Worship & rituals

“Bomman thatha told me that our gods live in stones, big rocks and trees. We won’t cut aal maram (Ficus religiosa) because gods will be in that tree. Even the water in the area around the tree should be used neatly and not destroyed. In our community our god Ajji (grandmother) lives in Ellamalai mountain. She is also called Thrithri Eributham. […] Before fishing or taking tubers, we will pray to god and only then we will take it.” – Wildlife conservationist Ramesh in “Bomman thatha and his forest”, a conversation with his grandfather on “bonding between adivasi people and the forest” (At the Edge of Existence, 29 October 2014)
https://cultureandconservation.wordpress.com/2014/10/29/bomman-thatha-and-his-forest/
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=8262

The Lambani: A pan-Indian tribal community of many names and “known for its colourful dress” – Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Orissa & West Bengal

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LAMBANIS: ORIGIN AND SOCIO CULTURAL PROFILEBy Dr. K. Ramalingareddy ORIGIN OF LAMBANIS India is a land of castes and tribes. According to an estimate there arc about 427 tribal groups in the Country (Roy Burman, 1971:2). The Anthropological Survey (1967) has estimated the number at 314 considering a number of tribes to be the constituents … Read more

Learn more about tribal communities in Madhya Pradesh

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When it comes to protein and calorie counts, milk and bananas do not match up to eggs, particularly for [Madhya Pradesh], where development indicators are among India’s worst: Almost 51% of children under five years of age are underweight, and 49% are stunted. The state has India’s highest infant mortality rate, i.e. the number of … Read more

Irula communities: Spread over the three southern States with a language marked by unique features – Tamil Nadu, Karnataka & Kerala

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3.10. Cultural Forms of the Irula People The life cycle rituals of the Irulas are markedly different from that of the other Hindu or Christian communities. They perform the life cycle ceremonies with the help of their women by well-established cultural patterns and do not depend on outside intervention to keep itself going. They celebrate … Read more

Practices admired by scientists worldwide, so “Leave the conservation to us”: The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) observes World Bee Day on May 20 – Karnataka

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Source: “Adivasi honey harvesters demand forest control and criticise ‘unfriendly’ conservation measures”URL: https://india.mongabay.com/2022/11/adivasi-honey-harvesters-demand-forest-control-and-criticise-unfriendly-conservation-measures/Date Visited: 25 December 2022

Bastar art and the Hindu-isation of the tribal myth – Chhattisgarh

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Niranjan Mahawar, 75 [in 2012], is a self-taught ethnologist of Chhattisgarh. He spent almost five decades in southern Chhattisgarh to study the life and art of the Bastar tribes. […] Today, Mahawar — who was made famous in a series of interviews by the writer Dom Moraes — is considered an authoritative voice on central … Read more