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 “Dungari mata” sacred grove maintained by Bhil and Bhilala communities: A custom that helps to preserve medicinal plants in the face of environmental degradation – Madhya Pradesh

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Inventory of ethnobotanicals and other systematic procedures for regional conservation of medicinal and sacred plants Author: Vijay V Wagh Affiliation: Plant Diversity, Systematics and Herbarium Division, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, 226 001, India; Ashok K Jain Affiliation: School of Studies in Botany, Jiwaji University, Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, 474 011, India … Read more

Documentary on the matrilineal Khasi Tribe: A social order where women are dignified and not discriminated against – Meghalaya

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By Kamayani Bali Mahabal | To read the full article with images, click here >> Filmmaker Aditya Seth demystifies the traditions and culture of the matrilineal Khasi tribe of Meghalaya, as they discover their place in a fast-changing world. […] In his latest 60-minute documentary, ‘Are They Better Off’, screened recently at the National Centre for the Performing Arts … Read more

eJournal | The New Institutionalized Religion of the Tangsa Community – Assam & Arunachal Pradesh

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Abstract In recent years, elites in many small ethnic communities in northeast India have made attempts to revive, reform and institutionalize their traditional religious practices in order to stem the tide of conversion to world religions and also to use their new religion as a marker for their ethnic identity. In this paper, I focus … Read more

Egalitarian culture leaves Adivasi youth unprepared for competition: On the challenge of balancing tradition and modernity

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Santal worriesBy Boro Baski, D+C 13/05/2013, Print Edition no. 6 2013 The young generation of India’s tribal communities is struggling with different problems than the college-educated urban youth that is presented in the media. Our author is from a Santal village and knows the challenges. In recent years India has seen an enormous amount of … Read more

eBook | “Santals Celebrate the Seasons: Six Murals by Sanyasi Lohar and his team” – West Bengal

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The Santal village Bishnubati is situated about 8 km from Santiniketan and Sriniketan, the abodes which Rabindranath Tagore made famous. Since almost 30 years Bishnubati and its neighbouring Santal village Ghosaldanga have made a singularly vigorous effort to develop their potential in the fields of agriculture, economic uplift, and especially of education and culture. Sanyasi … Read more