Preserving Traditions of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) through Artificial Intelligence; A Scoiological Study of Documentation of Lodha Tribal Heritage of Odisha

Abstract

Lodha is one of the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) found in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha whose culture is rich in forest-based oral traditions and ethnobotany, including various crafts. But due to factors like modernization, poverty, and historical experiences of oppression during the colonial era, the existence of the group is now threatened. With reference to examples from other parts of the world such as ethical AI frameworks by UNESCO and NLP and GANs for preserving dying languages and rituals, this paper examines the role of artificial intelligence in the Lodha legacy. Some of the applications include motion capture animation for performing arts, archiving material artifacts in three-dimensional VR, AI-powered transcription, and GamifiED mobile application for preserving dialects, along with predictive modeling for socio-cultural erosion. This research encourages collaboration with the local community and institutes, including the co-design of a "Digital Heritage Repository of Lodhas" and partnership between IIT Bhubaneswar and SCSTRTI, Odisha, while emphasizing the need for ethics, bridging the digital divide, data ownership, and mitigating any potential bias in the data analysis process. The research advocates for the inclusion of legislative measures to encourage sustainable tourism and AI literacy. Ultimately, it is demonstrated that artificial intelligence becomes a win-win solution to integrate traditional knowledge with sustainable development to preserve the natural and cultural heritage of the Lodhas for posterity.