Names & communities

Communities with populations spread across state/linguistic borders are often known by different names by local authorities while “some of these communities figure in various classifications in the states” according to the National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes: “There are many anomalies in terms of identification of these communities, from state to state. Many people also do not know what is denotified tribe and which authority is looking after their grievances. […] In some states they are called ‘tribal settlers’. In some states they are called ‘hidden tribes’ etc.” – Bibek Debroy in “An unfortunate legacy” (Indian Express, 5 January 2017)
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/crime-criminal-act-racial-discrimination-non-bailable-offence-criminal-tribes-act-an-unfortunate-legacy-4459258/
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=12284

Interview | Daricha Foundation traces the roots of folk and tribal arts – West Bengal

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Interview with Daricha Foundation’s founder Ratnaboli Bose If one of the scenes that you remember from Satyajit Ray’s Agantuk is where Mamata Shankar serves goyna bodi to Utpal Dutt, then you could be a friend of Daricha, a one-stop knowledge portal aimed at documenting, promoting and disseminating Bengal’s folk and tribal culture. Conceived by Ratnaboli … Read more

Study on ethno-medical practitioners among the Kaani community: Indigenous knowledge on medicinal plants is gaining recognition worldwide – Tamil Nadu

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The hill tribal and rural communities of Kanyakumari district are heavily dependent on wild plants for their primary health care and treatment of diseases. International Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical SciencesISSN- 0975-1491 Vol 4, Issue 1, 2012 | Backup copy (PDF, 300KB) >>Received: 26 Aug 2011, Revised and Accepted: 10 Nov 2011 INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE OF … Read more

Tagore’s Santiniketan, “an Abode of Learning Unlike Any in the World” – West Bengal

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Santiniketan’s bell – Photo © Ludwig Pesch Located about 158 km northwest of Kolkata in Bengal’s rural hinterland, Santiniketan embodies Rabindranath Tagore’s vision of a place of learning that is unfettered by religious and regional barriers. Established in 1863 with the aim of helping education go beyond the confines of the classroom, Santiniketan grew into … Read more

eJournal | Understanding the importance of land-rights for Adivasi communities: Colonial laws that continue to affect various indigenous groups of Chotanagpur – Jharkhand

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Exploitation, land rights, and identity assertion Since the colonial period the question of land-rights has been crucial for Indian Adivasis. Attempts to regain lost lands have provoked successive rebellions from 1832 to 1905. Stressing that these forms of resistance and rebellion, as alternative forms of identity assertion, must be ‘understood and analysed on the basis … Read more