‘How are the Khasi-JaintiaGaro (KJG) tribes resisting patriarchy? What is their secret of survival?’ These two questions were on the minds of Padma Mon and Padamvathi Ashok, researchers and activists from the Koraga tribe, one of the fast-fading matrilineal tribes of southern India, when they travelled from Karnataka all the way to the small northeastern state of Meghalaya, the “global capital of matrilineal people”, with the poignant mission to create a unique platform for the survival of threatened cultures and people.
While Padma works for the Koraga Abivriddi Sanghagala Okkoota, a federation of Koraga organisations based in Udupi district of Karnataka, Ashok is associated with the Samagra Gramina Ashram (SGA), which is spearheading a land rights movement for the Koraga in the state.
“My tribe is on the verge of extinction. The women are increasingly leaning towards patriarchal traditions.....
