Delhi hosts National Tribal Literary Festival to safeguard oral heritage

The National Tribal Literary Festival commenced in Delhi on Tuesday, bringing together scholars, community representatives, and cultural practitioners to celebrate the literary and oral heritage of India's tribal communities. The event underscores growing concerns about the erosion of traditional knowledge systems amid rapid modernisation and social change across India's remote regions.

Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram addressed the festival opening, emphasising the critical need for systematic documentation of tribal literature, folk songs, folktales and oral narratives. The minister highlighted that many indigenous storytelling traditions, passed down through generations, face extinction as younger members of tribal communities increasingly migrate to urban centres or abandon traditional practices.

Organisers outlined plans to create comprehensive archives of tribal cultural material, including audio and video recordings of oral recitations, transcriptions of folklore, and analyses of linguistic patterns unique to tribal communities. The documentation initiative aims to preserve knowledge that extends beyond entertainment value, encompassing historical records, spiritual practices, medicinal information, and social governance systems encoded within tribal narratives.

The festival is expected to run over several days, featuring performances, panel discussions, and workshops focused on different tribal regions across India. Officials indicated that similar cultural festivals may be organised in other states to ensure broader participation from tribal communities and to facilitate knowledge transfer to younger generations within their own cultural contexts.