“The adivasi has always been described as a figure of pity by mainstream writers. But there is a group of tribal writers, who, through their literature, are giving an answer to the questions raised on their identity.” – Jitendra Vasava, a lecturer at Adivasi Academy, Tejgadh (Indian Express, 28 February 2010)
http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/symposium-held-on-gujarat-tribal-literature/585310
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=6304
[…] In India, as elsewhere, colonialism is “first, foremost and always” about land. As in North America and Africa, the policing of reserve forests has often resulted in what amounts to ethnic cleansing, with Indigenous peoples being evicted from their homelands for the benefit of the tourism industry and its urban, middle-class clients. Displaced Adivasis … Read more
“There is an intimate connection between the historical process of the creation of ‘Adivasi’ as a social category and the construction of the knowledge about the Adivasi communities as well as the popular imagery of Adivasis. Therefore, the management of memory in relation to the Adivasi communities is likely to run into contradictions when placed within … Read more
Decolonizing MethodologiesResearch and Indigenous PeoplesLinda Tuhiwai Smith To the colonized, the term ‘research’ is conflated with European colonialism; the ways in which academic research has been implicated in the throes of imperialism remains a painful memory. This essential volume explores intersections of imperialism and research – specifically, the ways in which imperialism is embedded in … Read more
Watching tribal dancing live and up close is a hugely different experience from watching it on telly. For the 40-strong Gudalur adivasi group, recently invited by the Central University of Jharkhand to the Tribal Cultural Festival in Ranchi, the face-to-face with similar groups from all over India was mind boggling. For over 25 years, Stan … Read more
The exhibition, “A Disappearing World: Ancient Traditions Under Threat in Tribal India” [held at the Brunei Gallery at SOAS from April 13 to June 25, 2011]. Seminars are also being held to discuss the suffering of the tribals. The photographs have been taken by an American, Robert Wallis, who said: “The adivasi artists are using … Read more