“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 Hindu, BHUBANESWAR, April 26, 2012 With the tribal population in forest regions in southern and western districts of Odisha continuing to be at risk of malarial attack, the State government has decided to rope in ‘dakua’ (drummers) of different tribes to spread awareness on this highly prevalent vector-borne disease. Every week these ‘dakuas’ will … Read more
PRASUN BHATTACHARYA, The Telegraph, March 19 , 2008 Rapid urbanisation in the hills is exposing the Bhutias to mounting levels of stress and increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, says a recently published study that contradicts the traditional belief that the members of the tribal community are characterised by their strong heart. […] Lifestyle factors like fat-rich food, … Read more
In one of the largest financial settlements made to American Indian tribes, the federal government said it had ended dozens of lawsuits by agreeing to pay tribes more than $1 billion for the mismanagement of funds and natural resources that the government holds in trust. […] The Interior Department, which manages about 56 million acres … Read more
The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People (9 August) was first proclaimed by the General Assembly in December 1994, to be celebrated every year during the first International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People (1995 – 2004). In 2004, the Assembly proclaimed a Second International Decade, from 2005 – 2015, with the theme of … Read more
Nearly half of India’s 1.2 billion people have no toilet at home, but more people own a mobile phone, according to the latest census data. Only 46.9% of the 246.6 million households have lavatories while 49.8% defecate in the open. The remaining 3.2% use public toilets. […] About 77% of homes in the eastern state … Read more