Lok Sabha Question No. 5524 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-04-02
Subject: Traditional Wisdom of Tribals
Ministry: TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Asked by: ANIRUDHAN SAMPATH, J. JAYASINGH THIYAGARAJ NATTERJEE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## (MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS)

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5524

TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.04.2018

## TRADITIONAL WISDOM OF TRIBALs

## 5524:   DR. A. SAMPATH:

SHRI J.J.T. NATTERJEE:

Will the Minister of TRIBAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government acknowledges the traditional wisdom such as handicrafting or other such skills,  sports,  indigenous  knowledge  of  herbal  medicines  etc.,  prevailing  among  the  tribal communities in India and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government has any proposal to integrate traditional wisdom with educational methods to empower tribal students of the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether for the progress of the tribal community, there is a dire need of educational bodies that blend well with the tribal background and lifestyle and if so, the details thereof, and
- (d) if so, the initiatives taken/proposed to be taken by the Government in this direction?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF TRIBAL AFFAIRS ( SHRI JASWANTSINH BHABHOR )

(a) to (d): The  traditional  wisdom  is  an  integral  part  of  tribal  cultural  heritage.  Ministry  of  Tribal Affairs is committed to preserve, protect and promote the rich tribal heritage including art & artefacts, handicraft,  sports,  tribal  medicines,  traditional  medicinal  practices  etc.    Government  supports  Tribal Research Institutes (TRIs) established in State, to work as a body of knowledge & research more or less as a think tank for tribal development and to work towards preservation and dissemination of distinctiveness / uniqueness of tribal culture and their traditional knowledge. Funds are provided to TRIs under the Scheme 'Support  to  TRI'  for  various  activities  including  construction  of  museum,  library,  language  primers, research works, seminar/workshop, publication of books, development of documentaries, organisation of tribal festivals etc.

Funds are also provided to private institutions for carrying out research work on various tribal issue under the Scheme 'Tribal Festival, Research Information and Mass Education'. National level tribal festival / carnival is organized by the Ministry to showcase glimpses of rich cultural heritage of tribal people across the country through unique forms of folk dances, songs, cuisine, exhibition and demonstration of traditional skill in painting, art and craft, medicinal practices etc. Ministry of Tribal Affairs, in association with Tribal Cooperative  Marketing  Development  Federation  of  India  Ltd.(TRIFED),  organized  a  National  Tribal Festival i.e 'Aadi Mahotsav' from 16 th November, 2017 to 30 th November, 2017. Almost 800 Artisans and Artists from 27 States participated in the Mahotsav and sold their products and displayed their crafts and skill.

The  Ministry  has  developed  a  central  digital  tribal  repository  capturing  the  diverse  socio-cultural charateristics of the entire spectrum of Scheduled Tribes. The repository contains digital photos, videos and literature related to tribal rituals, festivals, cloths, ornaments, music, dance forms, arts and crafts. The repository is available to the people across the world through a digital platform.

Even though there is no formal proposal to integrate traditional wisdom with educational methods with the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, this is being followed in tribal institutions of learning through emphasis on traditional  cultural  heritage.    Ministry  of  Tribal  Affairs  has  asked  the  State  Governments  to  develop bilingual  primers  containing  text  both  in  regional  and  local  tribal  languages  through  Tribal  Research Institutes (TRIs), which would help to integrate traditional wisdom with educational methods to empower tribal students.  Further, advisories have been issued to the States for synchronizing school vacations with local tribal festival and harvest seasons.

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