Music & dance

“Within villages around Dang [Gujarat], traditional instruments and artists are waning. Cultural music and dance forms among the adivasis have evolved over centuries. Beautified by elements and nuances of their surroundings, these forms depict their very lifestyles. Played for hours together in the same tempo, music is an integral part of celebrations and mourning. […] Each instrument has a purpose and belief related to it.” – Ashleshaa Khurana in “The ailing art of adivasi music” (Times of India, 30 January 2014)
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=13780

The main festival celebrated of the Santal community (December-January): Sorhae “thanksgiving” – West Bengal, Jharkhand, Assam, Nepal, and Bangladesh

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Singing and Dancing, a Festivity of Unity By Boro Baski | Translated by Joel Tudu Sorhae is the biggest festival of the Santals. The Santals of Malda, Murshidabad, Dinajpur, Birbhum, Bardhaman district, together with the Santals of Jharkhand, Assam, Nepal, and Bangladesh, celebrate this festival with various rituals, singing and dancing towards the end of Bengali … Read more

Garo Drums: Symbols associated with specific regions and social occasions – Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, West Bengal & Bangladesh

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Garos are a tribal group from Meghalaya, predominantly residing in the Garo Hills region. Though found in the three (now five) Garo Hills districts, they also reside in the adjoining states of Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, and West Bengal in the Indian Union and across the political divide in the northern districts of Bangladesh. Traditionally the … Read more

“Celebrating the rich cultural heritage of tribal art forms” – Odisha, Arunachala Pradesh, Assam & Tripura

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The objective of the scheme is to make special efforts to encourage folk and tribal arts and to frame special programmes for the preservation and strengthening of the vanishing art forms. Through this scheme, the root of the Indian culture is explored and the artistes from the rural belt are provided with a stage to … Read more

Adivasi Traditions Re-Emerge among Gund tribals – Chhattisgarh

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In Padutola village, Chhattisgarh, the Gund tribals still carry out the age-old customs and practices that make their culture unique. […] Scheduled Tribes of India comprise of 15% of the total population, varying anywhere between 0.04% (Goa) to 94% (Mizoram) of the state population. The Constitution of India recognizes 645 distinct tribes under the Scheduled … Read more

Indigenous Knowledge Systems of the Rabha community: Protecting elephants – Assam

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Source: Elephants in Ethnicity and Folklore of Rabha tribes of Assam | Tata Fellowships in FolkloreAddress: http://indianfolklore.org/TataFellowships/?p=736Date Visited: Sun Sep 11 2016 11:49:42 GMT+0200 (CEST) [Bold typeface added above for emphasis]