Indigenous Forest Wisdom

We Adivasi communities are communities that depend on nature, collect roots and tubers from the forests, and use them as food, which is very nutritious and also serves as medicine.

— Ram Kumari

We tribals cut down forests to build our homes and live in the forest itself. From the forest, we get roots, flowers, and delicious fruits, and we sustain our lives from them, and we also do farming.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We get various types of fruits and roots from the forest.

— Laba Kumar sabar · Bada Baridi, Rayagada, Odisha

We tribal people bring herbs from the forest to treat many diseases, for the well-being of people.

— Ram Maravi · Dindori, Madhya Pradesh

Our community lives by building homes in the forests, hunting wild animals, and sustaining themselves by eating tamarind, mango, guava, and other produce found in the forest. Thus, they belong to a different way of life.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We are tribals, we are nature worshippers. We always depend on trees and plants to live. We sustain our livelihood by eating its tubers, fruits, and roots.

— PRADEEP KUMAR KANHAR · Boudh, Odisha

We tribals are completely different from other castes; our ancestors used to live in forests and sustained themselves by eating fruits, flowers, etc., from the forest.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We tribal people bring herbs from the forest and treat ailments, which is very important for health.

— Ram Maravi · Dindori, Madhya Pradesh

Residents in the forest bushes have a business of various medicinal plants, and they benefit from it for food.

— Devisingh Solanki · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

My tribal people, living in the forest far from the city and making food from forest produce.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Our tribe lives in the forest, far from villages and cities, and for food, they eat mahua, dori, koyna, this street, etcetera, kola.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Tribal people often live in forests and eat many things that we don't know.

— Chanda

The Makadia tribe's life and livelihood depend on the forest. They live by gathering and selling fruits, flowers, roots, medicinal herbs, and mushrooms from the forest as food. They respect whatever their elders say. When food in one forest runs out, they move to another forest.

— Anirudha Marai

Tribal people generally live in forests, live in hills, eat forest products, so they lead a different life from ordinary people.

— Kunakanta Behera · Dashapalla, Nayagarh, Odisha

We indigenous people used to eat roots and tubers from the forests and sustained ourselves with them. These also served as medicine, keeping our bodies healthy. Even today, we should use roots and tubers.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Tribals consume their food, roots, vegetables, etc., and live their lives well.

— Ram Maravi · Dindori, Madhya Pradesh

We get various greens and various fruits from the forest.

— Laba Kumar sabar · Bada Baridi, Rayagada, Odisha

Living in the forest and enduring hardships, whether it is building a home to use herbs for treating illnesses, or making a living by eating fruits and flowers, or for this.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Tribal people used to build homes after cutting down forests and used herbs, fruits, and food from the forest. And they used to drink Chuwada water. That's why tribal people are different.

— Chanda

They go into the jungle, build houses and huts, hunt birds and wild animals for their food and survival, and they eat fruits and flowers.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We get our nutritious diet from the forest, such as Mahua fruit Doli oil in the form of fat, Kodo, Bhaddi, Kulthia, Mahua flowers, Jamun, Mahua kheer, Bhaji, etc.

— Surajsingh Parmar · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

Obtaining food by hunting wild animals in the forest, eating fruits and flowers, and growing grains.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We can use muIdim found in the forest as traditional medicine.

— Anupama Mahanand · Sundargarh, Odisha

Traditional medicinal remedies are being prepared for obtaining by searching for medicinal herbs, fruits, roots, and other medicinal items from the forest.

— Padmalochan Majhi · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

Traditionally, we obtain medicinal products from the natural forest, various types of Hadi, Kandha, Banakandha, different kinds of leaves, brooms, and other such diverse things, as well as our traditional drinks.

— Mishra · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

Before, we used to eat saag roti, kurthi dal, urad dal, and mahua saag. Sometimes we would find amla and bael from the forest, and that's how we used to sustain our lives.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

My name is Rina Kuonro. We are the tribal indigenous people. We produce food and collect from the forest, and we express our desire to live with the forest or with nature. This is a humble request to the government for us, and please pay attention to the forest-derived food that we can obtain.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha

We used to gather forest products like mahua, cook them, make cakes, and eat them in the forest. Even now, we will learn from our ancestors.

— Gitanjali Bhoi · Karamdihi, Sundargarh, Odisha

Our diet. We are in a jungle area. The jungle's herbs and some of its air. Now, due to its influence, our diet is different. We remain healthy for this reason because we rely on herbs; when we wake up in the morning, it's the herbs...

— ANIL KUMAR · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We get treatment from the forest.

— Devisingh Solanki · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

From the forest, we also get many things as vegetables, such as

— Kekti Tekam

My name is Rashmita Pradhan. Just as our ancestors remained healthy by eating fruits and roots found in the forest, prepared without chemicals, we also wish to eat the same food now. We are from tribal-dominated areas. Our forest is our lifeline. Therefore, our ancient traditions should be restored, and our forest should not be destroyed. Thank you. Raika Kandhamal.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha

Earlier, we used to eat mahua from the sarai in the jungle and sustain our lives. No fertilizer was used at all. Our bodies also remained healthy. Everyone used to be strong and robust, and lived for a long time.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Currently, we are seeing that people are gradually obtaining the fruits, medicinal plants, greens, and nutritious food that were available in the forest.

— Ramadas Badanayak · Udulibeda, Malkangiri, Odisha

We used to live in our nature with the forest, happily bringing forest produce. We would all eat and live together. You were climbing.

— sudhir gamanga · Gadiakhala, Ketalugurha, Rayagada

In earlier times, we used to get medicine from the forest.

— Amar Lal Dhurwey · Mandla, Madhya 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

To define our tribe, first of all, we live in jungle villages and use herbs and all kinds of medicines.

— bachcha lal · Ormaura, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

By living in the forest

— अमर जीत · Ormaura, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Let me tell you. We are forest dwellers; we have eaten wild fruits. Our gods and goddesses, our worship, and all our traditions are different. When it comes to food and drink, we can even cook meat on a traditional stove and serve it. What else is cooked like that?

— Ulapi Sahu · Balangir, Odisha