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CULTURAL ASPECTS OF THE TRIBAL ART IN CENTRAL INDIA: A CASE OF THE BODY DECORATION OF THE BAIGA TRIBE
Dr. Basanta Kumar Mohanta1 Dr. Mohan Lal Chadhar2
Abstract
The tribal arts, crafts and architectures are one of the most fascinating parts of their culture. The knowledge of this art is a hereditary one which transmits from generation to generation through oral tradition. The art of tattooing or body decoration is widely found among the tribal of India in general and the tribals of Central India in particular, which is treated as an integral part of their life and culture. Baiga is one of the Particularly Venerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of Central India, known for their traditional method of treatment and shifting cultivation. They live in a particular forested area of Dindori district of Madhya Pradesh, identified as “Baigachawk” and its neighbouring area. Both the male and female Baigas are very fond of body decoration. Besides, the female members like to decorate their body with different kinds of tattoos, known as Godna. Each of these tattoos has a specific cultural significance and tattooed at a particular age and a specific location of the body. It is related to their religion, belief system, health care practice, body decoration, social status, wealth etc. In this present paper an emphasis has been given on the importance of tattoo in the tribal life; symbols used in tattoo and their significance; method of tattooing and the continuity and change in the process, materials and symbols of tattoo.
Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak (M.P.)-484886. Email: drmohantabk@gmail.com. Mob: 09407343438 2 Assistant Professor, Department of A.I.H. C & Archaeology, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak (M.P.)-484886. Mob: 09301599008
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Proceedings of the National Seminar on River Valley Civilization of Chhatisgarh & New Research in Indian Archaeology.Raipur,C.G. p.227 to 244
CULTURAL ASPECTS OF THE TRIBAL ART IN CENTRAL INDIA: A CASE OF THE BODY DECORATION OF THE BAIGA TRIBE
Dr. Basanta Kumar Mohanta Dr. Mohan Lal Chadhar
Introduction
Throughout the time and space, peoples of all cultures wants to express their feelings and ideas about themselves, their surrounding environments and rest part of the world in various modes. The resourceful exercise of the imagination comes in the form of verbal, musical, visual dance and other form of expression. This depiction of feelings and thoughts in any form may be called as art. At the time of defining art, William A. Haviland has mentioned that, “Art is the creative use of the human imagination to interpret, understand, and enjoy life. Although the idea of art serving nonuseful, non practical purposes seems firmly entrenched in the thinking of modern Western peoples, in other cultures art often serves what are regarded as important, practical purposes” (Haviland 1989:535). Similarly, Ember et.al. (2007:477) have opined that “art is clearly an old feature of human culture”. According to them, some definitions of art emphasize its evocative quality. It can be define in different way by different person as per their use or view point. For example, an artist who creates it, art expresses feelings and ideas; from the view point of the observer or participant, it evokes feelings and ideas. The feelings and ideas on each side may or may not be exactly the same. And they may be expressed in a variety of waysdrawing, painting, carving, weaving body decoration, music, dance, and story. An artistic work or performance is intended to excite the sence, to stir the emotions of the behavior or participant. It may produce feelings of pleasure, awe, repulsion, or fear, but usually not indifference (Ember et.al. 2007:477). The study of tribal art is very essential for an anthropologists, because the “anthropologists have found that art reflects the cultural values and concerns of a people. This is especially true of the verbal arts-myths, legends, and tales. From these the anthropologist may
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learn how a people order their universe, and may discover much about a people’s history as well. Also, music and the visual arts, such as sculpture, may provide insights into a people’s world view and, through distributional studies, may suggest things about a people’s history” (Haviland 1989:535).
The oldest art in the form of painting and engravings are founds from caves in South Africa (more than 77000 years ago); Australia (70,000-60,000 years ago); Spain and France (28,000 years ago). These art works are found either on the walls of rock shelters or on cliff by using pieces of red ochre(Ember et.al. 2007:477). Similarly, in India, the prehistoric rock art are discovered from different regions and dated back up to the Mesolithic cultural period. Bhimbhetka is one of the important rock art site located near Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh which is declared as World Heritage site by the UNESCO. Besides, numbers of rock art sites have been discovered from Other parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattishgarh, Odisha etc. Now a days the tribal are not much isolated. They are now very much in touch with the wider groups, hence the change in their culture in general and arts in particular are inevitable. But, the creative skills of tribal people have not been appreciated and exposed to the developed society for appreciation by the social scientists, as it should do. All societies decorate or adorn the body, temporarily or permanently. But there is enormous cultural variation in the parts decorated and how. Body decoration may be used to delineate social position, gender, or occupation. It may also have an erotic significance, as, for example, in rawing attention to erogenous zones of the body (Ember et.al. 2007:490-491). Usually the all kinds of tribal art are related to the myths, rituals, and festivals, magical or magico-religious practices of a particular tribal community. The creative culture in tribal societies is not compartmentalized as the elite arts in civilized societies, but closely integrated to each other. The art of painting, sculpture engraving, singing and dancing are past of performance of rituals, marriages, fair and festivals etc. No distinction between the artist and craftsman is maintained among these simple societies. Godna (tattoo) is one of the important modes of body decoration widely found among the tribal of India as well as abroad which is treated as an integral part of their life and culture. “In all
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societies people decorate or adorn their bodies. The decorations may be permanent- scars, tattoos, or changes in the shape of a body part. Or they may be temporary, in the form of paint or objects such as feathers, jewelry, skins, and clothing that are not strictly utilitarian. Much of this decoration seems to be motivated by aesthetic considerations, which of course, vary from culture to culture. The actual form of the decoration depends on cultural traditions. Body ornamentation includes the pierced noses of some women in India, the elongated necks of the Mengebetu of central Africa, the tattooing of North America males and females, the body painting of the Caduveo of South America, and the variety of ornaments found in almost every culture” (Ember et.al. 2007:478). It not only satisfy the aesthetic needs of a particular tribal group but it is used to delineate social position , rank, sex, occupation, local and ethnic identity, or religion within a society.
Aims and Objectives
Following are the main aims and objectives of the present paper. a) To discuss the importance of tattoo in the tribal life. b) To analyse the symbols used in tattoo and their significance. c) To describe the method of tattooing. d) To show the continuity and change in the process, materials and symbols of tattoo.
Body Decoration of the Baiga Tribe
From the point view of the tribal concentration, India is second in number and comes next to the African continent. According to the 1991 census, there is about 678 crores tribal people were residing in this country which is 8.08% of the total population. Undivided Madhya Pradesh had the largest proportions of Scheduled Tribe population of 23.27 percent which were divided into 46 tribal groups. Out some are very primitive in nature. The tradition of body decoration is not only restricted among the people of India, but also popular in Arab, Africa, Australia, Polynesia etc. A person having a number of tattoos in his body is believed as a good warrior by the Africans. In India, this body decoration is very much popular among the tribal and non-tribal of both the mainland and islands. It is an integral part of
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the culture among the central Indian tribes. Apart from the body decoration, this tradition of tattooing is very much associated with the belief system, folklore, social structure, religion, and medicinal value etc of the tribes concerned. Hence, the tradition of tattooing transmits from generation to generation. Baiga is one of the Praticularly Venurable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) (earlier PTGs) primitive tribe of Madhya Pradesh, known for their traditional method of treatment and shifting cultivation. They live in a particular forested area of Dindori district identified as “Baigachawk”. Both the male and female Baigas are very fond of body decoration. They like to wear various ornaments, made of gold, silver, plastic, grass and wood etc, in their different body parts. Besides, the female members like to decorate their body with different kinds of tattoos. Each of these tattoo has a specific cultural significance and tattooed at a particular age and a specific location of the body. For example, Seeta Rasoi, a tattoo comprising the symbol of a hearth, plate andspoons, is tattooed at theforehead of a Baiga girl when she became an adult. (Elwin 2007; Tiwari 2009; Tiwari 1997). The details of the tattoo marks used by the Baigas are given in table1.
Table-1: Symbol and Location of different types of tattoo in the Baiga
S. No 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 Symbol lines of dots lines of dots round like flower flies fish bones steel Hearth, plates, spoon the turmeric root peacock basket triangular a pattern of any Dauri Jhopori Local Name Kajeri Palani Phulia Mokhi Machhli haddi Chakmak Seeta Rasoi Haldi gath Sex female female female female female female female female female female female female Age/Time after marriage after marriage after marriage after marriage after adolescent when a girl reaches puberty when a girl reaches puberty when a girl reaches puberty about five years at the time of marriage Parts of body tattooed thighs thighs knee back leg leg Forehead arm Breast breast forehead on the back of Remarks not tatted until marriage not tatted until marriage before marriage Not tattooed until she is adolescent -
ki
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13 14 15 16 17 18
kind magic chain (?) scorpion moon -
or later Sakri Dhanda Bai / Ankhi Bichhu Chandamama female female female both male & female male male -
the hand Between Palani forearm the in order to cure rheumatism
back of the hand affected parts of the body
(Source: After Elwin 2007)
Cultural Significance of Tattoo
Although, now-a-days, the body tattooing is became a fashion round the world, but still it has some cultural significance in the tribal world. Body tattooing is very much essential and a community marker for some of the tribal groups of central India. It is related to their religion, belief system, health care practice, body decoration, social status, wealth etc. A brief description of this cultural significance is given below.
(a) Religion, Belief System and Tattoo The tribes of central India usually like to tattoo various symbols related to their totem, god and goddess. It is a common believe among them that, these deities and ancestors protect them from different natural calamities, evil spirits, black magic, enemies, wild animals etc. For example, the Gonds female tattooed the symbol of triangle at the sole of the right feet For magical purpose which earth and protect woman’s foot from being bruised and cut when she walks about barefoot; Oval shape with a series of dots (Padam Sen Deo,the Foot God) at the Sole of the left foot for protection; Five dots and a line (Gajkaran Deo, the elephant god) at the upper part of the foot, one dot on each toe and line from big toe to little toe and it is believed that these symbols on feet will enable them to bear weight.
(b) Health Care and Tattoo
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Tattooing in some specific parts of the body has some medicinal value and it is believed that this tattoo helps them to cure from some typical diseases. Example may be cited, the tattooing of the image of a cobra by a Gond ledy at face below to the mouth to protect them from the effects of eating any poisonous thing. Similarly, they tattooed an image of Chandi mata (goddess moon which consists of dots and lines) at the forehead to preserve and guard the parting of the hair that is the life of the woman’s husband, because the parting can only be worn to long as her husband is alive.
(c) Tattoo and Social Status It is a commonly found among most of the central Indian tribes that, a tribal girl should tattoo her body prior to marriage. If she is not tattooed prior to her marriage, then in-laws demand compensation against that, this tattoo is treated as the best dowry which a bride brought with her during marriage. At the time of describing the relevance of tattoo with social status Ember, Carol R., Melvin Ember and Peter N. Peregrine (2007). Have mentioned that “…in addition to satisfying aesthetic needs, body decoration or adornment may be used to delineate social position , rank, sex, occupation, local and ethnic identity, or religion within a society. Along with social stratification come visual means of declaring status” (Ember et.al. 2007:478).
(d) Tattoo as a Wealth and Ornament The tattoo is treated as the wealth and ornament of the tribal. The ornaments made of metal, plastic, wood and grass are temporary in nature and can be broke or removed at any stage of time or there is a possibility of theft. Besides, these are costly which is always not possible to afford by a economically poor tribe. On the other hand, the tattoo is not comparatively less costly then the jewellary made of above materials and is permanent in nature which does not left body even after the death. Therefore, the tribal people treat it as a wealth and like to adorn their body with various types of tattoo marks. At the time of analyzing the tattooing in Central India, Luard
(1905:1) has stated that “…and that is that the wearers of these devices only look upon them as ornamental; and decorative devices, with no deeper significance” (quoted by Elwin 2007: 18). Analysing the statement Elwin (2007:18) has mentioned that “if by ‘deeper significance’ are meant such fancies as 7
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that the tattoo-marks represent totem animals portrayed on her body, this is probably true. But for the Baiga the marks have another and much more serious significance. They are a form of sexual expression and a powerful sexual stimulant”.
(e) Tattoo used for Sexual Expression
Tattooing is one of the important modes to provoke the sexual desire which is clear from the statement of Ember, Carol R., Melvin Ember and Peter N. Peregrine (2007). According to them,
the tattooing of body parts for sexual expression has a long history. At the time of describing about the tattooing of different body parts for the said purpose, they have mentioned that, “We have only to follow the fashion trends for women of Europe and North America during the past 300 years, with their history of pinched waists, ballooned hips, bustled rumps, exaggerated breasts, painted faces, and exposed bosoms, to realize the significance of body adornment for sexual provocation. Why some societies emphasize erotic adornment of women and others emphasizes it in men is not yet understood” (Ember et.al. 2007:479).Further they have mentioned that “The erotic significance of somebody
decoration is also apparent. Women draw attention to erogenous zones of the body by painting, as one of the lips, and by attaching some object- an earring, a flower behind the ear, a necklace, bracelet, brooch, anklet, or belt. Men draw attention, too, by beards, tattoos, and penis sheaths (in some otherwise naked societies) that point upward” (Ember et.al. 2007:479). In central India, the Baiga female tattooed an
oblong figure just above the buttock representing the gate. Similarly, a symbol of a peacock is tattooed at the breast when a girl reaches puberty. It is strictly not tattooed until she is adolescent. Apart from this symbol, they also tattooed a symbol of basket (dauri) at their breast when a girl reaches puberty. Probably, these tattoos are made to attract the male sexual purpose.
Conclusion
Till the recent past, the godna or tattoo was treated one of the important aspects of the tribal life and culture. Body tattooing was very much essential for some tribal groups of central India. These tribal groups were using their traditional method and handmade colour for this purpose, but now a days, this tradition has been changed. Presently, it does not confine within the people of the tribal and folk communities, it enters in to the life and cultures of the urban people and it become their important fashion which present in their dress and body. Earlier, only a few
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specialists were practicing this work as their profession which was one of their important sources of earning. But now a days, this tattooing became very much commercialized and tattooing by using wooden nail or iron needle is replaced with battery operated tattooing machine and local handmade ink is with readymade chemical colour which are easily available in any local market centres. Persons having battery operated tattooing machine are frequently seen in fair and weekly market centres of central India. Because of the modernization and commercialization of tattooing, it is gradually losing its cultural values. The traditional tattoo symbols consisting of different flora, fauna, and flower etc, which was one of the important evidence to shows the man-environment relationship of a particular community; the impact of a particular symbol in the religious and socio-cultural life is decreasing gradually. On the other hand, the tattooing of different names in different scripts is widely found at the present time. This tattoo used by the tribal people is one of the important aspects of the tribal art of India which still bearing the tribal culture and their identity. On the basis of the symbols used in the tattoo and their location one can able to estimate the richness of the tribal art and also able to distinguish the tribal art from other art of the country.
References
Elwin, Veeier 2007 (Indian reprint) The Baiga. Delhi; Oxford University Press Ember, Carol R., Melvin Ember and Peter N. Peregrine 2007 Anthropology (12th edition). Delhi: Pearson. Haviland, William A., 1989 Anthropology (5th edition). New York Halt, Rinehart and Winsten, Inc. Luard 1905 Tattooing in Central India. Bombay. Nirgune, Vasant 2006 Korku (in Hindi). In Tiwari, Kapil edited Sampada (Madhya Pradesh ki Janjatia Sanskritik Parampara ka Sakshya). Bhopal; Adivasi Lokkala Academy, pp. 11-76. Russell, R.V. and Hira Lal 2003 (First published in 1916) The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India. Vol-III. Delhi; Low Price Publications.
Sandilya, Maheshchandra 2006 Kol. In Tiwari, Kapil edited Sampada: Madhya Pradesh ki Janjatiya Sanskritik parampara ka Saksya. Bhopal; Adivasi Lok Kola Academy, pp.:601-93), 9
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Tiwari, R. 2009 Janjatiya Nritya Parampara meyen Sanskritik Tatva (Abibhajit Madhya Pradesh ke Sandarv meyen). (In Hindi). Unpublished Ph.D Thesis submitted to A.P.S. University, Rewa. Tiwari, S. K. 1997 Baigas of Central India. New Delhi; Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd.
