implements and speaks a local dialect called Haroti that is influenced by the languages of Hindi and Braj. The … Read more

Tribe vs Adivasi: A collective Identity – Dictionary definition vs. traditional India’s socio-religious and economic distinctions (jana, jati)

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The concept tribe has evolved from the Middle English term ‘tribuz’ meaning the three divisions into which the early Romans are grouped. For the Romans, the tribe is a political division. But for others it is equated with geographical divisions. The Irish history conceives the term as families or communities of persons having the same … Read more