Migrant Tribes / Nomads
UNIT 2 DRAVIDIAN TRIBES
Structure
2.0 Objectives
2.1 Introduction: the Dravidian tribes
2.2. The Gonds of Central India
2.2.1 Religion
2.2.2 Economy
2.2.3 Shelter
2.3. Society and culture
2.3.1 Ghotul or the youth dormitory
2.3.2 Marriage
2.3.3 Death ritual
2.3.4 Handicraft products
2.3.5 Ornaments
2.4 Original myths of Gond tribe
2.5 Let us sum up
2.6 Activity
2.7 References and further reading
2.8 Glossary
2.9 Check your progress: possible answers
2.0 OBJECTIVES
After having read this Unit you will be able to:
x learn about Dravidian tribes;
x discuss about the Ghotul or the youth dormitory and its importance in tribal
life;
x know the names of certain tribes belonging to the Dravidian family; and
x describe the origin and myths of Gond tribe.
2.1 INTRODUCTION: THE DRAVIDIAN TRIBES
Many scholars consider the Dravidians to be the oldest tribal group of India.
They are found from Ceylon to the Valley of the Ganges and cover all South-
Eastern regions of India, mostly Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Central India,
Orissa, and Bihar. The Dravidian tribal population is conterminous with the
Ghats on the east and west of the peninsular area of India. Farther north, it reaches
on one side to the Aravallis and on the other side to the Rajmahal hills. There are
numerous Dravidian tribes of India. Here is a partial list: the Maria and Muria,
Baiga, Mal Paharia or Male of the Santal Parganas, Oraon, the Badaga of the
Nilgiris, the Munda, the Gond etc.
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Tribal Cosmogenies One the most important and dominant Dravidan tribe of India is the Gond. In the
following unit, we are going to discuss ethnography, life style, occupation etc.,
and original myths of the Gonds of Central India.
2.2 THE GOND OF CENTRAL INDIA
The Gond tribes form the largest single tribal group in India. The Gond tribe is
composed of several tribes. Their homeland extends from the Satpura range
down to the River Godavari, from Uttar Pradesh (Gond District) and North Bihar
to Andhra Pradesh, and from Maharashtra to Orissa. They have lent their name
to Gondwana, a historical region which gained prominence during the medieval
period. The Gonds established their political power, founded states and exercised
influenced far and wide. There are as many as four separate Gond kingdoms in
the Gondwana region, mentioned in the medieval accounts. These four kingdoms
include the Panna District in the north, Ratanpur in Bilaspur district in the east,
the Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh in the west and areas of the Deccan in
Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh in the south.
According to the census of India 1961, the derivation of the name Gond is
unknown. In fact, the Gonds call themselves Koitur or Koi. The name Gond was
an appellation given to them by outsiders. According to some, the title of the
Gonds, as of Khonds, is derived from the word “hill”. Telugu speakers still refer
to the Khonds as Gonds. Spread over seven contiguous states, the Gond
population is largest in Madhya Pradesh. Their mother tongue is Gondi and it
belongs to the Dravidian family of languages. However, now they are bilingual
or even trilingual; they speak Gondi as well as Hindi and Marathi or Telugu
depending upon their location.
The Gond tribe has an extremely rich tradition of folklore. During the rule of the
Gond dynasties in Central India, the ruling class was the patron of the Pardhans
group of bards, a sub-group of the Gond. The Pardhan played an important role
as the custodians of Gond traditions and culture. With the fall of Gond kingdom,
the relationship between the Gond and the Pradhan lost much of its importance,
and was thereby reduced to a great extent.
Check your progress 1
Note: 1) Your answers should be around 30 words each;
2) You may check your answers with the possible answers given at
the end of this Unit.
1) Where do the Dravidian tribes of India reside apart from Central India?
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2.2.1 Religion Migrant Tribes / Nomads
Many Gonds still follow the traditional tribal religions,which is known as the
Persa pen cult. In Madhya Pradesh, the Gonds are mostly Hindu and there are
also a small group of people of Christian religion. In the traditional Gond rituals,
each clan believes in a god of its own, Persa pen or Baradeo is the supreme deity
and the Gond believe that they are the children of Baradeo. Each clan has a
separate shrine of Baradeo where they gather and offer prayer to their deceased
ancestors. These rituals consist of the usage of three small sticks of bamboo,
paddy, areca-nuts and a copper coin wrapped in a piece of new cloth. A priest
performs a puja to unite the deceased person’s soul with Baradeo and once the
soul is united with Baradeo, it was His will whether the deceased person would
be sent back to the earth or not, and in what form they would be sent back.
Baradeo is generally worshiped during the month of Magh (between mid-January
to mid-February). Besides Baradeo, the Gond worship several gods and goddess,
namely Kalimata, Narayandeo, Marchimata, Dulhadeo, Dulhidevi, Baisasurdeo,
Dudh guriakhut, Dulhariakhut, Chowra, Bajara, Banjaridevi etc. The Gonds give
importance to ancestor worship.
2.2.2 Economy
The basis of the Gond economy is agriculture, but they also practice animal
husbandry. Though the traditional occupations of agriculture and animal
husbandry have sustained their economy since time immemorial, these
occupations have started facing mounting pressure due to the large scale
immigration of people into their land. Currently, the Gonds of Central India are
engaged in various economic operations simultaneously other than agriculture.
Other than that, there are Gonds who are settled cultivators, forest laborers,
agricultural laborers, wage laborers, workers engaged in mining and quarrying,
skilled laborers and musicians. For the settled cultivators land and water are the
main resources, which are controlled by individuals, but sometimes they cultivate
in the forest lands, controlled by the Government. However, among the Gonds,
the Raj Gonds are mainly a landowning community. Only men plough the land
and women undertake agricultural operations which amount to almost seventy
percent of the total agricultural activities. The Gond women are expert in the
transplanting of paddy, besides which they have a role in animal husbandry,
collection of fuel and potable water and other economic activities. The main
crops of the Gonds are kado, kutki (millet), paddy, jowar, wheat, tur, urad, masur
(all pluses) etc. They have direct links with the local market which is fully
regulated and they sell their products at the markets for cash to other business
communities in the area. Most of the Gond tribes engaged themselves as
agricultural labor, since many of them do not own any land.
2.2.3 Shelter
The Gonds use natural materials like mud, grass, palm leaves etc. to build their
huts. The traditional Gond house has a large verandah, which is called the oser,
sometimes it is larger than the rest of the house. The middle portion of the house
is called narma lon. This portion contains the storeroom and winter quarters.
The main living room is designated as the agha and angadi is the kitchen. All
Gonds have the bari or garden in small or large proportion according to the
wants and desires of the family. They grow tobacco, maize, chillies, tomatoes,
sesamum and many other vegetables in their garden. Cattle are penned in the
garden to take advantage of the manure. 191
Tribal Cosmogenies The traditional Gond elite have substantial houses; they use heavy logs, carefully
selected bamboos, mud mixed with straw and cow-dung to build their houses.
Lately the heavy thatched roof, made with thick layers of grass is being gradually
replaced by local mud baked tiles. Usually, the door of the houses faces the east
and the walls of the houses are often made of vertical pole stock dings. The
economically disadvantaged Gond people make their walls with bamboo wattle
work and all floors, walls and portions are plastered with mud.
Check your progress 2
Note: 1) Your answers should be around 30 words each;
2) You may check your answers with the possible answers given at
the end of this Unit.
2) What kind of economic activities do the Gonds pursue?
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3) What type of houses do well-off Gonds inhabit?
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2.3 SOCIETY AND CULTURE
2.3.1 Ghotul or the youth dormitory
The youth dormitory is not universally present amongst all the Gond tribes. On
the whole it appears to be a result influence from Orissa, Bihar and Assam.
There are usually separate dormitories for the boys, with two apartments: one at
the entrance and another in the centre of the village. The boys and girls of the
tribe meet after evening time to dance, sing and enjoy themselves. They sleep in
their own barracks. If there is no dormitory, then the young men sleep in the
granaries. The young men must not sleep near their parents.
The Gonds, like other societies, have an impressive body of traditional cultural
practices and regulations. The most important of these is the Ghotul system (the
organization of youth halls from both sexes). However, many sections of Gond
population in India do not have Ghotuls due to various social influences to which
they have been subjected during the last several centuries. The Maria and Muria
tribes, which are sub-groups of the Gond tribe of Central India, have Ghotul and
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it has been mentioned by Verrier Elwin. His work The Murias and their Ghotuls, Migrant Tribes / Nomads
is one of the important contributions to the study of a vital aspect of society and
culture in India.
The aim and objective of the ghotul is to function as an institution for developing
in both the sexes a love of the clan, and training them in conjugal and civic
duties, not excluding opportunities for obtaining proficiency in hunting, dancing,
music and the cultural life of the group. It may appear a paradox to non-tribal
societies that they enjoy sexual liberties, and at the same time develop obedience
and discipline, receiving opportunities for leadership in the institution. The place
possesses an atmosphere of happiness, where life is full, interesting and useful.
Other than this, the ghotul consistently promotes co-operation in all economic,
recreational, ceremonial and social activities of the entire group. Thus primarily,
the ghotul is meant to deal with the sexual life of boys and girls as they reach
maturity. It aims to prepare them for sexual, marital and family responsibilities
that follow with the coming of adulthood. It promotes a mixing of both sexes
without adult and parental control, and develops a sense of responsibility by
imposing self motivated leadership. The Ghotul probably originated to fulfil the
need of special training for each sex under different local and tribal conditions.
The taboo on sexual intercourse before the communal hunt, during sowing,
reaping and harvesting operations have contributed towards keeping alive the
institution of the dormitory though it originated in a period of struggle with the
forest, wild animals and alien men. The Maria ghotuls are institutions which
serve to provide opportunities for young men and women to stabilize and
strengthen intimacies, which may be a prelude to marriage.
The male leader of the ghotul has been known as sardar and the female leader is
known as Belosa, but their names varies from place to place .They practically
monitor various activities of the ghotul.
2.3.2 Marriage
The Gonds have several types of marriage practices. The oldest among them is
marriage by capture, known as Poysceottur. This practice varies from place to
place. Another type of marriage practice occurs when the girl elopes with the
boy. In some marriages, even after consent of the parent is obtained, the couple
prefers a marriage by elopement. Elwin found that it also could be because of
economic reasons; if the parents found it difficult to collect the required grain
for the communal feast, or were reluctant to face some opposition from influential
clan members. Sometimes, it also happens due to impatience. Romance and
thrill all combine to lead elopement, the boy and girl run away to a friendly
house or ghotul. At times the girl is made pregnant to compel her parents to
agree to the marriage. The couple then has to face the clan jury, who will demand
the feast or Mahua (local liquor made from Mahua flower) drinks, or a fine
before agreeing to regularize this marriage.
Amongst the Gonds, a man may marry his mother-in-law or co-widow, or any
women related to him closely, where the classificatory system of relationship is
not prevailing. However, he cannot marry his wife’s elder sister. First, cousin
marriage is most common amongst all the Gonds.
The practice of giving bride-price is common with the Gond tribes. This nature
of the bride price, the articles and quantities given, their value and the amount of 193
Tribal Cosmogenies cash given with the gifts will naturally differ not only from place to place, but it
also varies between different house-holds. The total expenses of marriage vary
widely between a few hundred rupees amongst the economically disadvantaged
Gonds, and more than a thousand amongst the Raj Gonds. The boy’s father has
to give to the girl’s father grain and money as bride-price.
2.3.3 Death ritual
In earlier days the Gond used to bury their dead, but now they cremate the dead
body. The Gond follow certain rules for dead body, for example if Gonds die of
unnatural death, such as killed by tigers or commit suicide, are buried. It is
believed that the Chanda, a sub-group of Gond might have introduced the
cremation rituals. Now almost all clan follows the cremation rituals. It is also
said that the old persons are burnt with special honour to save them from being
devoured by beasts.
According to the Gond beliefs, any person should not die on a cot or bed. Because
the body should touch the “bhum” or earth is easy to understand since death is
believed to be caused by the earth spirit. The body, therefore, is put on the ground
when life is ebbing out. In most cases death is attributed to the departure of
breath, though the ghost or soul is clearly identified as “hanal”. The dead body
of a Gond anywhere is always placed such that the feet faced the north, and the
head faces the south. The home of their deities is believed to be in the north. The
Maria however, is known to place the corpse facing west. When the body is
buried it is naked. The corpse is bathed in water, and sometimes milk is sprinkled
on it. In some places it was rubbed with Mahuwa oil, turmeric and charcoal.
Whenever burial is practiced, after the grave is dug waist deep the body is placed
in position, face upwards, and the nearest relatives throw a clod of earth on the
head of the corpse, saying “this is all I can do for you, and I give you my portion”.
The female corpse is buried face downwards.
The Gonds believe in rebirth and life after death. They believe there is continuity
beyond death because it is the substantial foundation of all worship of the dead.
The dead have wishes, desires and needs which the living must satisfy for their
own sake, as also for the benefits of those who survive after them. The ghost
soul, in certain cases remains with the dead body till stones are discovered in
which they will remain with the living forever. The ghost-soul is capable of
leaving the body, and at times re-entering any other body, both during life time
as well as after death. Thus are diseases explained, and belief arises in possession,
black magic, or the power of ghost spirits. Baradeo is worshiped and ceremonies
are performed to mingle the dead with Baradeo. Such ghost souls are expected
to take a new birth.
Check your progress 3
Note: 1) Your answers should be around 30 words each;
2) You may check your answers with the possible answers given at
the end of this Unit.
4) What is the importance of the Ghotul in Gond culture?
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Migrant Tribes / Nomads
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5) What is marriage by elopement among the Gonds?
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6) What do you know about the Burial ceremony of the Gonds?
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2.3.4 Handicraft products
The Gonds have rich tradition of handicraft products which includes body
tattooing, rangoli (floor paintings), pottery and basket-making, etc. The Gonds
are proficient in wall painting, which they do in red and black on a white
background. They draw many natural objects such as animal, birds, trees, human
figures, hunting scene, dancing poses, as well as geometric forms to decorate
their walls. The decorations are made with thick sticks, mud or clay mixed with
chaff and water. The Gonds are also proficient in woodcarving and they decorate
the doors and panels with beautiful cravings.
2.3.5 Ornaments
The Gond women can be identified by their ornaments. One of the most important
is the bhimindia dhar (head ornament), various types of necklaces called as hamshi
and a series of hairpins. They also tattoo their body with various patterns like
half moon, star, cross, comb, flower, deer, rabbit, peacock, scorpion, flies etc.
The men often wear a choker around their neck made up of two or three rows of
cowrie-shells stitched to a cloth band. It is believed to possess magical powers
and these little shells are also used by them as tassels for their purse-bags or on
their waistcoats and belts.
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Tribal Cosmogenies
2.4 ORIGINAL MYTHS OF GOND TRIBE
According to the Gond belief the primordial male ancestors of their society is
Wen. There are four groups of Wen such as Yerung, Sarung, Siyung, and Nalung,
they are numbered as 7, 6, 5, and 4 by the Gonds. The Gond belief that these four
Wen who were emerged from the cave in which they had been imprisoned by the
God Mahadeo. Later they married twenty daughters of four gods of the underworld
and became the forefather of the Gond tribes. The four Wen and their wives
divided into four groups which are the prototypes of the present Saga (Phratries)
known as Yerung Saga, Sarung Saga, Siyung Saga and Nalung Saga. In the
beginning the families of these four Saga lived in one village and later they
shifted to other places and formed their own village. The names of this Saga can
be found in the Gond legend. Apart from legends, the numbers corresponding
the Wen (original ancestors) are found involved as persons, actions or as articles
in many rituals associated in Gond life (Furer-Haimendorf, Christoph von.1956.
Bulletin of the School of oriental and African studies. University of London.
Vol.18.No.3.pp.499-511)
According to a Gond legend regarding their origin, that they had divine ancestors
who were nurtured by the goddess Parvati, but her consort Sri Shambhu Mahadeo
imprisoned them in a cave. These principal Gonds were ultimately liberated by
the Gond culture hero Pahandi Kapar Lingal with the assistance of Jangu Bai, a
goddess well disposed to the Gond, and still regularly worshiped. When the
primeval Gonds, referred to as the Parenda Khara Koya Wasi Penk, literally
meaning the twelve threshing floors of the Gond gods, emerged from the cave,
they appeared in four batches, and this division into four groups laid the
foundation of the basic structure of Gond society.
Check your progress 4
Note: 1) Your answers should be around 30 words each;
2) You may check your answers with the answers given at the end of
this Unit.
7) Who is Wen and what are the four groups of Wen?
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2.5 LET US SUM UP
The Gonds belong to a category of very large tribes (also including Santals and
Bhils) that have traditionally dominated the regions in which they have
lived.Traditional Gond religion involves a distinct pantheon of gods and spirits,
practiced by many Gonds along with Hinduism. Gondwana or “land of the
Gonds”, is a loosely-defined area of southeastern Madhya Pradesh, eastern
Maharashtra, and parts of Chhattisgarh, Orissa, and northern Andhra Pradesh.
The region was home to several Gond kingdoms from the 15th century to the
mid-18th century, when the Marathas expanded into the region from the west.
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The Ghotul or the Youth dormitory is a central institution in the life and culture Migrant Tribes / Nomads
of the Gonds. This institution not only gives both the sexes opportunities to
mingle with each other, but is a highly developed and carefully organized
institution. It is also a school which provides co-education in every aspect of
tribal life, and it is here that boys and girls, at an early age, are trained for marriage
(B.H. Mehta.1984. Gonds of the Central Indian highlands.Vol.1)
2.6 ACTIVITY
Look up pictures of the Gond tribes and more literature on them and other
Dravidian tribes at the nearest library. If you live close to a tribal settlement try
to visit them and learn more about their lifestyle. Write down your observations
and discuss with your friends or co-students if possible.
2.7 REFERENCES AND FURTHER READINGS
i) Furer-Haimendorf, Christoph von. The decent group system of the Raj group
in the Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African studies, University of
London. Vol. 18, No.3. Honour of J.R. Firth (1956).pp.499-511
ii) Mehta, B.H. Gonds of the Central Indian highlands.Vol.1 and 2. New Delhi:
Concept Publishing Company,1984.
iii) Singh, K.S. Scheduled tribes of India. New Delhi: Oxford University
Press,1984.
2.8 GLOSSARY
Dormitory : An apartment with arrangements for rest or
bedding for people to rest.
Communal Feast : A faest given by the host for his entire community.
Elopement : Running away to marry secretly, usually without
parental consent.
Classificatory system of: A system of organizing various familial
classification relationships on the basis of kinship, blood-ties
etc.
Egalitarianism : Relating to ideas of the social equality of all
individuals.
2.9 CHECK YOUR PROGRESS: POSSIBLE
ANSWERS
1) The South-east regions of India including areas of Tamil Nadu and Andhra
Pradesh and the states of Orissa and Bihar are the areas other than Central
India inhabited by the Gond tribes.
2) The primary economic activities of the Gonds are agriculture and animal
husbandry. Due to encroachments on their lands, of late the Gonds also
work as forest-laourers, wage-labourers, mining and quarrying workers and
musicians among other activities. 197
Tribal Cosmogenies 3) Well-off Gonds live in substantial or large houses that are built of heavy
logs, carefully selected bamboos and plaster of mud mixed with straw and
cowdung. Lately local mud baked tiles are replacing the traditionally used
thatched roofs made of heavy layers of grass.
4) The Ghotul or youth dormitory is a pair of apartments one for boys and one
for girls situated at the entrance and center of the Gond village or settlement.
Boys and girls meet in the evenings to socialize. The Ghotul is meant to
prepare the young for sexual, marital and family relationships that will accrue
upon adulthood. This is a very important feature of Gond culture as this is
where a love for the clan is cultivated along with values of self-leadership
and responsibility.
5) The boy and the Girl in Gond communities may sometimes run away and
find refuge in a friendly Ghotul or youth dormitory. At times, even after
parental consent is obtained the couple may prefer to run away for various
reasons.
6) Gonds prefer to bury those who die unnatural deaths such as by suicide or
tiger-attacks etc. As death is believed to be caused by the earth-spirit, the
body is placed on the ground when life is ebbing out. The body is usually
placed with the feet pointing to the north and the head pointing to the south.
The Grave is dug waist-deep and the body of male is placed face upwards, if
female, she is placed face downwards. Nearest relatives throw a clod of
earth upon the body thus placed saying, “this is all that I can do for you…”
7) According to the Gond belief the primordial male ancestors of their society
is Wen. There are four groups of Wen such as Yerung, Sarung, Siyung, and
Nalung, they are numbered as 7, 6, 5, and 4 by the Gonds.
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