It is unfortunate that folk culture, through which indigenous people represent themselves, is not weighed as an effective medium of interaction between the indigenous and non-indigenous. Folk dance, songs, proverbs and paintings—everything is created and performed as part of a cultural event or festivals which are restricted to the indigenous communities. The non-indigenous people can witness, but can hardly participate. Indigenous people reinvent their traditions through festivals and create new one. Non-indigenous culture and traditions reach to the indigenous people only through popular media like festivals, cinema, television, books and the like. These popular media entreat ethical questions as far as the indigene image is concerned. In the indigenous thought world culture is tied up with the land, forest, water and mountains. There is no distinction between land and culture postulated by the non-indigenous lifestyle. The moral connection has been established by a mutual reinforcement in which the earth is worshiped as god. Preservation and conservation of ecology, thus, becomes a part of their daily worshipping endorsed by their religious beliefs and rituals. Indigenous understanding of ecology is fundamental for sustainable development. Inter-generational justice is the mainstay of indigenous culture. Even, religious and cultural expressions have been used to displace indigenous people from their land. With the growing colonial contact the religious and cultural expressions got depleted rapidly and the traditional cultural memories were also wiped out. The colonial contact also influenced the indigenous notion of love and self-esteem which made them believe that their culture is underdeveloped and their language is essentially inferior to that of the colonial. Festivals and indigenous art and crafts are used as a space for the celebration of indigeneity and reinvention of deep-rooted cultural traditions of the indigenous people. The festivals are considered as the intersection of indigeneity with local, national and global political alterity. It is pertinent to remember that intersectionality is considered to be a structure and research model for comprehending differences and countering essentialisation of those differences. They contribute to the flourishing industry of tourism and media to a great extent. They share their festivals with the outsiders in order to teach them the ethics of a sustainable living. Festivals are the most productive space for the aboriginals to postulate a constructive image of themselves and express their respect for other indigenous communities across the globe. They have orchestrated different strategies to prevent social-Darwinism of the ‘survival of the fittest’ with the weapon of cultural festivals, not violence. Festivals do recognise differences and not the sameness proposed by the policymakers. Festivals prepare the ground for intercultural negotiation, exchange of knowledge and interaction done in the indigenous landscape and empower the communities. It is perhaps one of the most positive spaces for indigenous accommodation with the non-indigenous which undoubtedly provides opportunities for cultural renewal. Indigenous festivals are thought as a pragmatic way for strengthening the cultural traditions, produce new resources and make people participate in the entire event, like media, administration, academicians, etc. This side of the indigenous cultural claim has been undermined and under-theorised with the understanding of romanticism as cultural revival and not as cultural politics. There is an urgent need to re-theorise the indigenous cultural practices.

Indigeneity and Culture—Religion, Festivals, Art and Craft

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发表日期：

2025年

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Debasree De

摘要

It is unfortunate that folk culture, through which indigenous people represent themselves, is not weighed as an effective medium of interaction between the indigenous and non-indigenous. Folk dance, songs, proverbs and paintings—everything is created and performed as part of a cultural event or festivals which are restricted to the indigenous communities. The non-indigenous people can witness, but can hardly participate. Indigenous people reinvent their traditions through festivals and create new one. Non-indigenous culture and traditions reach to the indigenous people only through popular media like festivals, cinema, television, books and the like. These popular media entreat ethical questions as far as the indigene image is concerned. In the indigenous thought world culture is tied up with the land, forest, water and mountains. There is no distinction between land and culture postulated by the non-indigenous lifestyle. The moral connection has been established by a mutual reinforcement in which the earth is worshiped as god. Preservation and conservation of ecology, thus, becomes a part of their daily worshipping endorsed by their religious beliefs and rituals. Indigenous understanding of ecology is fundamental for sustainable development. Inter-generational justice is the mainstay of indigenous culture. Even, religious and cultural expressions have been used to displace indigenous people from their land. With the growing colonial contact the religious and cultural expressions got depleted rapidly and the traditional cultural memories were also wiped out. The colonial contact also influenced the indigenous notion of love and self-esteem which made them believe that their culture is underdeveloped and their language is essentially inferior to that of the colonial. Festivals and indigenous art and crafts are used as a space for the celebration of indigeneity and reinvention of deep-rooted cultural traditions of the indigenous people. The festivals are considered as the intersection of indigeneity with local, national and global political alterity. It is pertinent to remember that intersectionality is considered to be a structure and research model for comprehending differences and countering essentialisation of those differences. They contribute to the flourishing industry of tourism and media to a great extent. They share their festivals with the outsiders in order to teach them the ethics of a sustainable living. Festivals are the most productive space for the aboriginals to postulate a constructive image of themselves and express their respect for other indigenous communities across the globe. They have orchestrated different strategies to prevent social-Darwinism of the ‘survival of the fittest’ with the weapon of cultural festivals, not violence. Festivals do recognise differences and not the sameness proposed by the policymakers. Festivals prepare the ground for intercultural negotiation, exchange of knowledge and interaction done in the indigenous landscape and empower the communities. It is perhaps one of the most positive spaces for indigenous accommodation with the non-indigenous which undoubtedly provides opportunities for cultural renewal. Indigenous festivals are thought as a pragmatic way for strengthening the cultural traditions, produce new resources and make people participate in the entire event, like media, administration, academicians, etc. This side of the indigenous cultural claim has been undermined and under-theorised with the understanding of romanticism as cultural revival and not as cultural politics. There is an urgent need to re-theorise the indigenous cultural practices.