ABSTRACT

The present article focuses on the agricultural knowledge preservation in the indigenous Adivasi (tribal) communities in India, and on the connection between nature, society and culture within these communities. Our research is a survey realized in four villages belonging to two districts of the Odisha State of India, Koraput and Rayagada, with an interest in understanding the indigenous agriculture practices, their connection to their local beliefs and festivals, and also the way this kind of knowledge reflects in the language and community life. In these districts, agriculture is the main source of income, as in most villages, the communities still forage, collecting plants from the nearby forests, and we were interested in how they recognize, collect and cook roots and tubers, while many Adivasis maintain a tradition of selling their produce (vegetables and fruit) in local markets. The methodology comprises field data collection (a field research journal, visual documentation), participative and non-participative observation, and knowledge sharing from the local people.

Keywords: indigenous knowledge, tribes, agriculture, visual anthropology, ecology.

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