Alice Tilche’s Adivasi Art and Activism: Curation in a Nationalist Age (published by University of Washington Press in 2022), explores the complex intersections of art, religion and identity among the indigenous communities, particularly Rathawa and other groups in Chota Udaipur, Gujarat, India. The book carefully examines how the indigenous communities navigate their growing marginalisation through two primary pathways: re-evaluating their traditions as art and adopting new religious identities often aligned with Hinduism. Tilche’s work is a critical exploration of how these strategies serve as both a means of preservation and a vehicle for socio-religious reform, with significant consequences for the communities involved.
The book is based on nearly a decade-long ethnographic fieldwork (starting from 2005) among the Adivasi groups in Gujarat that also illustrates how these communities navigate modernity by creating new categories of social action, such as art and religion, and by reshaping material landscapes in the post-liberalisation era. Her work provides a critical examination of the role of Adivasi art and religion in shaping Adivasi identity, questioning the effectiveness of preservationist approaches in the face of powerful socio-religious and political reforms.
Tilche employs a multidisciplinary conceptual framework, drawing on postcolonial theory, critical museology, and indigenous studies to examine the processes of curation and representation. She critiques the simplistic view of tribal art as inherently empowering, arguing that this perspective overlooks the complexities and contradictions involved. While the creation of art has provided some indigenous groups with a renewed sense of pride, it has also been co-opted for political and aspirational projects that may not always be progressive. The book challenges the notion of art and identity as fixed categories, emphasizing the material processes involved in their creation and transformation.
The book is organised into seven detailed chapters, with a separate introduction and conclusion. Chapter one discusses the complexities and transformation of tribal museums and Adivasi art in India through the Tribal Museum in Chota Udaipur, inaugurated in 2004. Tilche emphasises the role of tribal art and museums in India’s nation-building process following its independence in 1947, where tribal art became an essential component of a modern Indian identity. However, she notes that these museums often became stagnant and disconnected from India’s modernisation trajectory, particularly after the 1980s when the liberalisation of the Indian economy aligned tribal art with corporate interests, projecting a modern, global image of India while promoting a narrative of Hinduness. This commodification of tribal art raises questions about authenticity and cultural appropriation.
Chapter two outlines how historical reform movements in Gujarat emphasised modifying daily and ritual practices to address the social, economic and political issues. However, these movements eventually facilitated the integration of Adivasis into the broader cultural-political project of Hindu nationalism, leading to the erosion of Adivasi heritage, languages, and knowledge systems. The chapter highlights the complex interplay between preservation and erasure in constructing Adivasi identity, influenced by colonialism, dominant religious beliefs, and the growing influence of non-Adivasis in Adivasi areas.
Chapter three examines the creation and evolution of Vaccha, a museum established in 2004 in Tejgadh by the Adivasi Academy. Tilche traces the decline of the museum, highlighting the difficulties in sustaining indigenous cultural projects amidst evolving political and social contexts. She also explores the role of young Adivasi curators in navigating local and global influences, often exposing power imbalances.
Chapter four explores the complexities of memory, identity, and reform among Adivasi communities surrounding Koraj Hill in Gujarat, linked to various Adivasi origin myths. She shows that efforts to document and preserve Adivasi culture often conflict with communities’ lived realities, where memory is fragmented and influenced by contemporary dynamics. One such significant mode of social transformation is the Bhagat movement, a reformist trend among Adivasis that encouraged the erasure of traditional practices in favour of new religious identities, leading to new forms of social exclusion.
Chapter five explores the transformation of Pithora, a ritual painting and deity among the Rathawa, Nayak and Dhanak communities, from a sacred entity into a recognised form of tribal Art. Historically, these paintings were created during rituals to invite the deity Baba Pithoro into homes, ensuring protection and prosperity. However, with the decline of these rituals, particularly after the 1990s, the paintings have been reinterpreted and commodified as art, subject to aesthetic and market-driven interpretations. While this revaluation has brought recognition to Adivasi culture, it has also created tensions and challenges, often at the expense of traditional beliefs and practices.
Chapter six, titled ‘Curating the home, body and the landscape’ explores the evolving perspectives on aesthetic and cultural transformation in Chota Udaipur. The chapter discusses how religious reforms, political influences, and new forms of consumption have drastically altered the material and social landscape of the Rathwa Adivasi community. This ‘aesthetic revolution’ is characterised by the adoption of new materials, fashions, and practices that align with a broader national modernity and religious ideology.
Chapter seven, ‘Performing Adivasiness’, examines the complexities of Adivasi identity, focussing on how it is both inherent and performed through everyday practices and public events. Tilche draws parallels between Adivasi identity and gender performativity, showing how repeated acts shape and reinforce Adivasi identity. The chapter also explores the concept of indigeneity as both a form of resistance and a tool for inclusion within nationalist discourse, particularly under the influence of Hindutva.
Tilche concludes the book by reflecting on the broader implications of romanticising indigeneity. She critiques the romanticisation of Indigenous cultures in anthropology, arguing that it often fails to acknowledge the complex, sometimes contradictory, desires of Indigenous people, who may seek modernity and change rather than a return to traditional ways. The book also contrasts the failed attempts at preservation through art with the rise of sects that offer a different form of empowerment rooted in violence and exclusion, challenging the idealised notions of Indigenous communities as sites of resistance and redemption.
While the book’s dense theoretical sections may pose a challenge to some readers, the depth and rigour of Tilche’s analysis make it an invaluable resource for scholars and partitioners interested in indigenous art, politics, and activism. ‘Adivasi Art and Activism’ offers a sophisticated analysis of how Adivasi art serves as both a site of cultural expression and a battleground for political contestation, making it a significant contribution to the fields of anthropology, sociology, art history and Indigenous studies.
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Nikhil Kaithwas is a PhD candidate at the Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi.