Changing Scenario of Ethnic Oral Epics Singers and social functions of oral epics

(In the Context of Kalahandi)

Dr Mahendra K Mishra

Director Tribal Research Center,

Orissa,India mkmfolk@gmail.com

9437636436

Oral Tradition in India

It was a story of 1500 years ago.

A story tellers came to a kings’ court to tell his story.

King asked him - what is the language of the story ?

The story teller said- it is paishachi - my mother tongue.

The court poets and the council laughed at him.

The king said , ‘ Sanskrit is the language of the court, We

don’t recognize any other language here. You can go.’

Collecting his palm leaf manuscript the story tellers left the court, and came back to the forest.

He started telling the story to the birds and animals in the forest. He prepared fire and around him there were birds and animals of the forest to listen to him attentively.

He was reading out the story from each palm leaf and was throwing the page, one after another, in to the fire.

The birds and animals were listening to him forgetting their food and drink.

In the dining table the king found that the quality of the food served was deteriorating

On enquiry, the king found that, all the birds and animals of the forest were engaged in listening the story and have forgotten to take food. So the hunter don’t get good prey and the supply of food is affected by it.

On further enquiry , the king could know that the story teller was no one but Gunadhya – the great story teller and a poet of the time.

The king could realized his mistake and ran in to the forest . He found the birds and animals around the fire listening the story from the person whom he met in the court. The man was throwing the pages of his manuscripts one after another.

The king shouted, Stop it, Gunadhya, I have realized my mistake. Please don’t burn the knowledge.

But Gunadhya, with a smile, replied the king , I have my own subjects in this forest who have respected this knowledge leaving their food and drink. What use of the royal patronage when the whole universe is ready to listen to me. I don’t mind if all the knowledhes are burnt in the fire.

The king snatched the manuscripts from Gunadhya and got it publisised which is now known as Brhadkatha( the great story ) in India.

The question after this story is

◦ Do the local knowledge still patronized by the people in power? May it be Monarchy or democracy ?

◦ Do all the indigenous knowledge have the same status with the language of power?

◦ Do the people in high culture really respect the knowledge of the people in peripheries?

◦ Are the knowledge that is created from the experiences of the people are properly understood by the people in power and considered as the national property ?

Views

from

the

History

There is a division between the Aryans and the tribal in Indian

canons. Equally the disparity between the language of power and

the language of people.

The canons and history of India spells out that the Aryans were

God and their language was Sanskrit. The era was the era of

the Gods and the Kings.

The Non Aryans were narrated as Asura, Nishada,Rakshasa,

Anarya – all for the tribals of the country.

The myths and epics of written Sanskrit has narrated the Tribals as

demons and the story of their defeat and displacement.

The Aryans wrote their history of victory and down graded the

rich values of the tribals

Ethnic Scenario in India

There are 623 scheduled Tribes in India

Out of them 74 are endangered in respect of

their land, language and values

Their culture is eroded in the name of mainstreaming

Their knowledge system is also under destruction

This lead to cultural and linguistic genocide.

Tribal History

Till now – Indian history has not given due justice to the tribal history.

Their knowledge system is hardly understood and studied in the mainstream culture.

Their land, language , knowledge and culture is gradually eroded.

They don’t have the history of their own , except in their contemporary cultural practices

Land of the Man

The Lost Tribal Identity

Indian land was known

with the names of the

ancient tribal communities

. They were

Gondwana land,

Bhilwada,

Kondhan Desh

Santal Pragana

Bhuiyan Peedha

Saora Mandal and many more..

Each ethnic group had a self sufficient territory and land, own language and self rule and has clan based territories. Land and language was the marker of their identity.

But their land was distributed to many modern states across the time and their history was distorted. They were subjugated , displaced and pushed out in to the forest land.

Not only this they were acculturated with the values that was imposed by the outsider

Kalahandi as a Tribal Land

in 1876 total population was 1, 22,ooo and the percentage of tribal was 75 .( 88000 people were Kondh)

In 2001 total population is 13,00,000 and tribal population is 30 %.

How the percentage of 75 reduced to 30 % ?

What was the historical reasons that the indigenous people reduced

The name of the land was Kandhan Desh ( Kondh land) is changed to kamala amandala and then kalahandi.

I am presenting the tribal epics of Kalahandi The major tribes are the Gonds and the Kondhs.

Who are the Epic Singers?

A. Caste nominated bards are the Epic Singers

Parghania for the Gonds

Bogua and Marals for the Kondhs

Ghogia/Jachak/Birthia for the Gauds

Bhat for the Banjara

Tribal Oral tradition

In addition to songs and tales, myths and legends , proverbs and riddles, tribal people have their caste genealogies and sacred myths and epics

They have priests , singers and storytellers.

Some knowledge are known to every body and some knowledge are esoteric

Epic Singers of Kalahandi

The epic singers of Kalahandi may broadly be categorized under the following heads.

Ethnic singer or professional caste-bard.

Castes and tribes having no bardic tradition

but singing the epic song.

Priest group in tribal community-male and

female priest.

Singers independent to castes and tribes.

1. ETHNIC SINGERS OR PROFESSIONAL CASTE

BARD: (Table –1)

Tribe Ethnic Bard Musical

Instruments

Myth / Epics

GOND ,

BHATRA

PARGHANIA,

PRADHAN

KIKRI, PEPRE(

fiddle)

Budharaja myth

ChitalSingh

epic

Hirakhan

Chhatri

Luhagundi

King and 8

epics

KONDH BOGUA,

MARAL

DHUNDHUNI

A( One

stringed

instrument)

Gova- creation

myth

Epic of Bhima,

Epic of

Namgmati –

Raajaphulia

Manduka Majhi

1. ETHNIC SINGERS OR PROFESSIONAL CASTE BARD: (Table

–1)

Tribe Ethnic Bard Musical

Instruments

Myth / Epics

BINJHAL BIRTHIA MANDAL JATI JANAM

BORASAMBHAR

KING , MYTH OF

LION -MAN

BANJARA BHAT DHAP MITHU BHUKHIA

SEWABHAYA MYTH

LAKHABANJARA EPIC

SOHBANAYAK EPIC

SIRARAM NAYAK EPIC

RAJA ISALU EPIC

RAMJI HUNA SATI –

EPIC

RAMA HERU EPIC

1. ETHNIC SINGERS OR PROFESSIONAL CASTE

BARD: (Table –1)

CASTE CASTE BARD Musical

Instruments

Myth / Epics

GAUR, GAUD GHIGIA ,

JACHAK ,

BANS, BRAHMA

VEENA

KHARATMAL 12

CYCLES OF

EPIC FOR 12

BROTHERS

DOM BHAT , BIRTHIA DAMBRU MARDABA KING

LANKA GADA

GEET

EPIC OF

BROTHER SISTER

INCEST

II. CASTES /TRIBES WITHOUT BARDIC TRADITION, BUT

SING EPIC SONGS:

CAS

TE TRIB

E

Epic songs/culture Hero and Narration on

Supreme Gods.

Bhunjia Origin of Bhunjia, Kachra Dhurua, a culture Hero of the Bhunjias.

Paharia(

Kamar)

Bad Devtar Khena (Origin myth). Gandhu Paradhiya (Culture Hero).

Sabar Dance, the song of tattooing, romance epic of Oriya literature, Sashisena,

Jarasabar Vidyapati Lalita, origin of Lord Jagannath.

Teli Bhat Caste origin from Lord Siva and Parvati, Caste occupation, ritural song

“marriage of Gods and Goddesses” (Siva & Parvati).

Keut(Fi

sher

folk)

Kaivarta Geeta – Origin of Kaivarta caste from Brahma and Vishnu,

(associated with sage Parasara, father of Vayasa)

Kumhar

(Potter)

Origin myth, epic story of king Chandradhawja, Kurala Purana by Poet

Deena Krishna Das.

Mali Origin myth, rituals.

III.PRIESTS/PRIESTESS ATTACHED TO

CASTE AND TRIBE:

Tribe Priest Shaman Myths &Sacred

Epics

Function

Gond Jhankar

Ghogien

Dihari Budharaja

myth

Cultivation of

paddy by Lord

Shiva

singing of

ancestor

genealogies

Supreme God

/Ancestor

worship

Appeasing the

ancestors

Kondh Jani ( 3) Gova jani Khut

Jani Jog jani

Disari Earth Mother

goddess and Sun God

Buffalo sacrifice

Nature worship

rain God Bhima

worship

III.PRIESTS/PRIESTESS ATTACHED TO CASTE

AND TRIBE:

Tribe Priest Shaman Myths

&Sacred

Epics

Function

Kondh-

Paraja

Bhunjia

Female

priest -

Gurumai

Gurumai Bhima Sidi,

Charela geet

Sunadi geet

Ample

harvest ,

divination,

safety of

villagers

IV.PROFESSIONAL SINGERS

Category

Singers Epics musical

instruments

function

professional

Debgunia

Birth of

Goddess

of wealth

- Laxmi

Brahma

veena – harp

Ample harvest

and wealth ,

paddy

cultivation

Basidevia

Brahmin

Singing of

the

Ramayana

kikri ( fidel) Entertainment

and preaching

of the

Ramayana

IV.Professional Singers

Category

Singers Epics musical

instruments

function

Occasional Geetkudia

( male

singer)

heroic

epics ,

social

events

Ram kathi , entertain

ment ,

dance and

singing

during

mirrage

ceremony

Geetkudien (femalesinger)

Oral Epics

Oral epic is tradition bound

Patronized by community to perpetuate the caste

genealogies and caste glories

It is associated with the culture of a community

It is mythical/legendary and imaginary

Each ethnic group has his own caste genealogies and

epics

They have ethnic singers/priests

Nature of Oral Epics:

It is a sung narrative(mixed with prose and poetry)

Clan bard/ ethnic singer perform the song

Accompanied with musical instruments

Story about caste originator/ origin of gods and goddesses/culture heroes/royal dynasties

Story of migration and settlement of ethnic group

Bear the cultural heritage of the ethnic group

It is supernatural: blend of reality and imagination

Mythical Epics

Creation of the Universe, earth, and origin of the gods

and goddesses, caste origin, validation of gods and their

worship by the clans

Story of origin, marriage and family of different gods and

goddesses in a territory

Oral performance of myths during ritual performance

Community believe it to be true and follow the socio-

religious rules that gives them a world view of their

cultural reality

Culture Heroes:

Based on the religious world view and social values, the ethnic singer create culture heroes in their mind

It is tradition bound retained in the mental text of the singers

There is a pattern of identifying a hero in a particular community

This is based on invention,talent, strength. After attending many tests,the hero wins and become the role model for the community

Conflict in family for land and property are two major factors of creating a culture hero.

Characteristic of Culture Heroes

Supernatural, miraculous, magical

Divine support

Enormous strength to over come obstacles

Witty and intelligent

Wins in love and war

Innovative in ethnic occupations

Have the ability to tackle any difficult situation( may

be divine or human)

Why Oral Epics

To remember caste glory

To know the caste genealogies orally (through arrangement /chronologies of characters and events)

To respect the clan gods and goddesses/ worship the ancestors and energize the contemporary generations

Associating the clan history with the present clan lineage

Recite the epics during marriage ceremony to glorify the heroic actions of the ancestors/culture heroes

Learning from the ancestors story

Narrative Territory of Clan Bard

Parghania ( Epics to Ontology ) It is said that 84 villages constitutes a Parghana

with a king.

They use to live on their clan masters donation

A parghania consider the territory of his clan masters as his own narrative territory.

Out of eight ‘Saga’ (Clan) Gonds , eight clan bards

each clan bard serves his own clan master’s territory as his own occupation areas.

No other clan bard enters other than his or her clan master’s house.

Caste Genealogies

Caste genealogies are recorded and maintained by the ethnic singers

Parghania maintain Gond genealogy: Purja

Similarly other tribes have their own oral history

This is related to their gods and first progenitor,

This is based on their migration and settlement, some time struggle with other caste and win over them

Distribution of Gods among the clans

Functions of Ethnic Singers

Singing the clan based creation myth, clan genealogies , origin of the castes,origin of gods and goddesses,migration, settlement, story of the clan heroes

Attending rites de passage of the clan masters

Annual tour to the houses of the clan masters( confined to one clan only)

Perform epic story of the clan and other songs , stories, music, etc.

Social function

The bards attend their clan master’s social function such as birth , marriage ,death rituals, and beg/ demand alms.

The male bards use to sing the caste genealogies during the death ceremony of a person

He also sing the heroic epic during the marriage ceremony of the Gond family

The caste genealogies are re cited during death rituals, as well as clan rituals( Pitori Puja – ancestor worship)

Bard’s identity

The clan bard Parghanias identify themselves as the younger brother of the Gonds and claim their common ancestry.

But the Gonds disagree with it. They say that they are superior and in no way their clan bards are equal to them.

Instead, since the Gond bards accept alms, (Sukdan, bachhadan etc.) from their Gond clan master, the Gonds say that the parghanias are inferior caste group, of course emerged from their caste.

PURJA: GOND CASTE

GENEOLOGY

The caste genealogies, caste myth, oral epics

and hymns are sung by the bards in a

language called “Gondi”.

The language is not spoken except in the

religious ceremonies. It clearly indicates that

the caste myths, genealogies are esoteric

texts, which is not shared by other caste

group, even a caste myth is not sung by a

singer in another clan group, as though both

the clan belong to Gond caste.

“ PURJA” – is the caste genealogy of the

Gonds. It is the origin myth created by

the supreme God of the Gonds and the

first progenitor was Linga Deo who

listens to it. Linga Deo wanted to be

popularized and thereafter his first

servant become the parghania who knew

all these myths and genealogies.

It is mandatory for each Gond family / Clan to listen Purja from their Parghania at least once in a year.

During the marriage, death rituals and invoking the ancestor spirit “Duma” Purja plays an important role to remember the past glory of the Gonds.

Most of the Purja’s are oral history and caste genealogies.

In later part of 19th century and 1st five decades of 20th century some palm leaf scriber belonging to pastoral community (Goud) and Bairagi community used to write the Gond Purja in palm leaf manuscript. After this the purja was written in pen and paper.

Bards as younger brother of the Clan

Chief

The Parghanias consider themselves as the younger brother of the Gonds. So there is a proverb that ,”the Gonds are elder brother, so they hold the ‘Chhatra’ – an umbrella over the throne – as the symbol of administrative power, and the younger brother hold the “Vana” – flag and the musical instrument ‘ Kikri’ as the symbol of singing the eulogy of the elder brother.

Wel coming the Bards by the clan

chief Baradharguma

Suradhar sandu

Gatidar bajarsri

Ajira Chanchala

Inju kaike”

The esoteric meaning of the above recitation is known to parghania only.

The clan master / patron replies:

“ Oh, my God has appeared. Let’s worship him with perfume , molasses and ghee”.

Parghania says:

“O Majhi, I have come to you. You have got this God from your ancestors. You have to obey your God. You pay the alms for your betterment”.

Then the chief offers him a jug of water and tobacco and invites him. This is the symbol of honour. If they delay in inviting, the

bard may feel offended. They also worship the musical instruments as the symbol of their clan God.

The bards use to sing the song depending on the rituals and occasion. If it is a death rituals they sing caste genealogies and the glory of ancestor story.

If it is a marriage ceremony , they sing the glory of their culture heroes., legendary hero if their community.

The patron gives gold, cow, bullocks, rice, paddy, salt, turmeric, chilly etc and says, “Babu, this much is with me please be happy with this. I will satisfy you next year”.

The Parghania bless the patron, “Chaturbhuj Budhadev will keep you happy. You will lead and win every where”. Then again the Parghania recite his Gondi hymn –

Baradhar guma:………

After 15 days or so the Bard return to his home.

Parghania as epic singer and

story teller In the night, at around 8.00 P.M. to 9.00 P.M. all the people of

the Gond community assemble in one place. The tribal chief worship the musical instrument.

Thereafter the Parghania recites the worship and eulogy of the Gond supreme Gods Chaturbhuja Budhadeo, Linga Deo and Jangha Deo.

After that, the Parghania, assisted by two to three young singers start singing the Purja – the Gond caste genealogies.

The audience believes the narration to be true. They also remember the caste lineage. The older persons in the Gond community also recapitulate the accurate caste lineage and share with the Parghania.

The audience enjoys the narration of the

Parghania. They feel glorified with the

heroic deeds of the Gond Gods and

heroes. The categories of narratives

recited by the Parghanias are as

followings:

Sacred narratives:

Creation myth of the Universe.

Creation myth of the Gods / Goddesses

Creation of the earth, birds, animals.

Shiva – Mahadev as the first cultivator

Purja caste genealogies.

EPIC NARRATIVES:

Purja

One such ‘Purja’ is collected from Sri

Parsuram Majhi, Malpada of Sinapali Block

in Kalahandi district reflects the nature of

its structure, narration and the function.

This Purja reveals how the Gonds came

from Bastar and Chhatishgarh to

Kalahandi. The content area found in the

Purja is:

Distribution of Gond Gods and Goddesses in the Gond administrative territories. Family relation of the Gond Gods and Goddesses, distribution of land and place (Gadi), worship of Gonds to the Gods and Goddesses according to their clan. Categories of foods, dresses, and offerings given to the Gond Gods and Goddesses according to their individual tastes.

Ethnic status of the Gonds: The superior

Gonds and inferior Gonds in terms of their

origin and their occupation are described in

the Purja. Out of 8 ‘Saga’ Gonds the Markam

and the Netam Gonds are superior and the

rest of the Gonds are comparatively inferior.

The kinship relation is also determined in

the Purja, and description is found, whether

the marriage between two different Gond

clans is possible or not.

The history of clan migration from one

place to the other and forming of new

settlement is found in the Purja. The

struggle of the Gonds with other tribes

during their migration and settlement is

described in the Purja. They also describe

the first progenitor and the first Gond

hero who defeated other tribes and saved

their Gond clan.

In order to keep the caste genealogy

chronologically the time factor is retained

through the series of important events.

For instance, the events of the Gond

heroes are remembered by the

Parghanias and it is through the

association of events that the chronology

of the Gond oral history is maintained.

Social rules are described in the Purja.

Most of the Gonds are belong to breast

milk brothers (Dud bhai) and institution

of marriage is not allowed between these

two Dudbhai clans. So in order to be

aware of their caste status and the

approved marriage relation between the

Gonds, the Purja is referred.

Unless and until the caste genealogies are

agreed and declared as correct, the

narrations of the Parghanias are

sometimes rejected. The “sianlog” –

senior persons of Gond community

suggests the Parghania to correct the

narrative events. So that the right oral

history and chronology will be

maintained.

Realities

Changing

Scenario of the

Ethnic Singers

Current Sceneario

Modernity, westernization, industrialization, modern education and globalization has left little place to genres like oral epics/myths

Ethnic singers are in cross road in their identity, neither they are aware of the traditional knowledge, or ready to abandon the identity of a singer.

Scholars quest for oral tradition has made them aware of the importance of their knowledge,but unless the caste patron approves, they are not ready to share.

They consider the caste genealogies as esoteric knowledge,only should be within their private domain

Professional singers and their current

situation

Singers are unable, in a changing environment, to adapt the singing profession they once learned, but still stored in their memories

Many genres of folklore have vanished forever with the passing of the last tradition-bearers familiar with them.

Now no singer of 60s are available to us to listen to their songs of glory

Musical instruments are not available or of no use

Lack of Patronization

Now a days ethnic singers are lacking patronization

Clan masters don't patronize them

Traditional singing is replaced with Hindi films during marriage/ birth rituals etc.

Mode of entertainment became more visual than aural, elders did not patronize their community knowledge

Modern education gave them new identity than earlier one

Lack of Patronization

Now a days ethnic singers are lacking patronization

Clan masters don't patronize them

Traditional singing is replaced with Hindi films during marriage/ birth rituals etc.

Mode of entertainment became more visual than aural, elders did not patronize their community knowledge

Modern education gave them new identity than earlier one

Singers as passive tradition-bearers , Why?

No clan support

Unable to adjust with new social life

Adoption of labour and agriculture, rural employment

No training and education on traditional singing , music

Hesitate to write / perform the knowledge in new socio-cultural situation which could be the source of regenerating the cultural resources

No knowledge about the importance of their performance as the borrower of human culture.

Observation:

The socio-cultural aspects of the epics are

1.The epics represents the pre agricultural society of Kalahandi

2.It represent the initiation of agricultural society

( invention of iron, plough, cutting forest and leveling land( sunabeda, rupabeda)

3.Invention and discoveries: iron, liquor,

4.Etiological myths: why the paddy looked black and yellow, why the tiger is afraid of the wild dogs? why there is worms in the fig fruit etc.

How to Revitalize?

Community support: Approval of jati maha sabha to document the social and oral history of tribes and castes

Bring the content in audio, video and print form

Patronize the singers through recognition, reward and pension( Karnataka example)

Using oral tradition as the means of political gain, ethnic identity, group solidarity,and maintain ethnic culture.

Dual Responsibilities:

Sensitizing the community on safeguarding the

oral epics/ myths/caste genealogies so that they

will patronizing the singers

Recognizing the singers in public domain

Studying the oral epic genre as a means of

understanding the ethnic culture as well as use

them for socio-cultural and socio-political

regeneration

A place where academic domain contribute to

the community from where the oral tradition

has been derived

and giving back to the community

Application

Traditional performance in the community

performance in changing situation:

Use in research ( anthropology, history,

linguistics, literature , music etc.)

Use for ethnic identity and achieve

power (land, culture and language)

Use in education ( cultural curriculum)

Conclusion

From 1500 years ago till now – the knowledge of the singers and the languages of the communities are still subjugated and not properly understood as the resources of human property.

The Kings and sages have gone, peoples rule has come , but still the knowledge and language of the tribal / ethnic communities are in constant threats, the threats of hegemony and the threats of cultural genocide.

It is essential to maintain cultural bio diversity and therefore knowledge from the epics is important to understand the alchemy of nature.

Thank you