Indigenous Forest Life

We tribals cut down forests to build our homes and live in the forest itself. From the forest, we get roots, flowers, and delicious fruits, and we sustain our lives from them, and we also do farming.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We are all tribal people, we live in forests. We collect our food from the forests. With that, we sustain ourselves. This is indeed our life's goal.

— KusaPradhani · Anakabadi, Rayagada, Odisha

We get various types of fruits and roots from the forest.

— Laba Kumar sabar · Bada Baridi, Rayagada, Odisha

We tribal people bring herbs from the forest to treat many diseases, for the well-being of people.

— Ram Maravi · Dindori, Madhya Pradesh

We Adivasi communities are communities that depend on nature, collect roots and tubers from the forests, and use them as food, which is very nutritious and also serves as medicine.

— Ram Kumari

We get various greens and various fruits from the forest.

— Laba Kumar sabar · Bada Baridi, Rayagada, Odisha

We tribal people bring herbs from the forest and treat ailments, which is very important for health.

— Ram Maravi · Dindori, Madhya Pradesh

We get treatment from the forest.

— Devisingh Solanki · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

Our community lives by building homes in the forests, hunting wild animals, and sustaining themselves by eating tamarind, mango, guava, and other produce found in the forest. Thus, they belong to a different way of life.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Living in the forest and enduring hardships, whether it is building a home to use herbs for treating illnesses, or making a living by eating fruits and flowers, or for this.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Even now, fruits, flowers, healthy herbs, and medicines from the forest are being used by us, including the tribal community.

— ishwarsabar · Chelema, Seraikela-Kharsawan, Jharkhand

Residents in the forest bushes have a business of various medicinal plants, and they benefit from it for food.

— Devisingh Solanki · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

We are getting all kinds of seasonal produce from the forest.

— Laba Kumar sabar · Lamingi, Rayagada, Odisha

The Makadia tribe's life and livelihood depend on the forest. They live by gathering and selling fruits, flowers, roots, medicinal herbs, and mushrooms from the forest as food. They respect whatever their elders say. When food in one forest runs out, they move to another forest.

— Anirudha Marai

Forest food collection

— Suna majhi · Kulusingi, Rayagada, Odisha

Traditionally, we used to use various types of medicinal properties from the forest.

— Suna majhi

From the forest, we also get many things as vegetables, such as

— Kekti Tekam

We are tribals, we are nature worshippers. We always depend on trees and plants to live. We sustain our livelihood by eating its tubers, fruits, and roots.

— PRADEEP KUMAR KANHAR · Boudh, Odisha

Forest-derived food includes fresh bamboo shoots, bamboo sago, and Kendu fruit, among others. We obtain our food from the forest.

— S Guruteli · Upperpur, Malkangiri, Odisha

My name is Rina Kuonro. We are the tribal indigenous people. We produce food and collect from the forest, and we express our desire to live with the forest or with nature. This is a humble request to the government for us, and please pay attention to the forest-derived food that we can obtain.

— RITARANI PRADHAN · Raikia, Kandhamal, Odisha

We bring wood from the forest, and we bring wood, cook food, also make bread, sell it, and for our home.

— Ram Maravi · Samnapur, Dindori, Madhya Pradesh

They go into the jungle, build houses and huts, hunt birds and wild animals for their food and survival, and they eat fruits and flowers.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We will live in small villages in the jungle, making a living by cutting and selling wood, and by selling all kinds of herbs that humans use.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We really enjoy staying among the lush green trees and plants in the forest. We get pure air from those trees and plants, and by living in the forest, we get many types of medicinal herbs.

— Kamleah Kumar · Dalla, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Listeners bring greens, wood, Pohri, and pootu from the forest.

— Kekti Tekam

We get our nutritious diet from the forest, such as Mahua fruit Doli oil in the form of fat, Kodo, Bhaddi, Kulthia, Mahua flowers, Jamun, Mahua kheer, Bhaji, etc.

— Surajsingh Parmar · Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh

From the forest, we bring mahua and mahua seeds.

— Kekti Tekam

Obtaining food by hunting wild animals in the forest, eating fruits and flowers, and growing grains.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We are still getting fruits, plants, health-related herbs, and medicines from the forest. We are safe for now, and we are still here.

— ishwarsabar · East Singhbhum, Jharkhand

By living in the forest

— अमर जीत · Ormaura, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

We can use muIdim found in the forest as traditional medicine.

— Anupama Mahanand · Sundargarh, Odisha

We also bring rope from the forest.

— Kekti Tekam

Grains and other food items are included from the forest.

— Sunita Kumari

My tribal people, living in the forest far from the city and making food from forest produce.

— bachcha lal · Shahganj, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Herbs of the forest

— Vinita Singh Yadav · Dharura, Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Traditional medicinal remedies are being prepared for obtaining by searching for medicinal herbs, fruits, roots, and other medicinal items from the forest.

— Padmalochan Majhi · Gandhinagar, Rayagada, Odisha

Mahuwa seeds, herbs, Pohri, and Putu Lakh are brought from the forest.

— Kekti Tekam

In earlier times, we used to get medicine from the forest.

— Amar Lal Dhurwey · Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

We tribals are completely different from other castes; our ancestors used to live in forests and sustained themselves by eating fruits, flowers, etc., from the forest.

— Ram Kumari · Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh

Forest food

— Abhimaneu Sabar