REVEALED
The Gonds are among the largest tribal groups in
South Asia and perhaps the world. The term
Gond refers to tribal peoples who live all over
India's Deccan Peninsula. Most describe
themselves as Gonds (hill people) or as Koi or
Koitur.
Scholars believe Gonds settled in Gondwana, now
known as eastern Madhya Pradesh, between the ninth
and thirteenth centuries AD . Muslim writers
describe a rise of Gond states after the fourteenth
century.
Gond dynasties ruled in four kingdoms in central
India between the sixteenth and mid-eighteenth
centuries.
However, Gonds are similar to many tribal groups
today in that they face severe economic hardships.
Although some Gond groups own a great deal of
LOCATION
Gonds live all over central
India, in
and
of Maharashtra and the Orissa.
states
As
"hill people," they traditionally
have been associated
with hills and
Deccan
uplands Peninsula.
in the
Gonds live Many
around Hills, Maikala Range
Satpura the
and Son-Deogarh uplands,
and on the Bastar plateau.
Many Gond tribes also live in
the Garhjat Hills of northern
Orissa. The region is drained
by the head-waters of many of
India's major rivers (such as
the Narmada, Tapti, Son,
Mahanadi, and Godavari).
February sees the start of the
hot season and Late
September marks the return
LANGUAGE
Gondi belongs to the Dravidian family
of languages and is related to Tamil and
Kannada. The language offers a cultural
connection between many Gond groups.
Many Gonds also speak Hindi, Marathi,
or Telegu.
RELIGION
Persa Pen is the most distinctive feature of Gond
religion. Like many other tribes, Gonds worship a
high god known as Baradeo, whose alternate
names are Bhagavan, Sri Shambu Mahadeo, and
Persa Pen. Baradeo oversees activities of lesser
gods. He is respected but he does not receive
fervent devotion, which is shown only to clan
deities. Each Gond clan has its Persa Pen, who
protects all clan members. The Persa Pen is
essentially good but can be dangerous and violent.
Each village has its Village-Guardian and Village-
Mother who are worshipped when villagers
celebrate regular festivities. Gonds also worship
family and household gods, gods of the field, and
gods of cattle. Deities such as Shitala Mata,
goddess of smallpox, help ward off disease. Spirits
Most aspects of Gond life, from the greatest festivals to the
building of a new cattle shed, are accompanied by sacrifice.
Certain deities, especially female ones, demand chickens, goats,
and sometimes male buffaloes. Every nine or twelve years,
Gonds sacrifice a pig to the god Narayan Deo in an important
ceremony known as the Laru Kaj (Pig's Wedding). Other rituals
also involve offerings of fruits, coconuts, flowers, colored
powder, and strings.
Gonds believe evil spirits and the gods' displeasure cause most
diseases and misfortunes. They ask soothsayers and diviners to
find out the cause of problems and to suggest remedies.
Sometimes, magicians and shamans (healers) can provide this
advice. Magicians use special formulas to control the actions of
a deity or spirit that is causing a particular affliction. Shamans
fall into a trance and give voice to the demands of an offended
god or spirit.
MAJOR HOLIDAYS
Many Gond festivals are connected to agriculture.
Pola, a cattle festival, and Nagpanchami, the
snake festival, are very popular.
Dasahara is an important Gond holiday. A Gond
custom is stick dancing undertaken by young people.
Bands of young people travel from village to village,
dancing and singing. The dancing is a religious duty.
It is also an occasion for fun.
LIVING CONDITIONS
Each Gond village has a headman (known by local names
such as mukhia, mahji, or patel ) and a village
council (panchayat) chosen by the villagers. The council
consists of the headman, priest, village watchman, and
four or five elders. It helps keep the village running
smoothly and upholds Gond customs.
Houses are usually built of mud and thatch. They consist
of a living room, kitchen, veranda.
Gond houses contain cots and a few wooden stools; mats
are used for sitting and sleeping.
Gond society is divided into four groups known as phratries or sagas in
Gondi. Each saga traces its descent to one of the four groups of gods
who emerged from the cave after their release by the hero Lingal. The
saga is divided into several clans (pari) . A clan consists of a group of
people who believe they share a common ancestor. Generally, it is good
to marry outside the clan.
Kinship and marriage customs among Gonds reflect broader regional
patterns. The norm is cross-cousin marriage (for example, marrying
one's mother's brother's daughter), which is typical in southern India.
Gond groups that have been influenced by northern peoples such as
Marathas, however, follow northern customs in determining marriage
partners. Similarly, northern Gonds allow widows to remarry a brother of
the deceased husband.
Gonds typically choose their marriage mates, and a tribal council
approves the matches. The father of a groom pays a bride price. Gond
weddings include many significant ceremonies. The main part of the
wedding occurs when the bride and groom walk seven times around a
wedding post. Newlyweds live with the groom's family until it is possible
for them to move into a house of their own.
Sometimes, Gond matches are made when a groom and bride elope.
These marriages must be approved later by relatives and the village
council. The council also can approve divorces.
RELATIONSHIPS
Gonds welcome visitors with dried tobacco
leaves, fruits, or other small gifts. Many villages
have guest huts.
CLOTHING
Gond men typically wear the dhoti, or
loincloth. The dhoti is a long piece of white
cotton cloth wrapped around the waist and
then drawn between the legs and tucked
into the waist. Women wear a cotton sari (a
length of fabric wrapped around the waist
FOOD
The staples of the Gond diet are two millets known as kodo
and kutki . These are either boiled to a broth or cooked to a
dry cereal. Broth is preferred for the first two meals of the
day and the dry cereal is eaten at night, often with
vegetables. Vegetables are either grown in gardens or
collected from forests along with roots and tubers. Honey
is also gathered from forests.
Rice is a luxury item that Gonds enjoy during feasts and
festivals. Most Gonds like meat. Animals sacrificed at
ceremonies are eagerly consumed, and animals hunted in
the forest supplement the diet. Gonds must abstain from
the flesh of animals that are their clan totems.
Gonds grow tobacco for smoking and for celebrations make
liquor from the mahua tree.
EDUCATION
Literacy (percentage of the population who can read
and write) among Gonds varies from just over 25
percent in Maharashtra to less than 15 percent in
Madhya Pradesh. Among females in Madhya
Pradesh, it drops to about 4 percent. Few children
attend school regularly, and girls rarely continue past
primary school.
EMPLOYMENT
Gonds today are mainly farmers. Although
some Gond communities have risen to the
status of landowners, many are landless
laborers.
SOCIAL PROBLEMS
• Gonds problems typical of
face
tribal peoples throughout South Asia
and much of the world. They suffer
exploitation and discrimination, and
often are forced to live on less
productive lands in remote areas.
They are experiencing increasing
pressure on their land, a rise in the
number of landless laborers, and
high levels of poverty. Lack of
education and low levels of literacy
further reduce economic
opportunity.
RECREATIO
N
Gonds enjoy singing and dancing. Some also
enjoy cock-fighting (battle between two roosters,
with spectators placing bets on the outcome).
Gonds have a rich arts tradition that includes
pottery, basket making, body tattooing, and
floor painting. They paint designs in red and
black on the walls of their houses. These
drawings often celebrate festivals and depict
animals, birds, human figures, hunting, and
dancing. Gonds make musical instruments.
They carve memorial pillars in wood and
stone for their dead. They often decorate
houses with carved doors and panels.
Designs
Designs
Designs
