Order of the Supreme Court in the matter of Sugra Adiwasi & Others Vs Pathranand & Others dated 29/04/2025. The bench of Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed the state of Madhya Pradesh as well as the central government through the the Ministries of Tribal Affairs and …
ABO Tanithe first humanthe father of us allreceivedthree gifts from the goddess Anedone - pinea cabbage-likevegetable called gyia hama and bamboo. At firstAboTani could not find ihe tiny seeds of bamboo hidden in thegroundtill another friendly goddessAyarm Yarm Bunyiopened his eyes." Squatting by the hearth of his quaint bamboo huteldertribesperson …
A GOVERNMENT decree which had put the indigenous lands of Brazil up for grabs, is being contested for demarcating 70 indigenous areas and reserves. Till this date, more than 1, 100 actions have been registered with the National Indigenous Foundation (Funai) in this regard. This is seen as a direct …
A letter of protest Was written on May 9, to the World Bank (W8) president James Wolfensohn, by the International Rivers Network and the human rights group Witness for Peace, calling for an independent investigation into the WB's involvement in the building of Guatemala's infamous Chixoy dam, which saw hundreds …
Vesta Dama Pawra and Bhamta Tukya Padvi, two tribals from the Sardar Sarovar submergence zone villages in Dhule district of Maharashtra, alongwith the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar, went on an indefinite fast in front of the office of the Dhule collector since May 17. Supported by the …
Instead of the usual scenes of gaiety to celebrate the 'Discovery of Brazil' on April 22, Brazilian Indians undertook protest demonstrations to display their anger against an administration which has systematically created more hardships for them. Even as President Fernando Henrique Cardoso along with local leaders of the Pataxo area …
THE practice of tribal or generic medicines is a school with a difference. The practitioners are still found among the Irula tribals of Attapadi near Pallakkad in Kerala. Recently at a camp organised by the Prakrithi Sastra Vijnana Kendram at Nadavardmpu near Irinjalakudda, more than 2,000 people were given tribal …
Death stalks the Wichi, an indigenous Indian group of Salta province in Argentina, impoverished by the invasion of their lands by non Indian settlers (criollos). The coming of the criollos led to the disappearance of forests, animals and plants sustaining the Indians. Matters have worsened with the government planning a …
Kenya and Sri Lanka are an ocean apart. But they are also wide apart from each other in their strategies for wildlife conservation. While the former is moving towards involving the community, the latter remains stuck in anti-people conservationist strategies. In order to protect the world's biodiversity, the Sri Lankan …
The new Decree 1,775/96 signed by President Fernando Cardoso on January 8, allows Brazilian states, municipalities and other parties to contest and oppose the delimitation of indigenous lands (Down To Earth, Vol 4, No 19). Says Beto Borges, Amazon Campaign Coordinator of the Rainforest Action Network (RAN), "Brazil has taken …
IT WAS victory for the people, particularly the tribals, who have for long lived on 'the fringes of political centrestage. In a belated move, the Central government agreed to the demand of the adivasis to take steps to ensure adivasi 'self rule' after an indefinite hunger, strike by tribal activists …
I WOULD like to strongly denounce the message sent by Rajesh Pilot to this august assembly to discuss people's management of the Riljaji National Park by the Van Gujjars. It appears from his message that he has completely missed the purpose of this gathering. The minister is trying to push …
TRIBALS and patent rights activists have something to cheer for. In the first instance of its kind, the Kani tribe dwelling in the Agastyar hills in southern Kerala, will get the rights over an anti-stress drug developed by the Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (TBGRI). The tribe had helped …
THE aftereffects of a forest felling movement started in Singhbhum district of Bihar in 1978 had created a none-too- happy situation for tribal forest dwellers of the region, who felt that the core of their existence was being damaged indiscriminately. This was coupled with the Porahat (a forest territorial division …
In Uisiya village of Noamundi block, a group of young enthusiasts undertook the task of protecting the adjoining degraded sal forests in 1988. Laguri jee and Niranjan Bobonga, the traditional headpersons of the area, rallied the people into preventing cattle from trespassing into the region. They successfully convinced the people …
On his selection of anthropology for a career: I started my career in 1958 as an Indian Administrative Service officer in Chhota- nagpur. While working there, I could not but help develop an interest in anthropology. The subject is all about people and I wanted to work with them. Therefore, …
A new serial on India's tribal heritage will soon hit Doordarshan's Channel 3. Bappa Roy, recipient of three President's awards for his anthropological and ethnographic films, is the director. Says Roy, "I have been working in the tribal belt for the last 15 years. It is no exotic portrayal of …
Survival International, a global organisation supporting tribal peoples, has launched a letter campaign to prevent the devastation of the lands of the Igorot tribals in the northern Philippines. Open cast mining in the lgorots' lands has already destroyed many of their rice terraces. According to the new code, private companies …
In Brazil, the feud over Decree 22/91 continues to dog the Yanomami and other indigenous peoples. S A Agropecuaria e lmoveis, an influential mining company, has now requested that the injunction it filed against the Decree at the Supreme Federal Court should continue to be judged. The judgement has been …
EIGHTY per cent of the world's population depends on indigenous knowledge to meet their medicinal needs, and at least half rely on indigenous knowledge and crops for food supplies, according to a new study done by the United Nations Development Programme. The study concretises what has been generally voiced by …
