Abstract
Tribal communities are a significant populations in most South Asian countries. This chapter explores the indigenous knowledge and cultural practices and transmission, of tribal people as a holistic system embedded in a particular context and mobilizing different layers of consciousness through the case of the Santals. Aspects of learning in relation to the indigenous knowledge system are presented through the themes of learning traditional knowledge or “bidia,” the formation of identity in relation to literacy, children’s culture, ancestral knowledge, everyday learning and intuition, and mother tongue and identity. The complex interplay of political and cultural identity and rights, as well as interaction and evolution in relation to the modernizing state and formal school systems is presented. The chapter ends with a discussion of the potential for adaptation and integration by promoting these knowledges in modern institutional sites.
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Carrin, M. (2021). Indigenous Learning in Tribal Communities. In: Sarangapani, P.M., Pappu, R. (eds) Handbook of Education Systems in South Asia. Global Education Systems. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0032-9_9
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