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

eJournal | “Folk practitioners are an integral part of one of India’s many local cultures”: New light on a wide spectrum of Traditional Indian Medicine (TIM)

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Maarten Bode, “Traditional Indian Medicine (TIM) is not just Ayurveda” in IIAS Newsletter (International Institute for Asian Studies) | No.70 | Spring 2015, p. 47 The manifesto in the Focus section ‘Theorizing Heritage’ (the Newsletter #69) gives me the opportunity to discuss the political nature of narrowing the many forms of contemporary Traditional Indian Medicine … Read more

On the experience of having become an alien among one’s own people: Insiders’ reflections on the value of Santal customs in modern Indian society | West Bengal & Jharkhand

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Dr. Boro Baski For the Santals, an Adivasi community in eastern India and Bangladesh, herding is traditionally a way to teach the young generation values and rules. School education is becoming ever more important however, and herding is becoming economically unviable. […] Moreover, they play the flute and sing, and they share stories and incidents … Read more

Cultivating wild varieties of medicinal plants makes tribal communities self-reliant: Increased demand for Ayurveda medicines – Kerala

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Giji K. Raman, The Hindu, KATTAPPANA, August 26, 2014 | To view more photos and read the full article, click here >> Murugan, a native of Kammalankudy in the Marayur sandal division, is a happy man. He was selected the best farmer in the forest division for cultivating the largest quantity of ‘kattupadavalam’ (a wild … Read more

The theatrical aspect of traditional dances of India are probably rooted in tribal dances: Pandit Birju Maharaj in “Tribal dances of India”

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Tribal dances of India by Robin D Tribhuwan; Preeti R Tribhuwan. New Delhi: Discovery Pub. House, 1999. ISBN 8171414435 (Rs. 2000) From the Foreword by Padma Vibhushan Pandit Birju Maharaj Tribals or adivasis in India, have been the first settlers of the undistributed forests, mountains, and valleys, where in they have developed various domains of socio-cultural life. Music, … Read more

Methods of doing advocacy on behalf of the Adivasis of Assam: A one day seminar on 26 June 2015 – Jharkhand

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This year we are organizing a one day seminar on the methods of doing advocacy on our demand for ST status to the adivasis of Assam. We hope that this seminar could show the individuals and organizations especially in Dumka a way to network with individuals and groups who may already be working or may … Read more