Traditional Knowledge System and Global Challenges to Transmitting It among the Tiwa tribe of Assam, India: An Analysis

Abstract (English)

Abstract
Assam is a hotspot of tribal diversity, located in the Northeastern part of India. It is the homeland of several tribal or ethnic groups, which practice a number of traditional knowledge systems since a very long back. Tribal or indigenous communities have very rich traditional knowledge systems or traditional practices that make them significant. Traditional knowledge includes the knowledge of agriculture, hunting-gathering, uses of material, textile, forest, or natural resource management, traditional medicine, and mathematics etc. The Tiwa tribe is one of the significant tribes of Assam, India. It occupies a remarkable position in terms of having a number of unique traditional practices and knowledge systems. In the current era, or global era, the Tiwa tribe of Assam practices traditional education and skilled development system, traditional modes of production, utilization of the forest and the natural resources, ethno-medicine, believes in magic and ancestral worship, totemism, and traditional transaction systems like barter exchange, re-distribution, etc. As a consequence of Globalization, people of the Tiwa tribe have faced both the positive and the negative impacts. To some extent, globalization is considered as a blessing for them. Globalization has brought changes, connected them to the outside, and improved their socio-economic condition. However, they have faced many challenges and obstacles in preserving and transmitting the cultural practices and traditional knowledge system. This paper aims to highlight all the major aspects of the traditional knowledge system and try to give an insight into the challenges generated through globalization among the Tiwa tribe of Assam, India.