Only 1.5% of the population, mainly males, continues on to graduate level studies. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life. Encyclopedia.com. Many Gond festivals are connected to agriculture. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1995. Maria Murder and Suicide. In some instances, such as with the Dandari dancers, dances retell events from Gond mythology. Bands of young people travel from village to village, dancing and singing. Singh, Indrajit (1944). There is, however, no evidence of what this language might have been. More important affairs are discussed and decided upon by all the men of the community. Even if this were not so, the leadership to achieve this is sorely lacking. South of this line of hills, the Gond population thins out in the Waiganga Valley and the Chhattisgarh plain. POPULATION: 31 million The belief in the survival of the ancestral spirits is, however, quite strong. Gonds cremate or bury their dead. Many of the Gond clans bear animal or plant names, which suggests a totemic origin of the clans, and some Gond clans still observe totemic taboos. Gond – There are two types of Gond – Acacia Gum and Tragacanth Gum. The Gonds’ worship of Ravana is also a vehicle for resisting pressure from Christian missionaries and right-wing Hindu groups, and to preserve the distinct Gond culture. Sometimes it is ground and baked into a flat cake. Gond society is divided into four exogamous, patrilineal descent groups known in anthropological terminology as phratries. The first historical references from the Gonds comes from Muslim writers in the 14th century. Gonds also believe disease is caused by spirit possession. $0.18. In the Mandla District at least, eighteen clans have been combined into a phratry. connection between the many Gond groups. The latest available Census figures are from 1971, when there were 4,728,796 Gonds—one of the largest tribal groups on earth. Standards of living among the Gonds reflect socioeconomic status. India. Gonds make musical instruments. The phratry is divided into a number of exogamous clans (pari). Interknowledge Corporation. Persa Pen is the most distinctive feature of Gond religion. The designation "Naga" is applied to the numerous Indo-Mongoloid tribes living in the hill country at the…, Chakmas Boys spontaneously seem to prefer male company, while girls seem to gravitate naturally toward other females. They overthrew Gond rajas (princes) and seized most of their territory. The hamlet is not a closed cluster of huts, for the Gonds' homesteads are spread over a large area within the hamlet. 2nd ed. Gond houses contain little furniture, perhaps some cots and a few wooden stools, with mats used for sitting and sleeping. Fuchs, Stephen "Gond Like many other tribes in the region, Gonds worship a high god known as Baradeo, or Bhagavan, or Sri Shambu Mahadeo (known sometimes, rather confusingly, as Persa Pen). Of each large Gond tribe was divided and had different raja or rai. While they are by no means all alike, there is a limited measure of cultural uniformity among these groups. He over3s the activities of the lesser gods and he is to be respected and worshiped, but he does not receive the fervent devotion reserved for the clan deities. The father of the groom has to pay a bride-price, the amount of which depends on the position and wealth of the two families. 3, The Raj Gonds of Adilabad. [19], In Gond folk(hindu) religion, adherents worship a high god known as Baradeo, whose alternate names are Bhagavan, Sri Shambu Mahadeo, and Persa Pen. Although sons are preferred, daughters are welcome too. Half of the Gonds speak a Dravidian language called Gondi at present, which is more akin to Teluga than to Karmada. Few children attend school regularly, and girls rarely continue past primary school. CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "A-11 Individual Scheduled Tribe Primary Census Abstract Data and its Appendix", Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India, "ST-14 Scheduled Tribe Population By Religious Community", "The Koitur community is reclaiming their linguistic identity despite the state's historical biases", "Bringing rural realities on stage in urban India", "Salwa Judum is the only effective weapon against Maoist terror at present", "Erratum: Reconstructing the population history of the largest tribe of India: the Dravidian speaking Gond", "Race, Caste and Tribe in Central India: the early origins of Indian ...anthropomorphize", "State wise Scheduled Tribes — Uttar Pradesh", "A-10 Individual Scheduled Caste Primary Census Abstract Data and its Appendix - Uttar Pradesh", Reconstructing the population history of the largest tribe of India: the Dravidian speaking Gond, « Animating Tribal Art » by Leslie MacKenzie and Tara Douglas with the Pardhan Gond artists, Orange City Craft Mela and Folk Dance Festival, Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Nagpur, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Nagpur, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Government College of Engineering, Nagpur, Institute of Management Technology, Nagpur, List of educational institutions in Nagpur, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gondi_people&oldid=994940132, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English, Articles needing additional references from April 2011, All articles needing additional references, "Related ethnic groups" needing confirmation, Articles using infobox ethnic group with image parameters, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from February 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2020, Articles with Encyclopædia Britannica links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Savaging the Civilized, Verrier Elwin, His Tribals & India - Ramachandra Guha - The University of Chicago Press - 1999. Sometimes, Gond matches are made when a groom and bride elope. Religious Practitioners. The main part of the wedding occurs when the bride and groom walk seven times around a wedding post. 516 p. Museum of Mankind, Shelagh Weir, and Hira Lal. They often decorate houses with carved doors and panels. They would not dream of accepting any other occupation. They also consume large amounts of liquor distilled from the mahua tree (Bassia latifolia) as a part of both religious and social celebrations. The Gondwana and the Gond. ." The Girdle of Gond is a girdle that boosts some thieving abilities. Identification. Dasahara is an important Gond holiday. Akin to the Gonds are a number of other tribes, such as the Bhattras, Koyas, Konda Kapus, Konda Deras, and Halbas. This is not allowed in southern India, and the southern Gonds conform to this prohibition. Women also hardly ever play an important role in religion, although they may be spirit mediums or healers. There they are known as Majwars or Majhis (headmen). In addition to Baradeo and the clan deities, the Gond world is populated by numerous other deities and spirits that are to be worshiped at the appropriate time. Encyclopedia.com. Gods of the field and gods of cattle must receive their offerings to ensure a productive harvest. Tex. Within this area, there are numerous tribal communities who are designated as Gonds. Pingle, Urmila, and Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf. Many Gonds also speak Hindi, Marathi, or Telegu. This god is benign at heart, but can display violent tendencies. Between the 16th and mid-18th centuries, when Gonds were at the height of their power, Gond dynasties ruled in four kingdoms (Garha-Mandla, Deogarh, Chanda, and Kherla) in central India. The Khonds of Orissa, another important tribe, also may originally have been Gonds. Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Naga Kin Groups and Descent. Scholars believe that Gonds ruled in Gondwana, a region extending from what is now eastern Madhya Pradesh to western Odisha and from northern Andhra Pradesh to the southeastern corner of Uttar Pradesh, between the 13th and 19th centuries AD. Thus, no one can marry a partner belonging to the same phratry or clan. Offenders against the law of exogamy are excluded from the tribal community and can only be readmitted after separation. Rice remains a dish reserved for feasts or festival days. Divorce is possible and much easier to obtain than in Hindu societies, and tribal widows—unlike their Hindu sisters—have no problem in remarrying. . This is wrapped around the waist, with one end drawn between the legs and tucked in at the back and the other thrown over the right shoulder covering the breasts and stomach, which are left bare. The basic political unit is the Gond village community. [6] They are an Adivasi group (indigenous people) of India[7], The Gond are also known as the Raj Gond. [citation needed], Most Gonds follow their hindu religion, which retains the animist beliefs of nature, and ancestor worship. The Gondi (Gōndi) or Gond or Koitur[3] are an Indian ethnic group. Both men and women enjoy wearing heavy silver ornaments. It requires no draft animals and allows the cultivators more leisure time for work in the forest, hunting, fishing, and the collection of Jungle produce. Villages also have service castes such as Ahir (cowherds), Agaria (blacksmiths), Dhulia (drummers), and Pardhan (bards and singers). Women also like to wear colored glass bangles and marriage necklaces made of small black beads. [Online] Available http://www.indiaserver.com/cginyc/, 1998. While the village and clan priests perform sacrifices, diviners and magicians deal with the supernatural in another way. Gonds are ardent dancers and all festive occasions are celebrated by song and dance. Reprint. The marriage must later be legalized by the relatives and village councils of the partners. Generally, Gond women are valued mostly for their productive and reproductive functions. However, dances are not necessarily associated with any particular event or festival and may be performed just for enjoyment. From their physical appearance it is obvious that they differ from the Aryan and Dravidian speakers settled in the country. On death, the life force is reincarnated into another earthly existence, but the spirit remains in the other world. Gond myths and legends are preserved by hereditary bards and professional storytellers called Pardhans. This rite, known as karun, must be done to fulfill an obligation to the deceased. M.A. Shamans fall into a trance and give voice to the demands of an offended god or spirit. White or colored turbans complete the outfit. Many Gonds believe that the play of the Pardhan bard on his fiddle is necessary to control the deity's fierce powers. Many of the songs that accompany dances tend to be of a suggestive nature. The earth, water, and air are ruled by deities that must be venerated and appeased with sacrifices and offerings. With a person were buried their worldly possessions. Baradeo oversees activities of lesser gods such as clan and village deities, as well as ancestors. Gonds celebrate most festive occasions with song and dance. Little is known about the origins of the Gonds. In this sense, they are the guardians of the Gond community. [15] Gonds had their own local terms for the Sun, Moon, Milky Way, and constellations. Retrieved December 21, 2020 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/gonds. There are family gods and household gods to be propitiated. He is a personal god—eternal, just, merciful, maker of the fertile earth and of man—though the universe is conceived as coexisting with him. Gonds are found over a wide area of central India. Each phratry (saga in Gondi) traces its descent to one of the four groups of gods who emerged from the primeval cave after their release by the hero Lingal. Pregnant women are subject to certain taboos as a protection against magic spells and evil influences. Consulate General of India in New York. Magicians believe that through magic formulas they can control the actions of the deity or spirit who is the cause of a particular affliction. As a less sophisticated group, they have faced exploitation and discrimination from their culturally more advanced neighbors. These ancestor spirits watch over the moral behavior of the living Gond and punish offenders of tribal law. Every hill, every river, every lake, every tree is inhabited by a spirit who may be benevolent but may also be unpredictable and harmful. Both men and women wear heavy silver ornaments bought from professional silversmiths. Fürer-Haimendorf, Christoph von, and Elizabeth von Fürer-Haimendorf. Only three Gond sections in the south have youth dormitories, and only the Murías use the dormitory for the education of youth in married and civic life. 1968. Types of Marriage Meaning and Types of Marriage Marriage is one of the universal social institutions established and nourished by human society. Families with no sons prefer such a marriage arrangement. There is little to mark the passage from childhood to maturity. The change to adulthood is gradual; there is no initiation ceremony. In hardly any indigenous society do women participate in formal political decision-making and this, too, is true of the Gonds, though women are often consulted, by their husbands or in community meetings. After death an adult Gond man or woman is cremated; children are buried without much Ceremony. Houses are usually built of mud and thatch. POPULATION: c. 70 million (estimate) (50% are o…, ETHNONYMS: none Barrenness in a woman is considered a curse. Baradeo oversees activities of lesser gods. Their newly acquired tribal status made the Banjaras eligible to acquire Gond land "legally" and to compete with Gonds for reserved political seats, places in education institutions, and other benefits reserved for Scheduled Tribes. [22] These village deities include Aki Pen, the village guardian and the anwal, the village mother goddess, a similar paradigm to folk traditions of other Dravidian peoples. These drawings often celebrate festivals and depict animals, birds, human figures, hunting, and dancing. In winter, waistcoats or woolen pullovers are worn for warmth, and sometimes a coarse woolen blanket is used for extra protection. 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. A few large Gond kingdoms were beginning to dominate the smaller Gond … Gond weddings include many significant ceremonies. They speak the Gondi language. The baby is named after three to four weeks, with the name-giver usually being the mother's brother for a boy, or the father's sister for a girl. Most Gonds like meat. The Gonds face problems typical of tribal peoples throughout South Asia. Madhya Pradesh classifies over 50 Gond groups as belonging to the Scheduled Tribes (communities in India identified as needing special social and economic assistance). Cockfighting is a favorite pastime. Among females in Madhya Pradesh, it drops to only 30.4%. They are good musicians on the drum, the flute, and other instruments. Gonds have a rich tradition of tribal arts and crafts that includes pottery, basket-making, body-tattooing, and floor-painting. Aptly called "Nuakala," which means "new craft," the name also incorporates the first two syllables of the districts Nuapada and Kalahandi where the program is based. Similarly, divorce is permissible among the Gonds and is relatively easily obtained, but it must be obtained from the panchayat. Vol. Each clan has their own persa pen, meaning "great god." Some Gond groups have totally abandoned Gondi and speak the language or dialect common in their locality. Local Gond zamindaris or estates survived in the region until relatively recent times. In People of India. For the past few decades they have been witnesses to the Naxalite–Maoist insurgency in the central part of India. POPULATION: around 700,000 (est.) Fuchs, Stephen (1960). Kalman, Bobbie. $0.25. But, again, these are generalizations and there are indigenous societies in which child and forced marriages are common. [18][19][20] Some Gonds also practice Sarnaism. Yet their characterization as "hill people" identifies one of their underlying traits, namely their traditional association with the hills and uplands of the Peninsula's interior. London: Oxford University Press. Parji ( Persian ), whose flowers produce a liquor considered purifying, is under tree. 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Hill, river, lake, Ill.: Ribgy Interactive Library, 1996 Gonds bury..., water, and often are forced to live on less productive lands in some instances such. Rising tide of Maratha power swept into Gondwana in the two or weeks.