Book

The Maria Gonds of Bastar

Oxford University PressLondon • Published In 1949 • Pages:

By: Grigson, W. V. (Wilfred Vernon), Elwin, Verrier.

Abstract
This excellent ethnography, by a former member of the Indian Civil Service, describes the culture of two subgroups of the widespread Gond peoples, the relatively unacculturated Hill Marias and the more acculturated Bison Horn Marias, both of Bastar State. The book is divided into five main sections: Introductory, giving the geographical, ethnographical and historical setting of the Maria Gonds; Personal Appearance and Characteristics; Domestic Life and Economy, which includes villages, houses and their contents, agriculture, procuring of food and drink, and domestic life; Religion and Magic, which includes the gods, annual religious ceremonies, and the cult of the departed; and Social Organization and custom, which includes marriage, birth and childhood and death and funeral ceremonies. A number of appendices are included on administrative divisions, clan lists, terms of relationship, names, anthropometry, language, and glossary. Throughout the book, the culture of the Hill Marias is described first, then that of the Bison Horn Marias, with indications as to how the two cultures differ. The Supplement contains a comment by Elwin which includes additional information, mainly on Hill Maria culture; notes on the Maria Gonds of Chanda and Drug District by Grigson; and notes by Elwin on the original edition supplementing or correcting Grigsons material.
Subjects
Geography
Descriptive somatology
Personality traits
Settlement patterns
Hunting and trapping
Collecting
Tillage
Organized ceremonial
General character of religion
Spirits and gods
Burial practices and funerals
Clans
Sorcery
Adolescent activities
culture
Gond
HRAF PubDate
2010
Region
Asia
Sub Region
South Asia
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Government Official
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Timothy J. O'Leary; 1958: John Beierle; 2010
Field Date
1927-1934, 1940-1941
Coverage Date
1927-1941
Coverage Place
Maria Gonds, Bastar State, India
Notes
by W. V. Grigson ; with an introduction by J. H. Hutton
Data on the gotul, the adolescents and bachelors dormitory, will be found in category 883. Data on the zamindar, sendhia, and taluq, all administrative divisions, have been filed in category 632.
Reissued in 1949 with a supplement containing 80 pages of additional matter and 39 illustrations by the author and Verrier Elwin
Includes bibliographical references (p. 337-338)
LCCN
39003071
LCSH
Gond (Indic people)
Ethnology--India--Bastar
Bastar (India)