“While benefiting from affirmative action in some cases, Adivasis or indigenous people in India also feel the claustrophobic confines of their identity which has been imposed on them by others, be it the colonial administrator, the colonial anthropologist, the missionary or the neo-liberal, neo-imperialist forces that rule global economy today.” – Santali poet, scholar and translator Ivy Imogene Hansdak in “Is tribal identity relevant in today’s world?”, Inaugural Speech, National Conference “Tribes In Transition-II: Reaffirming Indigenous Identity Through Narrative” (2017)
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=23032
The Santals, a proto-Austroloid racial group, are the largest tribe in West Bengal accounting for more than 50% of the state`s tribal population. Other than West Bengal, their major concentration is in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Tripura. In Assam, they are not classified separately as a tribe and their lot is clubbed … Read more
Sohrai – The First Day The most important festival of the Santals is called Sohrai. It is the Harvest Festival celebrated after the rice harvest in early January. The celebrations stretch over several days. The first day is Um hiloah. Every family contributes half a kilo of rice, a young chicken, salt, turmeric powder, potatoes, … Read more
Learning in Ladakh from K K on Vimeo. Ladakh is ‘little Tibet’ culturally speaking and geographically it provides a habitat for the shy and reclusive Snow Leopard which is on the verge of extinction and which is why the Snow Leopard Conservancy exists, to stem their demise. Headed ably by Rinchen Wangchuk in India. SLC, … Read more
Santals are the largest homogeneous tribal community in Eastern India. In the 1991 census, more than 5.2 million Santals were counted [5.8 million in the 2001 census]. People of this ethnic group are also found in neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. Santals have an oral tradition; songs and rituals play an important role … Read more
The Huka Banam has been a Santal tradition, particularly in Purulia and Bankura. However, this ancient instrument is gradually becoming extinct and there are just a handful of practitioners left today. This workshop was organized as an initial step towards stemming the decline. © 2016 Daricha Foundation. Workshop, Purulia Source: :: Reviving the Huka BanamAddress: https://www.daricha.org/videoplay.aspx?ID=119Date … Read more