Tribal India - Melissa Snow

According to one legend told by the Bhils about their origin, a washer man who used to wash his clothes in the river was one day warned bya fish of an approaching flood. The fish informed him because he had always fed those of his species. The fish urged him to prepare a large box, which would enable him to escape. The washer man prepared the box and got into it with his sister and a cock. After the flood, Lord Rama sent out his messenger to inquire into the state of affairs. The messenger heard the cock crowing and so discovered the box. Rama then had the box brought before him and asked the man who he was and how he had escaped. The washer man narrated the story. Rama then made him face in turn the north, east and west and swear that the woman with him was his sister. The washer man remained firm in asserting that she was his sister. Rama then turned him to the south, upon which the washer man contradicted his statement and said she was his wife. Rama then enquired as to who had told him how to escape and on hearing at once he had the fishes tongue cut off and since then that kind of fish has been tongue less. Rama then told the washer man to set about repopulating the world, he therefore married his sister by whom he had seven sons and seven daughters. Rama presented the first born son with a horse but the recipient of this gift being unable to ride, left the horse on the plains and went into the forest to cut wood, he and his descendants becoming foresters and starting the Bhil tribe.

The term Bhil, probably derived from the Dravidian word Bhilla translated as bow, a characteristic weapon of the Bhil tribe. Numbering about one million, the Bhil population is concentrated in the four contiguous states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The Bhils have a patriarchal type of society. Their family consists of man, wife and children. The kinship terms are influenced by the surrounding cultures. The term grand father is not used, older father is used instead. Husband and wife are not permitted, by custom, to mention each other's name. They address each other with reference to their children's name. Within the society there are no higher or lower caste groups. The Bhils main occupation is agriculture. Maize, Pigeon Pea, Paddy, Urad, are grown in the Kharif season (June-September). Juwar, Gram, Cotton are grown in the Rabi season (October -March). Those having their own wells and those able to irrigate and grow vegetables. The most common form of ploughing is with a wooden plough made of two parts ken and hamada and a pair of bullocks. In order to supplement their incomes many. Bhil migrate to the cities. (

The head of the village is known as the tadvi. The panchayat is a statutory body, which consists of the tadvi, kotwal (mediator between the villagers and officials) mafidar (person who assists the management of the State in some way.) The panchayat is responsible for settling disputes: petty quarrels, petty thefts and breach of tribal rules. The Fair and festivals play an important role in social and cultural life. The Singhasan Mata Ka Mela, Bhagoria Mela, Wavni, Divasa and Nawai are the main festivals. These traditional festivals are celebrated during sowing, growing and harvesting period.

Madhya Pradesh) The Bhil religion has radically changed over time and is now closer to Hinduism. They believe in re-birth and they worship all Hindu gods and goddesses. However some ancient religious Bhil culture has survived in certain areas, where instead of building temples they place stone images smeared with red lead and oil in a designated worship area.

) Marriage is a very important part of a Bhil life and involves a long chain of rituals. The expenditure is often very large. The wedding ceremonies begin with the search for a bride by the prospective groom’s family. After obtaining information about a satisfactory bride the Brahman is then consulted. This is so that he may cast the horoscope of both the boy and girl concerned. If the constellation of their stars appears favourable the next step towards marriage is then followed. Unlucky horoscopes are made innocuous by the giving of alms consisting of coconut, betelnut, a small coin and grain, either to the Brahman or to a poor beggar. After settling the question of DHAPA (bride-price) the auspicious day for betrothal is fixed. On the fixed day the groom’s father accompanied by friends and relatives arrive at the bride's house bearing clothes, sweets, spices, a coconut and KUKU (red powder) for the girl. The actual wedding rituals begin with the wane days. On the first wane day the village headman starts to draw certain predetermined figures of humans and animals with a trident on the inner wall, nearest to the sleeping place. Just after the last wane day the ‘proper’ wedding ceremonies begin, comprising of more than fifty separate rituals performed partly at the bridegroom's house and partly at the bride's. The setting up of the marriage booth (mandap) is one such important ritual. The Mahat (sucking raw sugar from the mother's breast) ritual points towards the real separation of a son from his mother. The full swing wedding ritual starts with a procession of the groom to the bride's home; the groom marks his arrival at the bride's house by touching the Garland (Toran Sibwun) and the ritual is performed. The ritual of moving around the ceremonial pole marks an ancient tradition where the young couple walk around the pole seven times (anti-clockwise), for the first four rounds the bridegroom leads and for the last three the bride. Finally the pulling down of the marriage Mandap is done by the bridegroom at both houses, bride and bridegroom’s, at the bride's house the groom is only allowed to pull it by his one hand and in his own house he can use both hands.

Traditional speculation as to the sex of an unborn child is done by observing the movement of the expectant woman. If a woman drags her left leg while walking she will give birth to a male child, on the other hand if she drags her right leg she will give birth to a female child. Charms and amulets are tied to the arms of women to protect her unborn child against evil influences, including that of spirits. There are also certain taboos attached to the father of an unborn child in that he is prohibited to cut anything growing, to eat any animal that has died accidentally and to drive a nail or pole into the ground.

The death of a person is marked by firing guns outside the deceased’s house and by the monotonous beating of a drum informing the villages. After death the priest officiates the funeral ceremony by sitting outside the door of the house with an image of a horse and an earthen jar of water placed near him. Each visitor who comes to attend the ceremony gives grain and sprinkles a little water over the image of the horse in the name of the deceased. An offering to the dead is given with a little bread made of flour, freshly ground taking care that the hand grinding always moves from left to right. Then on the third day a ceremony is performed at the side of the river. For this purpose the deceased relatives gather and shave their moustaches and beards. Finally on the twelfth day, death dinner is given to the guests.

Written by Melissa Snow, volunteer at ASA

Kumar, Bachchan .The Bhils An Ethno-Historic Analysis, 1997, Sharada Publishing House. Prasad A.K The Bhils of Khandesh, 1991, Konark Publishers.