Warli tribe:
Introduction :
The name Warli has been derived from ‘ Warla', which means field or piece of
land.
Their main occupation is agriculture and allied activities.
They have their own animistic beliefs, life, customs and traditions, as a result
of acculturation they have adopted many Hindu beliefs.
The Warlis speak an unwritten Varli language which belong to the southern
zone of the Indo-Aryan languages and the union territories of Dadra and
Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
Population:
795,000 in Maharashtra
Art and handicraft: warli painting
the Warli Indian Tribal Art has the potential of reviving an ancient art form,
alongside supporting livelihood of artists and artisans practising the art,
Over the years 2008 to now, Warli Artists at the Learning Space, have
innovated in the art by bringing colourful images, dynamic background and
foreground combinations of imagery, and themes that enhance the simplicity
and harmony in nature .
In the past few years, designers of popular brands of women's traditional wear
have worked with the Unit's artists to innovate in style and form of clothing
Thakar tribe:
Introduction :
These people are originally of Rajput descent.
During Moghul attacks they fled to the forest and then via Gujrath Madhya
Pradesh they came to Maharashtra.
The Thakars were originally living in all the hilly areas of Western Ghats in
Maharashtra but are currently scatteres across the entire state
Population:
As per 2001 census, the population of the Thakurs/Thakars in Maharashtra
was 487,696 and the literacy rate was 50.9%
Art and handicraft:
is traditional Chitrakathi paintings
(chitra meaning painting and kathi meaning story or narration), performed by
the nomadi Thakar tribe of Konkan region.
In Maharashtra, the evidence of Chitrakathi goes back approximately to the
17thto 19th century. Chitrakathi is broadly divided into two styles ‘Paithan
style’ and ‘Pinguli style’. This paper is written keeping the ‘Pinguli style’ in
perspective.
Chitrakathi painting is not a running scroll painting but an individual work of art
on approximately 28 X 38 cm size rectangular paper. Similar to a religious
book, a compilation of such paintings is known as pothi.
The most prevalent themes in these paintings are the stories of Ramayana
and Mahabharata.
The Thakars are not aware who painted these and around which year, they
just remember having these pothis in their family.
The narration of Chitrakathi is a combination of the songs, instrumental music
and the stories. The stories include the moral values, contemporary political
and social references and events are told in local language Malvani and main
language Marathi.
The characteristic of folk art form, the frame story and ideal talk, is also used
in this oral tradition with help of puppet show.
Population:
Maharashtra: 18,697
Art and handicraft:
Gond tribe:
Introduction / History:
Gonds finds mention in almost the historical books of India.
Gonds settled in the Gondawa in the ninth and thirteenth century AD. In the
fourteen century they ruled several parts of the central India.
They built number of forts, palaces, temples, tanks and lakes during the rule
of the Gonds dynasty. The Gondwana kingdom survived till late 16th century.
Gond dynasties ruled in four kingdoms - Garha-Mandla, Deogarh, Chanda,
and Kherla in the central India. Gonds have been the warriors since the British
period. During the British regime in India, Gonds challenged the Britishers in
several battles. They also gained control over the Malwa after the decline of
the Mughals followed by the Marathas in the year 1690.
The Gonds are the tribal community mostly found in the Gond forests of the
central India.
They are widely spread in the Chhindwara District of Madhya Pradesh, Bastar
district of Chhattisgarh and also in the parts of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh,
and Orissa.
The name by which the Gonds call themselves is Koi or Koitur which means
unclear. Gonds are one of the largest tribal group in the world.
Population:
1,614,000 in Maharashtra
Art and handicraft:
Gond tribal art is one such kind of traditional art of Adivasi people of central India
(Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and eastern Maharashtra). Gonds are the largest
adivasi community of India belonging Dravidian race, the name comes from Kond
meaning the Green Mountains.
Gond paintings are the depiction of tribal culture, their myths, believes, folklore’s,
festivals and the significance of various shamanic looking tattoos and other body
arts.
https://i1.wp.com/www.blog.authindia.com/wp-
content/uploads/2017/11/Gond_Painting-7.jpg?w=500
Koli tribe:
Introduction / History:
The term Koli means fisherman.
According to legend the Koli claim to be descendents from the Black Dwarf
that came forth from the body of King Vena.
Numbering more than 12 million, they are one of the largest communities
of western India. The Koli constitute of a number of communities with
various occupations and cultural identities while still remaining Koli.
As their name implies, fishing is common. Some are laborers,
agriculturists, water carriers, boatmen and some raise animals.
Some Koli have advanced education and have positioned themselves well
within society and government, but the majority live within the lower strata
of society.
Population:
59,000 in Maharashtra
Art and handicraft:
Kathodi /katkari tribe:
Introduction / History:
The Katkari are a scheduled tribe of India.
The name Katkari relates to the juice of the acacia catechu tree.
They have a low literacy level so the gospel will need to be given in oral
form too.
In Maharashtra the Katkari speak Marathi. They are not vegetarians and
eat rice and millet as cereals. They believe in monogamy, have adult
marriages and the dead are cremated. Their main work is agriculture and
labouring. It has been said that sorcery has been used by them. They
have a Community Council to settle disputes. Hinduism is their religion.
Population:
284,000 in Maharashtra
Art and handicraft:
Konkani tribe:
Introduction / History:
Konkani people (Koṅkaṇī lok also Koṅkaṇe, Koṅkaṇstha) are an ethno-
linguistic community who inhabit the Konkan Coast of south western India
and speak the Konkani language. They originate from coastal
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa and in The Dang district and near by
Dharampur place of Gujarat
The word Konkan and, in turn Konkani, is derived from Kuṅkaṇ or
Kuṅkaṇu. Different authorities explain etymology of this word differently.
Some include:
Koṇ meaning top of the mountain.
Name of aboriginal mother goddess, which is sometimes sanskritised to
mean goddess Renuka.
Thus the name Konkane, comes from the word Konkaṇ, which means the
people of Konkan.
The Konkani people speak different dialects of Konkani, their native
tongue; although a very high percentage are bilingual.
Population:
3,99204 in Maharashtra
Art and handicraft:
Mahadeo koli tribe:
Introduction / History:
The Koli people are also called Dongar or Raj Koli. Generally 'Koli' means a
fisherman but the Koli people's primary occupation is agriculture. The Mahadev
Koli derive their name from their god Mahadev and live in the Mahadev hills of
Maharashtra. They are found mostly in the Pune, Ahmednagar and Nasik districts
of Maharashtra. They speak Marathi and use the Devanagari script.
Their staple food consists of rice, nagli, varai and wheat. Other than agriculture
they are also involved in cattle production, dairy and poultry farming and wage
labour as subsidiary occupations.
There are twenty-four exogamous clans among the Mahadev Koli and they use
their clan's names as their surnames. Members of each clan have their own deity.
They resemble the Kunbi and the Maratha communities in matters of dress and
appearance. They live in nuclear families. Bride price plays an important part in
the marriage. The marriage ceremony lasts for three to four days. Divorce and
remarriage are allowed. The dead are buried, but in some cases cremation is
also practiced.
Most of the Mahadev Koli follow a number of Hindu traditions. The percentage of
literacy among the Mahadev Koli is 30.
Alternate Names: Koli Mahadev, Dholi, Malhar, Talapada, Chunvalia
Population:
1,492,000 in Maharashtra
Art and handicraft:
Aryan tribe(munda) tribe:
Introduction / History:
The Munda probably came to India from South East Asia hundreds of years ago.
Most Munda live across northeast and central India. Most Indian Hindus see the
Munda as outside the caste system.
The Munda are one of the largest tribal people groups of India.
The Munda speak many different regional languages including their own language
of Mundari, Assamese and Hindi.
During the colonial period much of their land was taken away and they became
agricultural workers tied to the land
Population:
400 in Maharashtra
Art and handicraft:
Gamit TRIBE:
Gamit believe that they belong to The Sun dynasty Rajput community.
It is believed that they might have migrated to India via Khaibar Ghat and
Bolanghat of Sindh region and then they might have proceeded to Marwad
areas.
This is supported by the songs of leel sung by Gamit old ladies during Holi
festival.
They perform 'Pooja' on any social or religious occasions.
The first God to be worshiped is the Sun God. Another school of thought
indicates that the word 'Gamit' came from the word 'Gam' - a village. That
those who got settled in a village (a Gam) are Gamits. They are also known
as Vasava (those who settled).
Population
As per 2001 census, the total population of Gamits was 3,54,362.
Of this, 1,76,780 are male and 1,77,582 are female.
The percentage of Gamits among total tribal population is 4.74 per cent.
Art:
Handicrafts:
Kunbi Tribe:
Kunbis, are arguably the earliest settlers of Goa.
They are a sturdy tribal community mostly settled in Salcete Taluka, who were
Hindus, were converted to Christianity during the Portuguese era, have still retained
the most ancient folk tradition of the land.
Belonging to the agricultural class, they are perceived as mild mannered and
industrious people. They live together, clustered into several hamlets, known as
‘kutumba’, however today they are categorized as Other Backward Class (OBC) .
Population: the Marata-Kunbi form over 40% of the population of Western
Maharashtra.
Art:
Kunbis have a rich tradition of art and culture to which they attach particular
importance.
The Kunbi folk dance is distinctive to the tribe and is quite famous in Goa as it is
known to portray social themes
Handicrafts:
