Indigeneity in India: Protests, Petitions, and the Objectivation of Culture

Indigeneity in India constitutes a complex and contested phenomenon existing between indigenous peoples and the State. Rallies, demonstrations and memorandums convey the message of local people to the State and call for self-reflection. The Badagas, peasants in the South Indian Nilgiri Hills, form a politically active group. Their case illustrates how the process of identification is transformed by such contexts. On May 15th, 1989, the majority of all living Badaga gathered in the Ootacamund (Ooty), formed a procession and their leaders presented the District Collector of the Nilgiri with a memorandum. One of the demands was inclusion in the list of scheduled tribes. I shall argue that the medium of the memorandum, a written text addressed to the Government, requires an objectivation of culture. The rally and the handing over of the petition follow a ritual form, which is influenced by cultural forms considered to be "traditional" and by cultural forms of the state. The interaction with the State, within the contexts of the Rally and of the Badaga Day itself, re-activated older forms of Badaga leadership and regional councils. May 15th became the Badaga Day being celebrated every year.