DR - Verrier - Elwin (P2, C4)

Dr. Verrier Elwin, a renowned Indian ethnographer, passed away. He made significant contributions to descriptive ethnography of Indian tribes through works like "The Murias and Their Ghotul". Though he lacked formal anthropology training, he studied tribes in Central India with sensitivity as a gifted, dedicated scholar. Some of his writings focused more on subjects like marriage and sex than professional concerns like kinship and economics. However, his prolific writing helped fill gaps in knowledge of tribes in middle India, Orissa, and North East Frontier Agency. Elwin loved and advocated strongly for tribes, but later modified his view that isolating them was the only policy, realizing education and facilities must be provided to help tribes advance. His

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DR - Verrier - Elwin (P2, C4)

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March 7, 1964 THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY

Obituary is a most readable diary w h i c h he

kept d u r i n g his early contact w i t h
Dr Verrier Elwin the t r i b a l folk of Central India.
A few years ago he published a col-
IN Dr V e r r i e r E l w i n ' s death of the other sections of the popula- lection of non-anthropological es-
I n d i a n ethnography has sustain- tion. A n y other p o l i c y i s w r o n g . says w h i c h i n c l u d e d one on Sher-
ed a grievous loss, and the t r i b a l It is a t r i b u t e to the b r e a d t h of lock Holmes and another on the
people of India have lost a sincere E l w i n ' s m i n d that, i n his later human nose.
and well-meaning friend. E l w i n came w r i t i n g s , he adopted a more reali-
to ethnography from tile Immanitres stic a t t i t u d e to the p r o b l e m of the He was indeed a gifted, sensitive
at Oxford. and had no formal t r a i n - tribals in India. and dedicated man, and in his death
ing in a n t h r o p o l o g y . As he has E l w i n wrote delightfully. His India and B r i t a i n have lost a 'bri-
himself stated. " I d i d not come t o " L e a v e s from an I n d i a n J u n g l e " dge-builder.'
t r i b a l India (now exactly twenty-
seven years ago) from a school of
anthropology, but f r o m G a n d h i j i ' s
ashram at Sevagram". (Preface to
Philosophy for Nefa, 2nd edition.
Shillong.1959).
" T h e M u r i a s and T h e i r G h o t u l " ,
" R e l i g i o n of an I n d i a n T r i b e " , "The
Raiga". "The Hondo H i g h l a n d e r " ,
and his other works are c o n t r i b u -
tions of lasting significance to the
descriptive ethnography of I n d i a n
tribes. It was indeed fortunate
that he wrote so p r o l i f i c a l l y . for
that is how he was able to f i l l some
c r y i n g gaps in the ethnography of
middle India. Orissa and the N E F A .
Elwin wrote so well that he made
anthropology popular among the
general p u b l i c . T h i s p o p u l a r i t y was
also p a r t l y due to a focussing of
attention on marriage, sex and art,
and to the neglect of subjects of
serious professional concern such
as k i n s h i p . economics, law and
politics. In the last four decades
a n t h r o p o l o g y has become increa-
singly professionalized and the days
of the amateur-anthropologist are
gone for ever. E l w i n is indeed one
of the last and most distinguished
of his k i n d .

Elwin loved the t r i b a l s and this

is what endeared h i m to them and
to m a n y others i n c l u d i n g nationa-
list leaders. Hut his concern for
them made h i m a passionate p a r t i -
san' as is seen f r o m his w a r - t i m e
pamphlet. "Loss of N e r v e " . In it he
pleaded strongly for p r o t e c t i n g the
t r i b a l s from contact w i t h the more
sophisticated people from the
plains. He was attacked for his
views and he subsequently m o d i f i e d
them to some extent. The isolation
of t r i b a l people is no longer a
practicable p o l i c y even if it seems
the most obvious one. and the o n l y
t i l i n g to do is to extend education
and other facilities to the tribes to
enable them to advance to the level
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