© 1994-2021 Center for World Indigenous Studies
The Center for World Indigenous Studies is a
non profit 501c(3) research and education organization
Now live! Native Roots, Greener Futures: Walking the Kálhaculture Way. Our course is free for teens, their families and educators. Learn about climate change, indigenous wisdom and how to become an activist scholar in your community. If you are a parent or educator interested in a quality learning experience about the environment indigenous knowledge, traditional agriculture, mindfulness, medicinal plants and more, you will be interested in sharing this program with children and adults of all ages.
Native Roots, Greener Futures consists of 7 modules full of cases and activities that will guide students in applying indigenous knowledge to climate change problems and empowering them to become change-makers in their own communities.
The modules of this course are
1. Indigenous Ways of Knowing
2. The Problem: The Changing Climate is Changing Plants
3. Plants as Food, Plants as Medicine
4. Becoming an Activist Scholar
5. Stories of Activist Scholars: The Solution
6. The Očhéthi Šakówiŋ: A Case Story
7. Your Story Goes Here
This last module is very special as it provides a place for students to contribute to the course by sharing their vision and mission as change-makers.
Be the change!
“Movements of farmers and farm labourers […] are headed for serious trouble if they do not factor in the problems of climate change (which have already devastated agriculture in India); if they do not locate themselves in, and link their battles to, an agroecological approach.” – P. Sainath in “We Didn’t Bleed Him Enough”: When Normal is the Problem (counterpunch.org, 12 August 2020, first published in Frontline magazine) | More about climate change | United Nations on climate change >>
Listen to (Land) Back to the Future by Riley Yesno on the CBC Ideas website >>
“In less than 200 years, photography has gone from an expensive, complex process to an ordinary part of everyday life. From selfies to satellites, most of the technology we use and spaces we inhabit rely on cameras. […] While photographic documentation can aid in shaping history, it can also be a window into the horrors of the past.” – Read more or listen to Butterfly Effect 9 – The Camera on CBC Radio Spark 26 May 2023 >>
“The tribal households traditionally had a backyard garden that had multiple, multilayered and multipurpose indigenous trees, plants, herbs, and shrubs. […] The produce from this small garden was sufficient to meet the dietary and nutrition needs of a family for an entire year.” – Learn more about food crops that are resistant to pests, grow on poor soils, flourish under changed climatic conditions and offer high nutritive value | Food distribution >>
Adivasi communities: stewards of India’s cultural heritage and biodiversity
[…] India’s tribal communities — over 104.5 million people, or 8.6 per cent of the population — remain among the most marginalised despite decades of welfare schemes and development promises. In states such as Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Rajasthan and Odisha, tribal districts consistently record higher poverty levels than non-tribal areas, even as these regions supply land, forests and minerals for the country’s growth. These communities have often been compelled to relinquish their lands for large-scale infrastructure projects, resulting in the erosion of their identity, livelihoods, and future prospects.
It is crucial to recognise the value these communities bring, particularly their eco-friendly lifestyles, which offer important insights into addressing climate-related challenges. For instance, during the 2018 drought in Sundergarh, Odisha, a visit to a remote tribal village revealed thriving vegetation and effective water-harvesting systems. Kiri village in Lahunipara block of Sundergarh district, inhabited by the Paudi Bhuyan community — a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) — has demonstrated remarkable resilience.
This observation underscores the importance of learning from traditional ecological knowledge, especially sustainable farming practices that rely on drought-resistant and indigenous seeds.
Adivasi communities, as stewards of India’s cultural heritage and biodiversity, must be central to the nation’s development narrative. Their lives are intricately linked to land, forests and water, yet they face growing threats from climate change, livelihood insecurity and displacement. Addressing these challenges requires more than welfare initiatives; it demands robust enforcement of constitutional rights, substantial public investment and the strengthening of Gram Sabha–based governance. […]
Source: “Union Budget must shift from welfare to rights-based public investment for Adivasi communities” by Debabrat Patra, Sion Kongari & Saurabh Kumar, Down to Earth, 9 February 2026
URL: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/governance/union-budget-must-shift-from-welfare-to-rights-based-public-investment-for-adivasi-communities
Date Visited: 30 June 2026
The tribal food basket has always been diverse and nutritious, including maize, minor millets like kodo and kutki, oil seeds like ramtila, along with fruits, leaves, rhizomes, mushrooms, meat and fish. […] We have pushed them out of their complementary relationship with ecology, way of life and time-tested nutrition >>