A Tribe That Avoided Modern Civilization

Source: http://listverse.com/2013/01/24/10-tribes-that-avoided-modern-civilization/

Hey friends... Have you ever heard about the Sentinelese...??

The Sentinelese are a tribe of about 250 people who live on North Sentinel Island, between India and Thailand.
Not much is known about them because every time the Sentinelese receive a visitor, they greet him with a hail of arrows. They are one of the tribes in the whole world that avoided modern civilization.
A few peaceful encounters in the late 1960s gathered most of what we now know about their culture. Coconuts delivered to the beaches as a gift were eaten, rather than planted. Live pigs were shot with arrows, and then buried without being eaten. The most well-received items were red buckets, which were promptly taken away by the Sentinelese sentinels—though similar green buckets were left behind.Anyone trying to land on the islands today should write out his will first. A National Geographic team was forced to turn back after the lead team member got an arrow through his thigh, and two local guides were killed.
The Sentinelese also have a reputation for being able to survive natural disasters—unlike many of the modern people who live in similar environments. For instance, these coast-dwelling people successfully escaped the effects of the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, which wreaked havoc in Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

Source: http://listverse.com/2013/01/24/10-tribes-that-avoided-modern-civilization/

The Akha hill tribe

Source: http://qz.com/27920/this-week-in-photos-lights-in-india-rockets-in-gaza-and-more/

An Akha hill tribe woman picks tea leaves during harvest at the Suwirun Tea farm in the hills outside of Chiang Rai, Thailand.

Did you know that the Akha are an indigenous hill tribe who live in small villages at higher elevations in the mountains of Thailand, Burma, Laos, and Yunnan Province in China. They made their way from China into Southeast Asia during the early 1900s. Civil war in Burma and Laos resulted in an increased flow of Akha immigrants and there are now some 80,000 living in Thailand's northern provinces of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai[1] where they constitute one of the largest of the hill tribes. Many of their villages can be visited by tourists on trekking tours from either of these cities.
The Akha speak Akha, a language in the Loloish (Yi) branch of the Tibeto-Burman family. The Akha language is closely related to Lisu and it is thought that the Akha once belonged to the Lolo hunter tribes people who once ruled the Baoshan and Tengchong plains in Yunnan before the invasion of the Ming Dynasty in 1644.

Sources: http://qz.com/27920/this-week-in-photos-lights-in-india-rockets-in-gaza-and-more/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akha_people

The tumbi

The tumbi or toombi is a traditional North Indian musical instrument from Punjab.
Ektar is its bengali name. It is used to provide both a drone as well as simple rhytmic accompaniment to folk songs.  It may be the oldest stringed instrument in the Indian subcontinent. The ektar is described in ancient Sanskrit texts as the ekatantri vina, literally the "one stringed lute".

The ektar is very popular in folk music and has a strong rustic connotation.  It is very much associated with the saint Mira Bai.  The smaller Punjabi version (tumbi) is much associated with the bhangra style of song and dance.  Among the Gadaba and Paraja tribes of Orissa, it is known as dudumah and dung-dungi.

Source: http://chandrakantha.com/articles/indian_music/ektar.html

Honey

Source: http://www.indiantribalheritage.org/?p=4901

Happy Sunday Friends...!!!

We use honey for various reasons in our daily lives.. Like some of us likes to consume it with food or drinks, some of us also use it to make our skin glow... But have you ever wondered how and from where do the honey actually comes from...
The bee hives are extracted and collected by the local tribal people from the near by forests. Like one such example would be the tribal communities of the Bhamragarh forest division in Gadchiroli district, who have set an example by exploring the potential of beekeeping commercially. The collection of honey is carried out in an eco-friendly manner on sustainable basis by the local youth. The honey is then processed and packaged and the product registered under AGMARK and is marketed in several districts of Maharashtra.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Tribals-explore-commercial-viability-of-beekeeping/articleshow/11855327.cms

Bardo Chham, a folk dance of Sherdukpens of Arunachal Pradesh

Source: https://atmaseva.wordpress.com/tag/raksha-langgu-chham/#jp-carousel-3479

Facts:

Did you know  Bardo Chham is a folk dance of Sherdukpens, a small community of West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh. 
Bardo Chham depicts the victory of good over evil. 
The dance has an interesting background. According to the local beliefs, forces - both good and evil, rule mankind. The folks believe that in one year, twelve different types of stupid things, representing evil forces, appear each month and get together. The sherdukpens mask themselves representing the different animals and dance to the accompaniment of drums and cymbals as an act of fighting the evil forces.

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Indian_folk_dances

Heaven on Earth

Source: http://www.oktatabyebye.com/

Facts:

Kashmir is said to be heaven on earth. And as we all can feel the air cooling down beside us, friends.. imagine Kashmir in winter...
By December the winter season starts to fall and covers the valley of Kashmir to hibernate. But at the same time skiing at Gulmarg and the Himalayan chakore & Wild duck shooting season starts. Also if by any chance the Dal-lake freezes then one can enjoy the ice skating and heli-skiing. 

But just by looking at its scenic beauty one can totally get mesmerized...!!

The Bnei Menashe tribe

Source : http://quitenormal.wordpress.com/

Facts:

Did you know that the Bnei Menashe tribe, found in Manipur and Mizoram, are descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel. Instead of converting to other religions, these people converted back to the religion of their ancestors after rediscovering their roots. They have been practicing Judaism for the last thirty years. 

In 2005, one of Israel’s chief rabbis accepted the Bnei Menashe people as descendants of the lost tribes, and since then rehabilitation efforts are being made.

Source: http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/

The Oraon tribes

Source : http://s1.zetaboards.com/anthroscape/topic/5186550/1/

Facts: 

The Oraon tribes or Kurukh tribes are tribal aborigines inhabiting various states across central and eastern India as well as Bangladesh. Kartik Oraon was an Indian Congress leader and a former state communication minister. Albert Ekka was posthumously awarded the Paramveer Chakra. They speak the language called Kurukh which has special recognition and is also taught in Ranchi University. They are also known worldwide for following the archaic customs of human sacrifice during the Sarhul festival to please the local deity.

Source :  http://en.wikipedia.org/

Matrilineal System

Facts:

As we all know most of the world today follows the patrilineality system where the father’s family name is adopted. In contrast, matrilineality is the system where descent is traced through the mother and her ancestors, and usually involves inheritance of property. 
The Khasi, Jaintia and Garo people (along with the Nair and Bunt castes) practice this unique system and form one of the biggest communities in the world that believes in "matrilineality"...

Birsa Munda, an Indian tribal freedom fighter and a folk hero

Facts:

Did you know...Birsa Munda, a freedom fighter in the Indian Independence Struggle, belonged to the Munda tribe that is primarily found in Jharkhand. He was one of the key leaders and a folk hero who led the struggle movement in the tribal belt of Bihar and Jharkhand. He was caught by Britishers at the age of 25 and he died in the Jail at Ranchi in 1900. He has been honored by the Government of India and is the only tribal leader whose portrait hangs in the Central Hall of the Indian Parliament.

Tribes in Jharkhand

Facts:

Did any of you know that our own Jharkhand has 32 tribes inhabiting in its various parts...!!!
The tribes in Jharkhand were originally classified on the basis of their cultural types by the Indian anthropologists, later Sir. Lalita Prasad Vidyarthi classified them as follows:

• Hunter-gatherer type — Birhor, Korwa, Hill Kharia
• Shifting Agriculture — Sauria Paharia
• Simple artisans — Mahli, Lohra, Karmali, Chik Baraik
• Settled agriculturists — Santhal, Munda, Oraon, Ho, Bhumij, etc.