Indigenous Heritage & Nature

Our tribe is completely different from other castes. Our lifestyle and food habits are completely different. We are completely dependent on nature. We also get various food items from nature. We worship nature.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We are the Kharia tribal community. And we worship the trees, pillars, and soil of the forest. And accordingly, our festivals, our language are also different. That's why we are separate.

— Anjana Khadia · Sundargarh, Odisha

Our spoken language, attire, food, lifestyle, our culture, customs and traditions, and system are completely different from others, and it is unwritten. We, the people of the Adivasi Gond community, are worshippers of nature, which sets us apart from others.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

Our tribal Gond community are nature worshippers who protect water, forest, and land, which indeed makes our society completely different from others.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

The tribal community is different from other communities because its lifestyle, diet, and worship methods are connected to nature.

— SUKDEV HEMBRAM · East Singhbhum, Jharkhand

The main identity of our tribe is our conservative tradition and attire, along with our rituals, spoken language, and prevalent practices related to nature that have been passed down from our ancestors. These are not found in other societies, so this is our identity.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

Our culture, customs, and traditions are unwritten, which sets us apart from others. We have primarily been nature worshippers from our ancestors.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

We are indigenous people and we worship nature.

— Manjusha Marko · Dudhi, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

The tribal community has always been a worshipper of nature, it has its own traditional rituals and customs.

— Kachala Choudhary

The three main reasons that primarily define our tribe are birth, death, and marriage rituals; our culture is different from other tribes; and we are nature worshippers.

— Sukhdas Mandavi · Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Chhattisgarh

Firstly, our lifestyle is nature-centric. Forests, hills, rivers, soil—we have a daily connection with all of these. We see nature not just as a resource, but as a life-giving companion. Secondly, our customs and traditions, traditional knowledge, festivals, songs, dances, and folk tales have made our identity unique. These cultural aspects distinguish us from other tribes. Thirdly, our collective philosophy of life—“Everyone eats together, works together, and supports each other”—this is our strength. The community is considered senior to the individual. Fourthly, our intimate connection with land, forest, and water. Considering the hills as deities, the forest as life, and wildlife as fellow travelers—this is the root of our culture. Therefore, my tribe is different from others because of: Traditional forest food and medicinal knowledge, Collective way of life, Life principles based on ancestral advice and folk tales, Religious perspective based on self-realization and natural relationships, Traditional agriculture, forest livelihood, and indigenous practices. All these elements make my tribe known as a distinct cultural, identity-rich, and glorious community.

— sudhir gamanga · Kharlingi, Housingboard Colony, Rayagada

Our rituals and environment are different from other tribes.

— Sukhdas Mandavi · Mohla, Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki, Chhattisgarh

Tribal communities are the protectors of nature. They take only as much from nature as is necessary to live life. They worship things associated with their lifestyle. They are committed to nature conservation, which defines them as unique.

— Vijay kanesh · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

We, the tribal people, worship nature. We worship trees and plants. We are always with nature.

— PRADEEP KUMAR KANHAR · Boudh, Odisha

Our customs, attire, traditions, spoken language, lifestyle, food habits, and culture are very different from other societies, which is an identity of the tribal community.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

Tribal communities are protectors of nature. They take only as much from nature as is necessary to live. They worship things associated with their lifestyle. They are committed to nature conservation, which defines them uniquely.

— Vijay kanesh · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

We are of the Kharia Adivasi tribe. And we worship the trees, posts, and soil of the forest. Accordingly, our festivals and our language are also different. That's why we cannot mix with other communities.

— Anjana Khadia · Sundargarh, Odisha

Our tribe's conservative traditions, culture, customs, spoken language, and attire are completely distinct from others. We are the protectors of water, forest, and land; the most unique, the most innocent, and the most special of all.

— Rupesh Maravi · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

Our tribal community is unique. Our tribal people are distinct because our attire, our cuisine, our lifestyle, and all our customs are different.

— Ulapi Sahu · Balangir, Odisha

Our culture is the special identity of our being tribal. This includes our attire, food habits, worship, and lifestyle.

— ANIL KUMAR · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Our tribe is different from other tribes because our festivals, food, lifestyle, worship, and everything else is different. We live our lives according to our own ways; our eating and drinking habits are also different, and we also eat tubers and fruits from the forests.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We are the tribal people of Jhara forest. We have strong faith. Our worship rituals are distinct. We belong to this land.

— Parikshit Majhi · Balangir, Odisha

There are many things that define our tribe, such as tribal identity, a deep connection with nature, a collective lifestyle, traditional knowledge, and our connection to folk culture.

— Hemant singh Negi · Noida, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh

We are tribal people, our traditions are distinct, our culture is distinct. We all want to preserve them.

— Parikshit Majhi

Our tribe is different from others; we are Lanjia Saora tribals, and all our traditions and customs are unique.

— Samana Mandangi

Our tribe is different from others because its clothing, lifestyle, and cultural and traditional customs are all distinct from those of other communities.

— Sunil oraon

We are from the Gond tribe and we worship nature.

— Manjusha Marko · Dudhi, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Our tribal community is a distinct and unique community known for its culture, traditions, and lifestyle.

— Narvada Sarpota

Our attire, our food, our cooking, our customs, our worship, our traditions, all of this distinguishes us from other tribes.

— Ulapi Sahu · Balangir, Odisha

We are a tribal community. Our language and food are different because of our tribal identity.

— Bharati Khandapatra · Mayurbhanj, Odisha

Our tradition is connected to nature.

— Amar Lal Dhurwey · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

Our tribe is different from other castes because its eating habits and lifestyle are distinct. Its culture, traditions, and customs are different.

— Sunil oraon · Ranchi, Jharkhand

We are tribals, and our food, drink, attire, dance, and music are different from other tribes.

— Bharati Khandapatra · Mayurbhanj, Odisha

We, the tribal people, are identified by our culture.

— अमर जीत · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh