Tigers as Deities: How Indian Tribes View Big Cats Beyond Conservation

For centuries, India’s local and indigenous communities have lived not in conflict, but in harmony with nature. Forests aren’t “wild” to them; they are home. Animals aren’t “less evolved” or “to be saved”; they were fellow beings, even wiser ones, whose instincts shaped the rhythms of life. For ancient societies, even beyond India, Animism was a distinct way of life and existence, one that demanded respect for nature akin to God.