“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
To learn more about specific items and their usage, type words like “instrument”, “ornament”, “drum”, “flute”, “puppetry”, “dress”, “ceremony”, “fish” etc. in search inside. For up-to-date reports type “Santal culture”, “Santali education”, “Santal heritage”, “West Bengal Santal dance”, “Tagore Santals”, “Santal Santiniketan” or similar combination of keywords in the search fields seen below.
Mari Marcel Thekaekara, writer and Co-founder of ACCORD-Nilgiris says the tribal communities are a standing example of how women play a major role in preservation of eco historic cultural heritage in India “Once, I was walking with this young tribal girl through the forest and we stumbled upon a tuber. She plucked it, cut the … Read more
Long, long ago there was a time when the sun would shine all along in the sky and there would always be light on earth …
CULTURAL TRADITIONS OF NATURE CONSERVATION IN INDIABy Dr S.M. Nair Living in harmony with Nature has been an integral part of Indian culture. This has been abundantly reflected in a variety of traditional practices, religious beliefs, rituals, folklore, arts and crafts, and in the daily lives of the Indian people from time immemorial. The present … Read more
This lecture was recorded for broadcast on Ideas on CBC Radio One. Listen to the full episode (54:00) >> Every culture tries to answer a fundamental question: What does it mean to be human and alive? In the Milton K. Wong Lecture, anthropologist Wade Davis explores some of the diversity of human culture, and considers what … Read more