WISDOM IN TRIBAL CULTURES

The Indigenous populations of India have age old wisdom and values which has remained up to today; uncorrupted unlike among the literate ones of the country. This tribal cultural is preserved in their oral traditions (vachik parampara), and promoted from one generation to the next by the word of mouth, for the maintenance of their traditions, social and day today's cultural needs. All the tribes or Adivasi groups have practical wisdom in the form of their Proverbs known among the tribes of Western India as Kewat (proverbs / kahawat) as their indigenous literary genre would call it. These kewats are largely based on the age old practical wisdom, well tested by the elders of their clans and societies, to guide their Adivasi community members in good and especially in bad times. Among the Bhils there are over a thousand such pieces of practical collected by Mathias Bhuriya, over the last three decades of time. Many of these pieces of beautifal and practical wisdom are not found in the literate societies even.

Two proverbs of the Bhils, one of the most ancient tribes of India, have been preserved in their Bhili language are:

1. Bholan no Bhagwan se. (God is on side of the righteous.)
Dr. Nemichand Jain a great scholar and linguist of Bhils and Bhili, was a great admirer of this kewat (proverb) of the Bhils. This piece of wisdom he highlighted in his several writing, formal and informal talks etc. The Bhils of all the regions of Bhilanchal are highly oppressed, suppressed and deprived unjustly by all the non-tribals who came in their social and cultural contacts all through the history. The Bhils quote this kewat in the times of their psychological and physical frustrations and other forms of harassments. Rajputs, Marathas and others as well other incoming peoples, have tortured the Bhils in various forms besides depriving and degrading them.

2. Sat Sandeinyin Jhalake.(Truth glitters in the moon light.)
This kewat (proverb) too was much appreciated by late Dr. Nemichand Jain, L. Jungblut and others. The Bhils are innocent ones. Even if they robe, it is only in the form of goats or chicken and not the billions which are cleared away from various funds , relief works and of some other developmental programmes given by national and international agencies for tribal benefits. In such a situation when they are accused and harassed for small or negligible robberies by agencies concerned, in such a helpless situation s, to support their mental and physical aches they quote this kewat (proverb).

Should the ethical, value oriented and noble traditions of Adi or real India, which the most beautiful and sublime, be lost in oblivion....?

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TRIBAL MAHARAJAS OF ADIVASI INDIA

Once upon a time, the whole of India was a possession of indigenous / Adivasi / Tribal peoples of India. They were kings, and civilised peoples with great heritage of their own which is amalgamated as India tradition and not theirs.. In Mahabharata, Ramayana and in other historical times, till today, they fought with all the major powers, incoming peoples in the country, to their Adivasi habitats who pushed them back and back, as equals. But time was never in their favour and these incoming or encroaching peoples to their states and Adivasi habitats, deprived them totally in till today, calling them vanvasi and many other unacceptable names in derogatory, depriving and undignified manner while imposing their own social life, languages and cultures. Whereas their history was a glorious one and it was a complete culture of their own, then, which needs to be re-discovered today by Discovery Channel, BBC, Survival International, Cultural Survival, Indian and International Human rights organisations, Amnesty International, NGOs respecting their cultural and historical heritage working among them, progressive writers groups, students and researchers of history and pre history, cultural anthropologists and others in media. Only these ones can do much needed justice to restore their historically damaged image and distorted past by the incoming peoples who are until these days are discrediting the indigenous, Adivasis and tribals of India. These are the urgent needs in the fields of human and cultural rights of indigenous / Adivasis / tribals of India.

Needless to say that all over In India there were thousands of Adivasi kings, being remembered even today in tribals oral traditions in folk memories which are fading away today. Remnants of these tribal / Adivasi kings are still found today in several parts of India, e.g. among Mahadev Kolis of Thana district(M.S.), Bhils of Dang(Gujarat), Gonds of Mandla (M.P.), Khasis of Shillong (Meghalaya), Baria Bhils of Devgargh Baria of Dahod District(Gujarat), Bhils of many regions in South and Centre Rajasthan, etc.

The physical remains of the glorious past of a tribal king of Mahadev Kolis on Western Ghats in Maharashtra, between Nasik-Mumbai road, in the Jawhar Taluka of Thane district, some 120 km East of Mumbai(Bombay), is the glorious and visible example of the MUKNE dynasty of the Adivasi kings of Mahadev Kolis. The palace of the Adivasi Maharaja, built in 1940, 1 km away from Jawhar on Jawhar-Mumbai raod still stands in beautiful shape and style. It was built in 1940, at the time of British Raj, by Maharaja Yashwantrao Mukne, son of Maharaja Vikramshah Mukne, who was the son of Maharaja Patang Shakne Mukne, says the oral tradition of Mahadev Lolis, reports one of the oldest servant and care taker of the place Bhavlo Lokhande (60). The present Maharaja was a pilate retired from his service and now Bhavlo says resides somewhere in Pune or Mumbai, he is not supposed to reveal.

The Juna Rajwada(Old Palace ) of Mukne Maharajas too is found adjoining to the town of Jawhar in a delapidated state partially, but speaks strongly of ther tribals' glorious past

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LAKATOS DORA

IN SEARCH OF GYPSY ORIGIN, HISTORY and IDENTITY

Lakatos Dora a young anthropologist of Budapest, Hungary in Europe, has travelled all the way to Rajasthan , India, to Pushkar a possible place of historical origin of European Indian Gypsies. Prior to her own historical visit to Rajasthan the ancestral home of the Gypsies, Dora surveyed much of the literature available to her in Hungary. In her desperate search and un answered questions concerning Indian Gypsies in Europe and India, consulted many authors like Sir Athalestane Baines, Balogg Andras, M. Bhuriya, S.L. Doshi, N.N. Vyas, Louise Dumont, Bahar Dutt, Sir Agnus Fraser, Stephen Fuchs, H.M.G Grellman, Halmos Antal, Christoph von Furer-Haimendorf, Eric J. Hobsbawm Donald Kenrick, Kis Tunde, Kos Peter, Chaman Lal, D.N. Majumdar, D.P. Pandey, V.P. Sharma, Megan Maxwell, Adityendra Rao. W.R.Rishi, Renner Zsuzsanna, Rostas-Farkas Gyorgy, S.P. Ruhela, R.N.Sharma, M.N.Srinivas, Torzsok, and others. Travelling far and wide Dora in her unsatisfied quest for an authentic identity of Gypsies in Rajasthan, she contacted alone many Indian scholars, tourist guides, different Gypsy groups, Banjaras, Nomads including famous Gadulia Lohars of Mewar. In her short term research, Lakatos Dora arrives to a conclusion of her own, that, the origin, concept , identity and history of the Gypsies should be searched well and the term Gypsy should be redefined well by serious scholars like cultural historian, cultural anthropologists, etc so as to eliminate. Existing doubts concerning Indian Gypsies in Europe and India.

Dora has produced a valuable manuscript of her findings concerning Indian Gypsies in Rajasthan under the title of GYPSIES IN INDIA.....? Which makes an interesting reading and it is a significant document for the contextual discussion on the Gypsies in India and Europe. The questions Lakatos Dora raises cannot remain un-answered.

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TRIBAL FOLKLORE : The Folk Games and Sports

The Adivasi or indigenous peoples of India who are more than 80% today in the country have enormous possibilities for indigenous games and sports, as the source of entertainment and community recreation for the their indigenous societies. They shall be able to recreate in best possible ways in their own indigenous games and sports and not depend or make the games and sports of the outsiders who are their oppressors and exploiters in clear terms. Also the culture and personality of the indigenous peoples shall open and affirm through these indigenous games and sports much more than those of the outside peoples who are encroaching even through games and sports under the pretext of national integration. A minority community of India who are only 20% or even less is imposing on the indigenous populations of India their own games and sports. Whereas the tribals have several games and sports like the people in other parts of Asia, Africa and South America. More indigenous peoples can enjoy and participate at much lesser expenditures through indigenous games and sports and this way the main purpose of the community building and maintaining of the folk unity shall be better achieved. The fact is being ignored at the cost of breach of human rights of tribals/Adivasi or indigenous peoples of the country, because a lots of discrimination and injustice is going on. When this ill-treatment is over....? If they have their own tribal or indigenous states of their own within the framework of the Indian Constitution, then only there is some chance of survival for the indigenous games and sports of the Indigenous peoples in the country.

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TRIBAL HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST

By MAHIPAL BHURIYA

Adivasikaran (tribalisation and aboriginalisation)

Mahipal Bhuriya is nationally and internationally renowned for ADIVASI KARAN (tribalisation and aboriginalisation) in public speeches, Radio talks and research papers on the tribal/Adivasi/indigenous & nomadic peoples issues specifically relating to human and cultural rights very much denied at all levels in India. For the support of these issues he has widely travelled in India and abroad participating in the seminars, reading research papers, sharing and discussing views with experts. To propagate the human rights and cultural rights, as such ignored by the mainstream society of India, he has prepared a 23 pages of important paper vitally dealing with today's dynamic topic of Adivasikaran (tribalisation and Aboriginalisation) in three important languages of India relating to the indigenous perspectives and the context , first, Hindi ( the national language of India) for national readership, second, Bhili (the language of the largest tribe of India) for the regional use and third, in English for the international readers. The paper is being translated now in Italian and Hungarian languages as well since more and more people are getting interested in the human and cultural rights issues of a wider and most marginalised populations of the country namely tribals/Adivasis/indigenous whatever name you may call them who form today as the marginalised and holistically deprived from many many centuries in India by those who historically encroached their God given Adivasi Habitats. Thanks to the British peoples, administrators and cultural anthropologists, that they created a separate category of tribals and Adivasis or indigenous peoples in India. Otherwise they would be irrationally be assimilated by Brahmanism, holistically dualities and all their land and properties would be bought by the most able ones like Tata and others from the India society in the name of national integration or development. The Great Constitution of India has sufficient provisions to safeguard the rights of these peoples. In this regard, thanks to the far reaching vision of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar due to whom these ethnic categories are legally safe and getting some benefits which too are are in great dangers today since the mainstream society is bent on depriving them in most modern way. In this connection surely ADIVASI KARAN (Tribalisation and Aborigninalisation) shall be a solid defence for their overall human and cultural rights in peaceful way with immediate effects in near future.


Recently a prominent Hindi weekly published from Udaipur (Rajasthan) India called Parivartan PRABHAKAR edited by Meghwal Bhagirath a tribal/Adivasi human rights activist, has carried a two and a half pages long article on the topic of Adivasi karan, in one of the January issues of 2009. Prior to this another Hindi monthly committed to the cause indigenous peoples of India, called BAHUJAN VIKAS, published from New Delhi, had enthusiastically printed the same paper in two issues the paper entitled Adivasikaran. Last year a Hindi-Bhili bi-monthly called Samanvaya edited and published from Meghnagar, District Jhabua (MP), by a social worker named Malhing Kattara, had carried Bhili version of the paper ADIVASI KARAN. Already two booklets of less than 70 pages, has been already printed and published from Jhabua. Since the paper written most from the indigenous perspectives and cognition, broadly dealing with the Tribal/Adivasi/Indigenous & Nomads' human and cultural rights in details, a larger version of these is getting ready soon for the English readers. It is believed by the scholars in India that it is holistic and best approach for the burning issues of the tribal development in India, says prominent cultural anthropologist of India Professor Sachidananda.


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TRIBAL / INDIGENOUS/ ADIVASI FOLK DANCES

India is the land of many cultures where not only few 20-25 communities’ cultures are being given prominence, as we often see on the national programmes in the country. Sometimes it can be also noticed that these tribals or indigenous or Adivasi folk dances are much better than those of the other peoples who have not only encroached tribal geographical space but every area of their life, such as social, cultural, political, religious, linguistic, art, music, singing, paintings, food habits etc.

The Bhils of mainly of four prominent states, such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat, have rich heritages of folk, indigenous or Adivasi or tribal heritage culture especially in the forms of dances besides many other folk elements of their cultural traditions. But the folk dances are particularly being ignored in educational syllabus, public occasions, daily life and so only. Only the prominent community’s dances are being encouraged and exposed regularly. The tribals should remain related to their cultural roots; otherwise remaining indigenous peoples also shall be geared to become Dalits and impoverished. Media does every now and then, more constructive and innovative exposures in many of such areas of tribal/Adivasi and indigenous peoples social and cultural forums to protect and preserve their cultural rights and age old sacred and cultural heritage in India.

The Bhils of these four states besides, in other states too, have over 3 dozens of beautiful dances regularly performed in romantic and colourful costumes on the occasions of Bhil Bhagoria and other festivals which are being totally being ignored at the cost of promoting their own folk dances in the Bhilanchal. It is due to the tribals/Adivasi or an indigenous person, India is colourful and beautiful. These were the original cultures and folk dances of India and that to of the majority peoples. Should the cultural heritage of the Bhils, in this context their age old folk dances, which provided meaning in oppressed and exploited life and filled them with mental, physical and spiritual energies, in the difficult times times, of social, cultural, and political invasions by peoples encroaching in their tribal geographical habitats, be lost forever from their noble and beautiful tribal folk life..........?

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INDIGENOUS PEOPLES CREATION MYTH

The Oraons are important indigenous peoples of Central tribal zone of India. They have rich cultural heritage in their oral possession today. The Jesuit(SJ) missionaries, cultural anthropologists, sociologists, folklorists, culture & art historians have contributed enormously for the research, preservation, promotion and innovation of their rich cultural heritage which is much ignored by the Government and at risk of vanishing today.

One of the Oraon Myth of Genesis of man goes like this:

O God, just Lord !
You are above, I am below.
I am neither deonra nor jhupa, neither ojha nor baid,
Let Mangara's house, store-house, property, wealth, cultivation
Get plenty of blessigs on the children, son and daughters.
Let there be plenty of grain in the house,
Let there be increase of cattle in the stable,
O Dharma (God), you are above, I am belove
I am offering to you eggs and rice
In this there is either white (fowl) or black or copper coloured....

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