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

A “Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group” determined to overcome slavery and coercion: The Sahariya, a community of former hunter gatherers – Rajasthan

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Sahariya adivasis in Baran in south Rajasthan have waged a quiet war against generations of slavery to local landlords. Pushed off agricultural land and struggling to sustain themselves on deteriorating forests, hundreds of Sahariya families here remained indebted as “hali” — among 31 forms of bonded debt prohibited by Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1976 … Read more

Video & eBook | Reviving the Huka Banam: Fiddle of choice for the Santal communities – West Bengal

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The Huka Banam has been a Santal tradition, particularly among the community in Purulia and Bankura. Since the last two decades or so however, the tradition has gradually become extinct. Only a handful of old timers are still familiar with or continue to play the instrument, with possibly a few younger exceptions. This workshop was … Read more

Video | “Please sister, pluck me a flower”: Santal puppetry and dhodro banam exponent Damon Murmu documented by Daricha Foundation – West Bengal

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Daman Murmu is a Santal puppeteer and Banam artist from North Dinajpur in West Bengal. He performs the rare Chadar Badani form of puppetry which is practically extinct among the Santals themselves. 69 year old artist, Damon Murmu of Mahanandapur village in Dakshin Dinajpur became properly acquainted with the unique puppetry form of Chadar Badani … Read more

Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India: Art revival Projects by Eastern Zonal Cultural Center (EZCC) – Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura, West Bengal and The Union Territory of The Andaman and Nicobar Islands

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The Eastern Zonal Cultural Center (EZCC) covering the states of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Orissa, Sikkim, Tripura, West Bengal and The Union Territory of The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is one of the seven such Zonal Cultural Centers set up by the Government of India with a view to culturally integrate the states and Union … Read more

Is “brick house” the only sign of development? – West Bengal

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Dr. Boro Baski; translated from Bengali to English by Asha BaskiOriginally published in Anandabazar Patrika (India’s most widely read Bengali daily) I was born in a Santal village in Birbhun District. In my childhood I saw how my mother cleaned the courtyard every morning with cow-dung mixed with black charcoal and water, and how she … Read more