Chapter 4: Tribal Verse

Literature is thought of to include compositions such as prose and poetry that are written. Going by this belief, the beauty of compositions which are prevalent in oral traditions might be missing. The other stream of literature has compositions that are both aesthetically and thematically rich. However, as there is a strong criterion of considering compositions as literature only when they are written, these do not obtain the status of literature. This is the case with Indian oral traditions. Only if the notion of literature is modified there is a possibility that we will witness the different Indian oral traditions decline.

Another view –

The oral literary tradition in India is not a unique phenomenon. It has been in existence in different parts of the world. Based on the nature of getting orally transmitted, oral traditions do not die. The oral traditions will exist even if we modify our notion regarding literature or not. Through the patronage of the state, the oral literary tradition can be promoted.

Tribal arts are not specifically meant for sale. This helps in their growth and preservation. Tribal arts have unique characteristics and employ a dreamlike and hallucinatory imagination. They are very playful and aesthetically and thematically rich. Tribal arts present a world view of the tribals, which is unique, and any attempt to commercialise it will help them in their preservation and growth. They are simple-minded and not influenced by modern society’s ills that are under the sway of the evils of modern consumerism. The tribal arts are a part of tribal life. These arts are performed not to earn money but to express their worldview and imagination.

Another view –

The non-commercialisation hampers the preservation and growth of tribal arts. Tribal arts cannot be economically strong to carry their creative works without any commercialisation. To commercialise their arts, endeavours should be taken so that tribals can preserve them. In society, the tribals suffer from marginalisation and abject poverty, owing to which their arts should be commercialised. This will provide motivation for the preservation and growth of their art forms.

The tribal communities are mostly bilingual. Many vocabularies have been assimilated from the country’s major languages. To most of us, it may seem that the languages are dialects of the major tongues of India.

Another view –

In India, the tribal communities are mostly bilingual, and there is no need to dismiss the languages as dialects of India’s major tongues. It shows the assimilative nature of the tribal communities. The language identity is not destroyed by borrowing some words from other languages. Languages such as Hindi and major languages would have lost identity by borrowing words from languages of other countries. There is a structural variation in tribal languages from the main Indian languages. The words present from other languages will not get identified as dialects of major languages of India and will lose their identity.

Tribal communities may not seem to possess a scientific temper. However, most of the ideas from the tribal conventions could enrich modern societies. They live very close to nature and treat it as a living being. The tribals consider nature as a mother who nurtures them, and they possess a positive and intimate relationship with nature. These positive ideas towards ecology help to enrich modern societies. They are simple-minded and are not influenced by the evils of consumerism. A few tribal communities obey the matrilineal system. The dowry system is not followed by the tribal societies; instead, a price is fixed for the bride, which the groom pays in kind or in cash. Modern societies can learn this as a good lesson.