Customs of a Muria Ghotul of Chattisgarh

The Muria is part of the Gondi tribal community spread across Eastern India mainly in the state of Chattisgarh. This article is a continuation of the research done by professional anthropologists & sociologists of the Jay Shakuntala Welfare Foundation who are dedicated to the education, healthcare & cultural awareness of the tribal people of the region.

As highlighted in the prior article introducing the Ghotul as the modern day equivalent of the gurukul, or the educational & the cultural hub of the Muria settlements. One of the major challenges we face in writing these articles after living years with the tribal folks and conducting our own researches, is fighting an uphill battle with the perceptions that earlier Western authors like Verrier Elwin has left with the readers with well advertised books like Muria & their Ghotul.

Unfortunately such inaccurate conclusion by influential Western authors are more easily digested by the average people than to take the arduous task to finding out the truth themselves.

These couple of articles will attempt to lay a more honest, unbiased researches & realistic views of the Ghotul & its role & relevance in the Muria cultures. This article will focus on the various customs (or Pratha) followed in the Ghotul.

Customs of Ghotul of the Muria Tribal People of Chattisgarh

The foundation of any social organization is the belief and customs of the people of the community. So getting to know a culture or a community is thus knowing the customs, literatures & rituals. This very importance of the tribal customs is taught by the elder members of Ghotul.

Customs & education on heritage, cultures are taught & transitioned from one generation to the next through verbal communications. Vital duties, customs (aka Pratha) & the mechanisms of governance of the community are taught verbally by the elders and the Sardars to the younger people in the Ghotul. Here are some of the most common Ghotul customs (not in any particular order).

Narayandeva Pooja (Worship) Pratha

Narayandeva is the main God of Ghotul and his position is superior in position amongst all other Gods and Goddesses of Ghotul. The main priest of this God is known as the Sirha, who is also recognized as a traditional healer in the Muria community. It is the belief of the members of Ghotul as well as other community members that this worship saves the village and its villagers from nature’s wrath, diseases, evil and other calamities.

Dudh Lautani Pratha

This is a specific marriage custom which is similar in many ways to a cross-cousin marriage. The girl could be from one decendency (aka Gotra in traditional hindu customs) & is married to a cousin from another Gotra. The marriage is sanctified through this custom & it allows the exchange of Gotras in between the husband & the wife (it is a symbolic gesture only).

Landa Pratha

Landa is an age-old traditional beverage/liquor of Bastar. Almost all the tribal communities use it on ceremonial occasions. Landa is not only the common beverage but it is also one of the items used in worship and other social activities like marriage, birth and death. The youth is taught about the uses of landa – how they should make it and when & what they can use it for.

Diwari Pratha

In this custom members of the village and neighboring villages come to the Ghotul to see the dance of Motiyarins (another name for the women members of the Ghotul). These Motiyarins dance under the Ghotul roof & also pray for the well being of the village and its residence. This diwari custom helps to create a stong bond between the community members. Through the Diwari custom the youth are taught how to live an integrated life, tightly connected to other people in the village & community.

Lamjhena Pratha

The Lamjhena custom is also related to the way marriages are conducted in the Muria community. This custom specifically focuses on ensuring that a marriage does not result in a financial crisis of either the grrom or the bride’s families. When the groom cannot pay the bride a coutresy prize money, the father of bride could decide to keep the groom to serve in his home for few years or months.

The time period is decided by the elder members of the community. In this period the girl’s father observes the character of groom, his working style and behavior to determine the suitability of the groom. In the same period & circumstance, the groom observes the bride’s favor towards him in her home. This custom teaches new grooms & brides patience and power of observation which would subsequently help the new couple to build on each other’s strengths.

Akhet Pratha

An all round development of an individual is important for any community to thrive & sustain its cultures. While the Ghotul is often seen as a place for festivities & merriment, in the Akhet custom, the youth are taught hunting, a critical survival activity for hunter gatherer tribes. Understanding forest ecology is absolutely essential for the tribals to sustain their communities.

The constituent members of the Ghotul teach younger boys when to hunt & decides on who would become the leader of the hunting group. Generally the younger members of the Ghotul go in the Falgun (approximately corresponds to the months of September & October) month for hunting. The verities and quantities of the hunted material decide who is the most capable youth (aka Chelik) in the Ghotul and this Chelik is given the most attention & assistance by the Ghotul Sirdar/Sardar.

Next article on our research of Ghotul customs & its relevance in Muria tribe

We cannot ignore the fact that if one does an unbiased, true-to-heart research into the history & the critical role it played in creating a bonded, value based culture, the Ghotul could never be seen as an establishment of corruption or anything to do with encouraging disrespectful sexual intimacies as highlighted by some Western authorities & literates of influence.

In a subsequent article on the customs and heritage of the Ghotul of the Muria tribal people of Chattisgarh, I will present our research based understanding of the current situation of the Ghotul.