`Preserving Tribal Knowledge through Oral Literature: Language and Cultural Memory in Madhya Pradesh.

Parul Saxena

`Preserving Tribal Knowledge through Oral Literature: Language and Cultural Memory in Madhya Pradesh.

Author(s)	Prof. Dr. Parul Saxena
Country	India
Abstract	Tribal communities hold many kinds of knowledge. They pass it on through stories told by elders. They also use songs, myths, and legends. Proverbs, riddles, and ritual acts matter too. Ecological know-how is shared in daily practices. Children learn through ongoing talks within families. In Madhya Pradesh, many Adivasi groups live across different landscapes. Gond, Bhil, Bhilala, Baiga, Korku, Sahariya, Kol, and others are present. Their regions differ in ecology and culture. Even so, oral literature plays a key role. It helps people hold on to shared memory. It also supports social rules and local ecological understanding. It keeps a sense of history alive. It shapes community identity as well. This paper looks at oral literature as something that is still working. It is not only a record stored in books. It is a living place where Adivasi knowledge remains active. The focus is on how language, cultural memory, and knowledge travel from one person to another. The paper warns against treating oral traditions as if they are only “folklore.” They are more than pleasing cultural items. They are knowledge systems that guide how communities read their surroundings. They help people keep social ties. They allow communities to remember past events. They also carry moral and ecological values from one generation to the next. Census figures point to many languages within Madhya Pradesh’s Scheduled Tribe communities. Forms and speech varieties include Bhili or Bhilodi, Gondi, Korku, Halabi, and several others. This work uses a qualitative method. It also takes an interdisciplinary stance. It draws on work in indigenous knowledge studies, oral literature studies, ideas from cultural memory theory, and research in language studies.
Keywords	Keywords: Adivasi knowledge, oral literature, Madhya Pradesh, indigenous languages, cultural memory, Gond, Bhil, Korku, folklore, knowledge preservation.
Field	Arts
Published In	Volume 7, Issue 5, September-October 2026
Published On	2026-09-11

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`Preserving Tribal Knowledge through Oral Literature: Language and Cultural Memory in Madhya Pradesh.

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