The so-called mainstream elitist media have always claimed to be creative and conventional and have marginalised the indigenous media as parallel residing at the fringes of the canons. But indigenous perspective postulates an alternative standard which acknowledges the contribution of the indigenous writers, poets, filmmakers, and the like. The emergence of indigenous perspective along with the new wave of indigenous poets, writers, filmmakers, etc. has questioned the institutionalised victimisation of the indigenous folks and created the stadia of resistance where talk back or write back is considered as the best form. It challenges the dominant way of storytelling by employing a subversive discourse of knowledge production which proves that they are active political agents of their own mode of resistance. The indigenous visual ethnography through its creative lens has also made a remarkable contribution in the representation of the indigenous worldview where it has transformed the so-called primitive, romantic and exotic into an empirical, palpable and visible reality. This alternative representation has become a site of resistance through which the oratures foray into the canons and reveal their experience which remained hitherto untold. They unravel the history within history, the politics beyond politics, and the academic inside academia by their creative expressions. In doing this, the indigenous writers and filmmakers face trouble to find a good translator, publisher or producer who could help them to reach out to the world outside. Instead, indigenous literature has been denied entry in the university curriculum. This academic exclusion has questioned the very notion of the belongingness of the indigeneity. The mainstream media has time and again proved it a spokesperson of the big capitals and failed to play a fair role when it comes to the margins of the marginal that is the indigenous people. It has contributed to the process of mainstreaming and exposed the indigenous people to the pernicious external cultural influx. It has made broadcasting of news into a lucrative business which cannot function without the active help and support of the wealthy capitalist class that instead thinks of serving its own interests. The corporate media is also heavily dependent on the advertising industry which generates huge profits through selling consumerist cultural products which does not highlight issues like poverty, hunger or malnourishment. The media industry aggressively furthers the growth of private capital in the areas abundant with natural resources at the expense of indigenous people’s life. With the increasing globalisation of media the local issues are also losing their importance. The regional newspapers are aiming at publishing sub-regional editions which are marked by the revenues coming from advertisements that promote mineral exploiting industrial development. In this way many national news get diluted from the local newspapers and the local people barely get to know them. The television channels many of which are funded by the real estate businessmen and multinational corporate houses. National media also controls its regional channels and their editorial structure to foster corporate interests despite its deleterious impact on the indigenous people of the country. Media in the tribal areas do not actively take part in their movements or highlight their cause. Very often concocted news, perverted versions of the actual facts are spread in the media to misguide people. But it is also important to mention that there are some people engaged in the non-corporatised media who record the indigenous voices and stories impartially and one such magazine is Samadrusti in Odisha. Nevertheless, institutionalising the indigeneity in the mainstream media has two dimensions. One is how the indigenous people are depicted in the mainstream media and secondly how indigenous media has gradually flourished and made itself visible in the competitive world of non-indigenous mainstream media. The indigenous people did not give up rather they have invented their own medium of expression in the form of fictions, non-fictions, literary creations, histories, movies, etc. which were hitherto stored in their memories and myths since time immemorial.

Reflecting Indigeneity in Mainstream Media—Print, Audio-Visual and Digital

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发表日期：

2025年

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Debasree De

摘要

The so-called mainstream elitist media have always claimed to be creative and conventional and have marginalised the indigenous media as parallel residing at the fringes of the canons. But indigenous perspective postulates an alternative standard which acknowledges the contribution of the indigenous writers, poets, filmmakers, and the like. The emergence of indigenous perspective along with the new wave of indigenous poets, writers, filmmakers, etc. has questioned the institutionalised victimisation of the indigenous folks and created the stadia of resistance where talk back or write back is considered as the best form. It challenges the dominant way of storytelling by employing a subversive discourse of knowledge production which proves that they are active political agents of their own mode of resistance. The indigenous visual ethnography through its creative lens has also made a remarkable contribution in the representation of the indigenous worldview where it has transformed the so-called primitive, romantic and exotic into an empirical, palpable and visible reality. This alternative representation has become a site of resistance through which the oratures foray into the canons and reveal their experience which remained hitherto untold. They unravel the history within history, the politics beyond politics, and the academic inside academia by their creative expressions. In doing this, the indigenous writers and filmmakers face trouble to find a good translator, publisher or producer who could help them to reach out to the world outside. Instead, indigenous literature has been denied entry in the university curriculum. This academic exclusion has questioned the very notion of the belongingness of the indigeneity. The mainstream media has time and again proved it a spokesperson of the big capitals and failed to play a fair role when it comes to the margins of the marginal that is the indigenous people. It has contributed to the process of mainstreaming and exposed the indigenous people to the pernicious external cultural influx. It has made broadcasting of news into a lucrative business which cannot function without the active help and support of the wealthy capitalist class that instead thinks of serving its own interests. The corporate media is also heavily dependent on the advertising industry which generates huge profits through selling consumerist cultural products which does not highlight issues like poverty, hunger or malnourishment. The media industry aggressively furthers the growth of private capital in the areas abundant with natural resources at the expense of indigenous people’s life. With the increasing globalisation of media the local issues are also losing their importance. The regional newspapers are aiming at publishing sub-regional editions which are marked by the revenues coming from advertisements that promote mineral exploiting industrial development. In this way many national news get diluted from the local newspapers and the local people barely get to know them. The television channels many of which are funded by the real estate businessmen and multinational corporate houses. National media also controls its regional channels and their editorial structure to foster corporate interests despite its deleterious impact on the indigenous people of the country. Media in the tribal areas do not actively take part in their movements or highlight their cause. Very often concocted news, perverted versions of the actual facts are spread in the media to misguide people. But it is also important to mention that there are some people engaged in the non-corporatised media who record the indigenous voices and stories impartially and one such magazine is Samadrusti in Odisha. Nevertheless, institutionalising the indigeneity in the mainstream media has two dimensions. One is how the indigenous people are depicted in the mainstream media and secondly how indigenous media has gradually flourished and made itself visible in the competitive world of non-indigenous mainstream media. The indigenous people did not give up rather they have invented their own medium of expression in the form of fictions, non-fictions, literary creations, histories, movies, etc. which were hitherto stored in their memories and myths since time immemorial.