00:00 Outlook brings to you excerpts from its latest issue titled 'Adivasi' or 'The Earliest Inhabitants'.
00:07 This issue of Outlook looks at the politics of appropriation and resistance in the wake of recent
00:13 developments in the states like Jharkhand and the Union Territory of Ladakh. With the general
00:19 elections due this year, it remains to be seen how the Adivasis, who form more than 8% of the total
00:27 population, participate and how the identity politics shape up in the future. From the substrata,
00:35 Outlook's back of the book section that goes beyond the usual. 'Weaves of their lives' by
00:40 Vinita Mokil from Outlook. Clothing is inseparably linked to tribal identity. Each tribe has a unique
00:48 design language. Every embellishment, weave and motif has a special meaning to the community.
00:55 A few years ago, a newly erected statue of Mother Mary in Singur village in Ranchi district sparked
01:01 a controversy that echoed across Jharkhand. The reason, Mary was depicted wearing a white sari
01:08 with a red border. Members of the Sarna dharma, the faith which many tribes in Jharkhand follow,
01:14 objected to the sari. Sarna elders threatened to remove the statue from the village unless the
01:20 attire was changed. Dressing Mother Mary in a red and white sari, worn by Jharkhandi tribal women,
01:27 was seen as a tactic to convert Sarna tribals to Christianity. The sari, a distinct marker of
01:34 tribal identity, was weighted with religious and cultural meanings. Red and white are prominent
01:41 tribal colours, says fashion designer, Aashi Satyavrat, founder of Ranchi-based Joragram.
01:47 In tribal philosophy, red represents blood and sacrifice and white symbolizes peace.
01:54 Clothing, indigenous textiles, weaves, colours, patterns and motifs are all inseparably linked
02:03 to tribal identity. A weave is not just a weave. Stripes, shapes and patterns are rooted in a
02:10 tribe's lived experience. Embellishments like beads, feathers, stones, motifs such as flowers,
02:18 animals, mountains or trees, none of these are random choices. Each tribe has its own special
02:25 design language, which is a rich form of creative expression. It springs from their mythology,
02:32 worldview and daily life. There is a specific significance to every colour, fabric and weave.
02:39 For instance, Assamese tribal textiles feature motifs drawn from the wildlife of Kaziranga,
02:45 especially the deer and the rhino, the motif of the japi, a headgear used for protection from the
02:52 sun and Pokila, the butterfly motif. In Tawang, the land chosen by a horse, according to legend,
02:59 the horse is a familiar motif in tribal textiles. As so is the peacock and the elephant,
03:06 animals with this worship. For this and more, read the latest issue of Outlook.
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