According to prehistorians and cultural anthropologists ancient India was the homeland of tribals and other indigenous (Mulnivasis). Later more dominant and invading people in their land subjugated and suppresed them in the past 20-30 centuries. Years back these Mulnivasi groups were inhumanly assimilated leaving no traces of thier social identity axcept rendering them Shudras reserved for various menials tasks, whose self sacrifising valuable services rendered in past centuries either for no money or little compensation. Today no one wants to gratefully acknoweledge these services with sufficient justice to give them opportunities for socal and economic emancipation in the light of Indian Constitution. What is achieved in the last 60 years is but a straw in camel's mouth. On the contrary some reversing movements are under current to fail this newly achieved social dignity with the help of Constitutional safeguards for the indigenous population, for their identity, culture, art, languages, mytholog, folk-education, values, folklore, folk wisdom, etc.
Today tribal/adivasi India is with much dificulty able to save their cultural heritage and protect their social identity against the damages being done to them . Hence it is an urgent need of the time to protect their over all tribal human rights with the help of techniques like social ingineering against assimilation and in favour of their social or tribal identity. Tribals should retain or maintain their hstorical identity at any cost otherwise they shall fall in the category of Shudras like other ethnic groups who socially and culturally got even degenerated.
Keeping these social and cultural concerns in mind the Centre for Tribal Culture & Art (CTCA) at Meghnagar, District Jhabua (M.P.). India conducted a three day long national conference where from Sept. 17-19 2010, where 31 scholars, social workers of national reputation attended it. Its innaugural address was given by an octogenerian cultural anthopologist of India no other than Prof. Dr. B.K.Roy Burman of New Delhi in which he expressed a grave concern for the protection and promotion of tribal identity and their human rights on Sept. 17,2010. Dr. Marianus Kujur of Indian Social Institute New Delhi articulated strongly ‘ identity crisis of tribes in India'. Prof. Dr.J.J. Roy Burman spoke on ‘Sacred Grove: cultural symbol for tribal self-assertion’. Pratap Baria spoke about ‘contribution of Central and State Governments of India for the promotion of tribal art.’ Dr. Rita Malache of Mumbai University spoke very strongly on the preservation and promotion of tribal culture through museum in the country. Malhingh Katara a Bhil social worker spoke on the Bhil Pithora art: motifs, depiction and popularisation in the post modern India through images and its content explanation. Mahipal ( Mathias) Bhuriya spoke on ‘ADIVASIKARAN: a tribal vision of India, Prof. Dr. P.S. Vivek of Mumbai University expressed his views on development and tribals in urban context in India. Dr. P.C. Hembram spoke on tribal culture and its identity. The seminar on tribal identity was jointly organised by ActionAid ( Bhopal), Centre for Tribal Culture & Art (CTCA) and other organization.
It was strongly felt by the paticipants that seminars, consultations, workshops, on tribal identity should frequently organised CTCA net working with other like minded institutions, assoiatons and individual scholars.
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