Context: The Muria tribe custom mandates that a man weaves a bamboo cradle (vookada) for his newborn baby as a lifetime memory for both the father and the child. The father must go into the forest, collect the bamboo, dry it, and weave the cradle with his own hands, with no help from anyone.
About Muria tribe:
- Location: An adivasi (scheduled tribe) of the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, India. They are part of the Gondi people, and also have a large presence in the nearby states of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
- Economic activity: They are predominantly agrarian people, and farming and other forest-based activities provide the majority of their income.
- Culture: They have a strong cultural history and adhere to their own customs, rituals, and practices. They have a unique system of social structure, and an elder council oversees each of their settlements.
- They are renowned for their vibrant Gaur dance, which is performed during festivals and celebrations, as well as their musical customs and dance forms.
- They practise a hybrid of animistic and Hindu doctrines. They execute religious rites and offerings at village shrines in order to worship a variety of gods and spirits.
- They observe a number of holidays throughout the year, including the harvest festival of Dandari and the new year festival of Narayanpur.
- The Muria people also have a tradition of making and drinking "handia," a hand-crafted rice beer.
- They are renowned for its extensive legacy of handicrafts, which includes a range of products manufactured from materials that are easily accessible locally, like bamboo, fabric, and wood.
- Language: The primary tongue is the Muria language, which belongs to the Gondi linguistic family. One of the largest indigenous tribal communities in India, the Gond people speak a Dravidian language called Gondi.
- Style & attire: Their fashion sense and garb are a reflection of their voluminous cultural heritage. Muria men and women wear basic yet distinctive traditional clothing that symbolises their rural and agrarian way of life.
About Gond tribe
- They are one of the largest tribal groups in India, predominantly residing in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh.
- The name Gond comes from Kond (means green mountains).
- Main occupation is Agriculture or daily wages
- Their native language, Gondi, belongs to the Dravidian family.
- They believe in animistic belief system, where they worship nature spirits and deities. They also revere ancestors and have a rich tradition of folk worship
- They have subdivided into various tribes such as raj gonds, madia, dhurve etc.
- Rice is a celebratory food enjoyed during festivals, millets like kodo and kutki form the foundation of the Gond diet.