Asha Rao
Lead CuratorFieldwork, oral histories, and curation.
Who we are
About TribeHeritage
A community-led digital museum preserving living tribal traditions across India — artifacts, stories, songs and craft documented in partnership with elders, artisans and researchers.
Mission
To document, preserve and share cultural knowledge in ways that centre community consent, credit, and benefit. We combine fieldwork, oral history, artifact photography and accessible essays to create ethical digital records.
Vision
A living archive where communities can tell their own stories, learners discover diverse practices, and researchers access well-cited, community-approved resources.
Project timeline
- 2023 — Pilot fieldwork & community partnerships.
- 2024 — Digital platform built; first 50 profiles published.
- 2025 — Expanded media archive, curator collaborations, open research notes.
- 2026+ — Ongoing: community-led growth, education partnerships, interactive tools.
Core team & partners
A small core team works with many community collaborators and academic partners. Every profile includes community review and consent statements.
Rohit Pillai
Research & partnershipsArchive management & community liaisons.
Meera Joshi
Design & front-endUI, documentation and accessibility.
Ethics & methodology
We prioritize informed consent, transparent sourcing, community review and fair attribution. Research notes, consent forms and methodology are available to collaborators via the Research page.
Consent-first
Profiles are published only after consent and review by community representatives.
Open citations
All research is cited and cross-checked with archival material where possible.
Community benefit
We share findings, copies of recordings, and copies of imagery with communities.
Frequently asked
How can communities participate?
Contact us via the Collaborations form. We visit with clear consent processes and co-author profiles where requested.
Can I reuse images or text?
Usage depends on the profile’s license—some items are CC-BY, others require permission. See each profile for details.
Who owns the recordings?
Ownership/rights are explicitly agreed with community partners; we document terms in each profile's metadata.
Work with us
If you're a researcher, community member, or educator interested in collaborating, please reach out — we prioritise equitable partnerships.
Get in touch