Seasons & festivals

“Our boys and girls get an opportunity to set their eyes upon each other during the dance of the Dandari. They also get to interact a little before they can mutually agree to take the matter to the next step. […] As per our customs and traditions the youngsters enjoy liberty in many aspects. It is rare that a selection made during the Dandari-Ghusadi [dance festival] phase gets cancelled.” – Patel of Bandeyer Atram Sone Rao (Telangana), quoted in “Adivasis dance their way to a girl’s heart” (The Hindu, 29 October 2016)
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/Adivasis-dance-their-way-to-a-girl’s-heart/article16085049.ece
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=22436

Durua, Bhumia, Gadaba and Kondh women receive respect from men for their inherent strength to lead the family and community forward

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Ch. Santakar, The Hindu, KORAPUT, January 1, 2013 Women in tribal communities of Koraput district were safe for the well acknowledged traditional guidelines of life being adhered to by one and all including the young and old in the community, Paresh Rath, a researcher on tribal way of life working in depth on Duruas of Koraput … Read more

JAGWAR Santal Literary Meet 2013: Johar HRD Centre, Dumka – Jharkhand

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SANTAL ONOLIA HELMEL 2013 Introduction: For centuries, a large proportion of India’s rich literary heritage was conserved in oral form in the tribal/ indigenous/ adivasi languages of India. After these tribal languages were reduced to script form in the nineteenth century, their oral traditions were documented and preserved as folklore. But as these communities were … Read more

Garo winter harvest festival: creating cultural awareness, generating employment – Meghalaya

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The Garo tribe of Western Meghalaya celebrates the winter harvest with a three-day festival. Pheroze L. Vincent watches the Garos climb oiled poles, burst into war cries, and perform dances inspired by crabs and swaying plants. Appearances are deceptive. The mobile phones of bus conductors play Bob Dylan and Eminem booms in the Mi Dokan … Read more