Museum of tribal artefacts in State soon: Anjaneya

Works towards the construction of a museum, that would house tools and artefacts of tribal communities of the State, are being taken up, said Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya, here on Saturday.

He was speaking at the valedictory of the ‘Tribal Festival’, organised by Karnataka State Tribal Research Institute, at Fine Arts College, Manasagangothri. He said that the department had already started collecting various tools used by tribal communities, for the museum. It was among the efforts towards preserving the centuries old traditions of tribals, he said.

“The living conditions of tribal communities are very poor and they are subjected to threats in every stage of their life. Fatalities of tribals due to man-animal conflict is also a concern. The State government is taking up rehabilitation measures to ensure the safety of these communities,” he said. Officials of various departments too should encourage tribals still residing inside the forest to come out and join the mainstream, he added.

He said that the argument that tribal communities should inhabit only in the forests was not sound, as economic development of tribals cannot be ensured inside the forests. Tribal artistes should be identified and encouraged, he added.
Teams of tribal artists from Jenu Kuruba and Koraga communities, were distributed Rs 50,000 at the programme.

Exhibition

A small exhibition of products from tribal communities and tools used, was also held during the exhibition.

Bow and arrows used, horns, cooking utensils, traps and cages were displayed. Forest based products, marketed by Large-sized Adivasi Multipurpose Cooperative Societies (LAMPS), were also on sale.