Crafting Fashion from Ryndia

Find out how a fashion house is crafting fashion using Ryndia, heritage silk fabric hand-woven by the women weavers of the Ri-Bhoi district in Meghalaya and promoting indigenous legacies for the contemporary world through an interaction with fashion designer DANIEL SYIEM, Co-Founder and Creative Head, DSEFH, Shillong, Meghalaya

Aesthetic Innovation in Indigenous Typefaces

Find out how a type designer can impact an indigenous language and culture through the development of a typeface for the Tulalip tribe in Washington state, through an interaction with typeface designer, graphic designer and artist JULIET SHEN, USA.

Preserving Culture Through Visual Medium

Find out how a young filmmaker is actively engaged with her Munda tribal community in addressing human-animal conflict within the tea gardens of Assam while also endeavouring to preserve culture through visual mediums through an interaction with EPIL RANI KONGARI, Youth Ambassador for the Global Sustainability Film Awards 2022 and 2023 and director of the documentary film on the Kohora River in Assam.

Traversing Tribal Identities

Get an insight into how films, literature and community based events are shed light on issues like racism, politics, religion and gender equality in the state of Arunachal Pradesh through an interaction with KARRY PADU, filmmaker, writer and director.

Celebrating Democratic Values and Cultural Identity Through Music

Find out how an Ugandan rapper and Obama Foundation leader is using music to champion democratic values while reiterating his Muganda identity with greater authenticity through an interaction with RICHARD WALAKIRA a.k.a BANA MUTIBWA, Program Manager at the Alliance of Democracies Foundation, Copenhagen, Denmark

Exploring Tribal Gourmet

Find out how a young multi-disciplinary artist and culinary maven is showcasing the diversity of India’s north-eastern region to the rest of the world by transforming local foods into gourmet delights through an interaction with Chef TANISHA PHANBUH, founder and director of Tribal Gourmet, Gurgaon.

Next Stop: Ukhrul, Manipur

The next TDF Bootcamp destination will be Ukhrul in Manipur in the heartland of the Tangkhul Nagas. More details will be made available very soon in this space.

TDF SSC Scholarship 2024 Now Open

Tribal Design Forum in partnership with 1EQ Foundation will be announces 1000 TDF SSC Scholarships 2024 for SSC Aspirants from Scheduled Tribes. Out of 1000, 450 Scholarships will be for Males, 450 Scholarships will be for Females, 100 Scholarships will be for all other Genders. Applications open till 7 April 2024.

How can we Design for Tribal Communities?

About Us

Tribal Design Forum is a community of multidisciplinary designers and creative professionals from various tribes of India. Tribal Design Forum is a platform to share ideas and learnings to explore the role design can play for the benefit of designers and tribal communities in India.

TDF Sessions

TDF sessions are weekly sessions to interact and learn from designers and multidisciplinary domain experts from India and around the world who have been actively working for the benefit of tribal and indigenous communities. These sessions also provide a platform for members of the Tribal Design Forum to share their work and experiences as professionals.

December 23, 2022
Higher education and community development go hand in hand in the present times. Nilanjana Moitra shares how the Indian higher education system fits in the overall development of a student from a tribal community.
December 18, 2022
Fashion is one of the main contributors of setting trends and also generating wastes. Anuj Sharma share how the concept of Button Masala is both fashionable and sustainable.
December 16, 2022
Even though India is very famous for the diverse variety of a number of festivals, still not much is known about the tribal festivals in the mainstream. Upendra Sinha shares his experience in documenting tribal festivals in Chhattisgarh.
December 11, 2022
There is a deep connection between the natural resources and tribal communities. Raja Varun is on a quest to document the relationships which the tribal communities share with the nature and the stories which lie within.
December 10, 2022
There are many troubles which the rural communities of the developing countries face. Blessing Oritseweyinmi Mene shares how he tries to tackle those problems with the help of indigenous knowledge system.
December 4, 2022
Toys and games are often seen only as a source of entertainment, but not many know that they can be used as a powerful tool for sharing information. Kartik Butola shares his experience of planning and designing toys to share some knowledge about different tribal communities.
December 2, 2022
There is a lack of tribal language learning material in the urban spaces. Sneh Lata Soreng shares some of her projects which focuses on helping urban tribal children to learn their language and culture through toys and stories.
Tribal Design Forum
November 27, 2022
India holds a number of diverse cultures and the products which originates from there. Hetvi Trivedi shares the India’s GI protection system which can help recognize, support and promote these products to bring socio-economic benefits to the communities.
November 24, 2022
Museums play an important role in telling stories about community, cultures and lifestyle, same for tribal indigenous community. Nikita Desai shares how to create interactive and immersive experiences for the visitor at the museum and other location with the emergence of new technologies, multimedia and mix-media.
November 4, 2022
Tourism has been widely connected to a luxurious lifestyle. David Leventhal shares how luxury, tourism and sustainability can go hand in hand by connecting tourism with local communities.
October 11, 2022
Sustainable environment has been a common occurring topic in the present times. Ankur Choksi shares how local craftsmanship, architecture and design can help achieve sustainable environment.
February 11, 2022
Little is known of the indigenous Peruvian groups and the indigenous world views and people's responsibility towards the environment. Uriel Ukumary Montúfar, through photography tries to convey the customs and rituals of the indigenous groups and their close relationship with the environment.
December 5, 2021
The Native Americans are still believed to be stereotypically dressed in regalia’s and often ignore the idea of them normally dressed in modern clothes like any other person. Tailyr Irvine tries to remove the stereotype stuck onto the Native Americans and how the laws enforced by the colonisers are the cause of restricting them within their community.
October 10, 2021
Unable to reconnect with one’s culture and community has been an increasing phenomenon in the present generation. Alex King shares her journey of Photography and how it is a powerful tool which has helped her in finding a way to have connections and contacts around the world.
October 3, 2021
The people residing in Makoko are undervalued and the government is trying to demolish the place they are residing in and the truth about the place is often twisted or greatly misinterpreted. But Akintunde Akinleye talks about the hidden truth that can be uncovered only by visiting the place and his experience of uncovering truths of such places through photography.
June 24, 2022
With the progressing times, it is hard to find the youth being aware of and enthusiastic of their folk music and instruments. The band Koloma shares their ambition to make people aware of the Tripuri folk music and instruments through their folk fusion songs.
June 10, 2022
The young generation is gradually moving away from their roots and forgetting where they come from. Takar Nabam shares his experience of reconnecting with his roots through music.
June 3, 2022
People often take music as a hobby and not pursue it career. John Mpamei shares how hobbies can be pursued as one’s career just by believing in oneself and staying positive in every situation.
May 27, 2022
The music industry seems something foreign and unattainable. Apurva Tamang shares his experience in the music industry and as a singer- songwriter.
March 13, 2022
The Adivasi and Dalit children are often ignored by the Indian education system due to poverty coming in the way of their education and they are unable to receive modern digitalized education like most privileged children. Padma Shri Geeta Dharmarajan tries to provide what these children lack in their education through Katha Magic Lab.
January 23, 2022
The tribal communities of India are often marginalized and stigmatized by the mainstream which prevents them to spread their wings beyond the boundaries created by others for them. Ruby Hembrom shares her journey of fighting against the stigma and the boundaries to bring forth the stories of the tribal communities of India to the mainstream.
December 11, 2022
There is a deep connection between the natural resources and tribal communities. Raja Varun is on a quest to document the relationships which the tribal communities share with the nature and the stories which lie within.
There are not many examples of innovative use of tribal traditional knowledge in the modern urban society. Manjula C. shares how the traditional knowledge of the Irulars have been helping and can help the modern society
People often relate astronomy with what has been finalized in the mainstream. Prof. Mayank Vahia shares how astronomy is amongst the great intellectual traditions of all tribes, focusing on Indian tribes.
January 30, 2022
There is a lack of knowledge about various mediums of storytelling. Allen Shaw shares his idea of how sketches can become a medium of storytelling and his journey and experience as a travelling sketching artist.
June 12, 2022
The Indian tribal cuisine has been left unexplored and undocumented. Ashish Chopra talks about how one can discover these tribal cuisines by travelling to the tribal communities and documenting their unique cuisine.
May 29, 2022
The Indigenous food system all across the globe have been perishing with time and a lot of it have already been lost due to various reasons. Chef Sean Sherman shares his experience of reviving these diminishing indigenous food system not just in the United States but also all across the globe.
May 1, 2022
Indigenous cuisine is rapidly losing its essence as it is kept separated from the mainstream market. Raja Sharma Rymbai talks about how Slow Food and Indigenous Food Network is preserving, promoting and reviving indigenous cuisine all around the world.
April 8, 2022
The web series ‘Dream and Chaos’ has been gaining popularity for its theme and the portrayal of the contemporary lifestyle of the Northeastern India. The director Bendang Walling and actors Limasenla Jamir and Kilangtemsu Imsong talk share what went on in the making of the web series.
June 19, 2022
The media greatly lacks in proper portrayal of the Indian tribal communities. Deepak Bara shares how he and his team try to make people aware of the proper portrayal of the tribal communities and the various issues which they face.
Tortoise under the Earth
March 11, 2022
Tribal communities of Jharkhand are not often represented or been the main protagonist of the mainstream film industry. Shishir Jha tries to break this system with his Santali feature film ‘Tortoise Under the Earth’.
September 5, 2021
The tribal communities are often described as primitive, backward and unchanged. But this is not the case, they do evolve and in no way they are primitive and backward. Tara Douglas attempts to make the tribes be accepted by the animated films. The younger generation is losing touch with the stories of their communities, therefore there is a rising need to sustain the stories to give them a new life for the new generation.
December 18, 2022
Fashion is one of the main contributors of setting trends and also generating wastes. Anuj Sharma share how the concept of Button Masala is both fashionable and sustainable.
September 18, 2022
Fashion has been a greatly influential part of one’s life. Glenda Yanez shares how indigenous high fashion clothes spreads a sense of equality among indigenous women in Bolivia.
July 3, 2022
There have always been an issue of incorporating the indigenous elements into the fashion world which are appeasing. Epeli Tuibeqa talks about how in his work he tries to embody his indigenous culture from the fabric to the motifs.
May 13, 2022
With tribal arts being reinterpreted it is important to know about its origin. Gina Joseph shares how she reinterprets tribal arts together with their stories embedded in wearable art.
May 6, 2022
Many northeastern indigenous cultures and attires are diminishing because the youth are not informed about them well. Michri Sangma shares her series ‘Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow’ highlighting her Garo tribe in modern light.
December 10, 2022
There are many troubles which the rural communities of the developing countries face. Blessing Oritseweyinmi Mene shares how he tries to tackle those problems with the help of indigenous knowledge system.
November 11, 2022
There are millions of small businesses in India which do provide employment but running them proves to be difficult. Piya Bahadur shares how she and her team created MeraBills to financially and digitally empower them so that they are brought into mainstream.
October 21, 2022
Chocolates are mainly seen as a product of the western market. Germán Santillán shares that it is not the case for the Mixtec region of Oaxaca and how this can help restore the social dynamics.
July 15, 2022
Northeastern India is full of a variety of unique indigenous produces which is not well known to others. Zeinorin Angkang shares how through a repetitive business model she is able to help the indigenous farmers there and also share the produces outside Northeastern India.
February 27, 2022
There is little knowledge of the tribal forest food system and mahuwa is often categorized as the doom of tribal community because it helps in the production of local alcohol. But Dr. Basavi Kiro shares that mahuwa is not just a raw material for alcohol but it also has many medicinal properties which if used correctly would bring about great change in the tribal community.
December 23, 2022
Higher education and community development go hand in hand in the present times. Nilanjana Moitra shares how the Indian higher education system fits in the overall development of a student from a tribal community.
October 30, 2022
Social work is widely appreciated but people do not go deeper into what it actually is. Dr. Bipin Jojo shares what is social work and the history of tribes and social work.
May 8, 2022
There is not much known about active tribal institutes and what do they do. Dr. Madan Meena, the Honorary Director of Adivasi Academy gives an insight to the Adivasi Academy and some of their noteworthy activities.
April 10, 2022
Schools are often pictured as a place with certain rules and someone teaching the children to follow those rules and the existing education system. Abhijit Sinha talks about an alternative system where the learners are the educators and there is no need for an external person to guide them.
August 12, 2022
Deepa Kozhisseri shares her research on the communities living in the Attapadi Hills and how their dependency on nature has gradually changed with time.
September 4, 2022
The Rights of Nature and the Principle of Good Living are terms which are gaining popularity in recent years. Jenny García Ruales shares how the concept of Good Living came into being, how it is intertwined with the rights of nature and the indigenous communities.
June 17, 2022
Sustainable Development is something which is being widely discussed in recent times. Anugrah Pandi talks about how the Lepcha tribe has been living sustainably for a very long time and how these practices should be preserved.
November 7, 2021
The present society is greatly influenced by the western culture which overshadows our cultural identity and has led to the fading away of the exclusivity of the identities. The word uncivilized is often used for those people who have stuck to their roots/identity, and often considered uneducated or backward. Roohani Sawhney shares how through The Last Avatar, the prevailing idea of identity and backwardness has been countered.
July 25, 2021
A designer can play a major role to highlight the intertwined relationship between nature and tribal communities. Anirban Dutta Gupta, shared his experiences of working in the Andaman’s highlighting the indigenous knowledge system of the Onges that saved the community from the tsunami devastation. He presented the redevelopment solution of housing through co-designing with the hunting and gathering community.
February 17, 2022
When making policies for a community the needs and demands of the community is usually misinterpreted or not understood completely. Sruthi Krishnan tackles this issue with the help of play designed to help the policy makers and the communities to interact and share information among themselves tacitly.
December 4, 2022
Toys and games are often seen only as a source of entertainment, but not many know that they can be used as a powerful tool for sharing information. Kartik Butola shares his experience of planning and designing toys to share some knowledge about different tribal communities.
December 2, 2022
There is a lack of tribal language learning material in the urban spaces. Sneh Lata Soreng shares some of her projects which focuses on helping urban tribal children to learn their language and culture through toys and stories.
November 24, 2022
Museums play an important role in telling stories about community, cultures and lifestyle, same for tribal indigenous community. Nikita Desai shares how to create interactive and immersive experiences for the visitor at the museum and other location with the emergence of new technologies, multimedia and mix-media.
September 30, 2022
Indigenous motifs have rarely been used in the field of sports and athletics. Fiona Clarke shares her journey to designing indigenous T20 Australian Cricket jersey.
September 16, 2022
The fashion industry is known their high number of wastes. Karishma Shahani Khan talks about how, through the labels Ka-Sha and Heart to Haat, she is trying to promote upcycling and recycling fashion.
September 11, 2022
Tribal communities are known for their beautiful and unique crafts. Anurag Rana shares how these crafts can help in crafting the livelihoods of those indigenous communities.
July 24, 2022
Many projects for the indigenous communities are planned but are unable to be carried out effectively. Prof. Gareth Loudon shares how Human Centered Design can rectify that and help in improving the efficiency of the projects.
July 17, 2022
Newspapers, magazines and other publications occupy an important part of our lives but not much is known what goes behind the creation of them. Anand Naorem shares how editorial design play an important role in publications.
July 10, 2022
The urban society has lost its’ touch with their tribal roots and there is a need for innovative ways to revive and reintroduce them to the society. Abhishek Sahu, a student of Strategic Design Management, NID Gandhinagar, shares his project of exploring games and play to spread awareness about Indian tribal communities.
December 16, 2022
Even though India is very famous for the diverse variety of a number of festivals, still not much is known about the tribal festivals in the mainstream. Upendra Sinha shares his experience in documenting tribal festivals in Chhattisgarh.
October 17, 2022
Cultural events are only seen as events which one visits for an experience. Ivan M. Petrovic shares how such cultural events can help boost the local economy and much more.
September 25, 2022
Many indigenous cultures are considered mystic and fill people with awe. Sejal Rathwa demystifies one such indigenous cultures and shares more about Pithora paintings.
August 26, 2022
Tribal tattoos have recently in trend with the younger generation. Mo Naga shares how these tattoos are something sacred and have been passed down from generation to generation.
March 20, 2022
Many of the tribal festivals are getting forgotten due to the lack of enthusiasm and knowledge of the festivals in the modern generation. Gunjal Ikir Munda and Anupam Purty are attempting to revive such festivals by igniting enthusiasm in the new generation by re-introducing the activities associated with these festivals.
October 21, 2022
Indigenous communities, handicrafts and weaving are often interrelated. Lucie Tailhades shares how Trend Ethics works with indigenous communities around weaving.
April 22, 2022
Rangskhembor shares some of his works, most of which are from the series ‘Turmeric and Ash’ and some from his other projects.
Tribal Design Forum
November 27, 2022
India holds a number of diverse cultures and the products which originates from there. Hetvi Trivedi shares the India’s GI protection system which can help recognize, support and promote these products to bring socio-economic benefits to the communities.
August 14, 2022
Posters which were popular in previous era are not as much popular now. Felipe Taborda shares how Posters can be used as a powerful source of communication in the present times.
July 1, 2022
Luxury and luxury brands are a popular thing but people don’t know much about what goes in it. Philippe Mihailovich shares the history and present practices of luxury and luxury brands.
May 22, 2022
The history of tribal communities in India is an unknown area to a large group of people. Dr. Ganesh Devy talks about the tribal communities in India and what Adivasis have faced since the colonial times to make people aware of the tribal communities.
November 20, 2022
Various international organizations claim that indigenous communities are critical in the mitigation of climate change but very rarely do we see a clear and comprehensive connection made that would illustrate this point in greater depth. Nonette Royo talks about why and how indigenous communities are crucial to climate change.
November 18, 2022
“Art and culture are nonetheless vital, essential even, to what it means to be human” (Astra Taylor). Saheb Ram Tudu shares how he carves Santhali culture through different forms of art.
July 29, 2022
The existence of Khovar and Sohrai murals of Hazaribagh is not well known to the people. Justin Imam shares how those cave arts were explored and how he and his family took different measures to popularize the Murals and the Khovar and Sohrai art of that region.
November 21, 2021
There is lack of promotion of products made by tribal communities. Lisa Cahill shares her experience of promoting tribal products through exhibitions, talks and events.
September 26, 2021
Representing indigenous communities through contemporary art to help in letting the world know about the community more. Danie Mellor shares his work inspired by infrareds which bring out the hidden stories in the photographs.
November 6, 2022
Museums have often only non-living objects to showcase the history of tribal/adivasi communities in India. Devesh Mishra shares how a tribal eco-village can provide as a living museum which would provide a better understanding of tribal communities.
October 14, 2022
The misconceptions around mud construction prevails in the contemporary times. Joelle Eyeson talks about how modern day mud construction are both sustainable and an extension of the community’s culture.
October 7, 2022
Sustainable environment has been a common occurring topic in the present times. Ankur Choksi shares how local craftsmanship, architecture and design can help achieve sustainable environment.
August 27, 2022
When building something for the indigenous communities, their ideas and views regarding the structure are often ignored. Wanda Dalla Costa shares how IDC works together with indigenous students and communities to create for them.
September 19, 2021
The modern architecture with cement and bricks greatly contribute to the increasing carbon footprints and there is a need for a sustainable alternative method. Mud houses usually have been compared to the modern buildings and portrayed as inferior to them. Swati Sushmita Lakra shares her idea of modern mud architecture which can not only decrease the carbon footprints but is also a great sustainable solution for both man and nature.
October 28, 2022
In the present generation people are fascinated with robotics and Prasun Basu shares robotics, prosthetics and cutting edge technology can make storytelling more compelling and exciting.
April 3, 2022
Designing characters for a certain story is quite a difficult task. Vaibhav Kumaresh shares his experience of designing characters for short animations and how to design them.
April 1, 2022
Often local characters with contemporary issues are not seen in the world of literature. Sentilong Ozukum provides his audience with novels dealing with contemporary issues through the characters which the locals can recognise as themselves.
February 13, 2022
There has been a lack of animated content made by Indians for the children since the introduction of channels for children and what is available is still lacking. Longbir Ingti Kathar shares his experience as an animator in the Indian Animation Industry and the challenges and solutions to the lack of animated Indian content for the children.
Upcoming Sessions
TDF Projects

Special projects have been initiated, planned and executed by the Tribal Design Forum to create awareness about tribal culture and tribal communities in India – both through online engagements and offline.

TDF City Meets

TDF City Meets are meetups hosted by our community members and associates at different locations across India for a cup of tea and a conversation on tribal culture and design.processes upclose and understand the role of design amongst local tribal communities.

Join the TDF Circle
Join our mailing list to stay tuned with the upcoming events.
TDF Open Studios

TDF Open Studios are visits to studios and workspaces of our community members and associates at different locations across India to see the products, processes upclose and understand the role of design amongst local tribal communities.

Why Join the TDF Community

Become part of a unique multidisciplinary community with the interests of the tribal communities at the core

SHARE

Speak and Be Heard
Share learnings and experiences with a diverse group on a wide range of subjects

INTERACT

Meet and Engage
Interact with students, professionals, academicians and various domain experts

NETWORK

Connect and Collaborate
Explore the potential of working together and cocreating by forging networks

Learn

Keep pace with the Past, Present and Future
Participate insessions, discussions and workshops to stay updated with the future

GET INSPIRED

Get insights to Excellence
Witness the journey of excellence by the domain experts and get inspired by their success

REDISCOVER

Get insights to Excellence
Witness the journey of excellence by the domain experts and get inspired by their success

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