Tribal arts are basically ritual arts, used by priests and/or shamans. People believe in the ritual significance of the art forms. In the traditional context the drawings, designs and colour combinations which are manifested in the works of art vary from society to society. They have their specific cultural meanings. At the same time, they are considered as expressions of their respective cultural identities. In recent years, the re-use of “tribal” arts by government and non-government agencies has led to a de-contextualization of tribal art.

The presentation will draw on examples from Odisha.

Professor Prasanna Kumar Nayak is chairman of the Nabakrushna Choudhury Centre for Development Studies, Bhubaneswar. He has also taught at Utkal University, Centre for Advanced Study in Anthropology, and was Visiting Professor to the Universities of Heidelberg, Frankfurt, Halle (Germany), and Potenza (Italy). Currently he is serving as the second ICCR Visiting Professor of Indian Studies in the Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Vienna.