Tribal identity

“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

UNICEF study on tribal education conducted by the National Institute of Advanced Studies

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Adivasis in India receive the “lowest-cost, poorest-quality and indifferently administered education”, a [2012] study backed by the UNICEF has revealed. Not only are the Adivasis marginalised, even affirmative action/reservation programmes for Adivasis (as Scheduled Tribes) in higher educational institutions have not had the desired effect, the report suggests. Conducted by the National Institute of Advanced … Read more

Video | “Nations don’t make us human – languages make us human”: Ganesh Devy – People’s Linguistic Survey of India

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The census of India says the country is losing languages at an alarming rate. But the People’s Linguistic Survey of India seems to say there’s more to it than meets the eye. Wherever the colonial power was played the local languages were destroyed completely: in Australia, in United States, in Canada. In this country so … Read more

Learning from the Kattunayakan community: How to live with elephants? – Tamil Nadu

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Elephant conservation: Can elephants and humans live together?   Berserk beasts, trashed crops, vengeful villagers: tales of ‘conflict’ come thick and fast as humans and elephants are forced into closer contact. But does it have to be war? Across Asia and Africa, there are hints of how we might live in peace | To view more photos … Read more

Audio | The Muria and Maria Gonds of Madhya Pradesh – audio examples and information

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Audio samples and details: Smithsonian >> Tribal Music of India: The Muria and Maria Gonds of Madhya PradeshCULTURE GROUP(S) Maria; MuriaRECORD LABEL Folkways Records 1983Various Artists FW04028 A buffalo-horn trumpet, the hakum, announces the joyful harvest festival and varying types of drums called mandri, kotoloka and kundir take over. A group of women chant antiphonally … Read more