Gondi people

The Gondi (Gōndi) or Gond people are an Adivasi group (indigenous people) of
Gonds
India[3] that speak Gondi language which is a Dravidian language and are listed
as a Scheduled Tribe for the purpose of India's system of positive
discrimination.[4] They are spread over the states of Madhya Pradesh, eastern
Maharashtra (Vidarbha),[5] Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra
Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha.

The Gond are also known as the Raj Gond. The term was widely used in 1950s,
but has now become almost obsolete, probably because of the political eclipse of
the Gond Rajas.[6] The Gondi language is closely related to the Telugu, Gondi women in Umaria district
belonging to the Dravidian family of languages. The 2011 Census of India
Total population
recorded about 2.98 million Gondi speakers.[7]
13,256,928[1]
According to the 1971 census, their population was 5.01 million. By the 1991 Regions with significant
census, this had increased to 9.3 million[6] and by the 2001 census the figure was populations
nearly 11 million. For the past few decades they have been witnesses to the
India
Naxalite–Maoist insurgency in the central part of India.[8] Gondi people, at the
behest of the Chhattisgarh government, formed the Salwa Judum, an armed Madhya Pradesh 5,093,124[1]
militant group to fight the Naxalite insurgency.[9] Chhattisgarh 4,298,404[1]
Maharashtra 1,618,090[1]
Odisha 888,581[1]
Contents Uttar Pradesh 569,035[1]
History Andhra Pradesh (old) 304,537[1]
Science and religion Bihar 256,738[1]
Classification Karnataka 158,243[1]
Notable people
Jharkhand 53,676[1]
See also
West Bengal 13,535[1]
References
Gujarat 2,965[1]
Further reading
External links Languages
Gondi, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu
Religion
History Hinduism[2]
Recent studies suggest that the Gond are closely related to the Munda people, Related ethnic groups
who speak a non-Dravidian language.[10]
Dravidian people
Scholars believe that Gonds ruled in Gondwana, now in eastern Madhya Pradesh
and western Odisha, between the 13th and 19th centuries AD. Muslim writers described a rise of Gond state after the 14th
century.
Gonds ruled in four kingdoms (Garha-Mandla, Deogarh, Chanda, and Kherla) in central India between the 16th and 18th
centuries. They built number of forts, palaces, temples, tanks and lakes during the rule of the Gonds dynasty. The Gondwana
kingdom survived until the late 16th century. They also gained control over the Malwa after the decline of the Mughals followed
by the Marathas in 1690. The Maratha power swept into Gondland in the 1740s. The Marathas overthrew the Gond Rajas
(princes) and seized most of their territory, while Some Gond zamindaris (estates) survived until recently.[11]

Science and religion

Many astronomical ideas were known to ancient Gonds.[12] Gonds had their own local terms for the Sun, Moon, constellations
and Milky Way. Most of these ideas were basis for their time-keeping and calendrical activities. Other than Gonds, the Banjaras
and Kolams are also known to have knowledge of astronomy.[13]

Most Gond people follow folk Hinduism which retained the animist beliefs of nature and ancestor worship.[14][15][16] Gonds
worship a high god known as Baradeo, whose alternate names are Bhagavan, Sri Shambu Mahadeo, and Persa Pen, and Baradeo
oversees activities of lesser gods such as clan and village deities, as well as ancestor.[15] Baradeo is respected but he does not
receive fervent devotion, which is shown only to clan and village deities, as well as ancestor and totems.[17]

Their typical reaction to death has been described as one of anger because they believe it is caused by magical demons.[18] Pola, a
cattle festival, Naga panchami and Dassera are their major festivals.[15]

Many Gonds worship Ravana, whom they consider to be the tenth dharmaguru of their people and the ancestor-king of one of
their four lineages. They also worship Kupar Lingo as their supreme deity and their ancestor before Ravana. On Dussehra, the
Gondi inhabitants of Paraswadi carry an image of Ravana riding an elephant in a procession to worship him, and protest the
burning of Ravana's effigies. Their worship of Ravana is also a way to resist pressure from Christian missionaries and right-wing
Hindu groups and preserve their own culture.[19][20]

Classification
They are a designated Scheduled Tribe in Andhra Pradesh, parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Odisha and West Bengal.[21]

The Government of Uttar Pradesh had classified the Gondi people as a Scheduled Caste but by 2007, they were one of several
groups that the Uttar Pradesh government had redesignated as Scheduled Tribes.[22] As of 2017, that tribal designation applies
only to certain districts, not the entire state.[23] The 2011 Census of India for Uttar Pradesh showed the Scheduled Caste Gond
population as 21,992.[24]

Notable people
Narsingh Rai
Sangram Shah
Bakht Buland Shah
Rani Durgavati
Raja Nareshchandra Singh
Raja Chakradhar Singh

See also
Gondwana
Godha
Ajanbahu Jatbasha
 List of Scheduled Tribes in Uttar Pradesh

References
1. "A-11 Individual Scheduled Tribe Primary Census Abstract Data and its Appendix" (http://www.censusindia.gov.i
n/2011census/PCA/ST.html). Census of India 2011. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner,
India. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
2. "ST-14 Scheduled Tribe Population By Religious Community" (http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/SCST-
Series/ST14.html). www.censusindia.gov.in. Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census
Commissioner, India. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
3. Srinivasa Rao, V. (2018). Adivasi Rights and Exclusion in India (https://books.google.com/?id=EiBtDwAAQBAJ&p
g=PT99&dq=gond+adivasi#v=onepage&q=gond%20adivasi&f=false). ISBN 9780429792861.
4. "List of notified Scheduled Tribes" (https://web.archive.org/web/20131107225208/http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables
_Published/SCST/ST%20Lists.pdf) (PDF). Census India. Archived from the original (http://censusindia.gov.in/Tab
les_Published/SCST/ST%20Lists.pdf) (PDF) on 7 November 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
5. Deogaonkar, Shashishekhar Gopal (23 November 2017). The Gonds of Vidarbha (https://books.google.com/book
s?id=X39c2VODLT0C&pg=PA16). Concept Publishing Company. ISBN 9788180694745.
6. Verma, R. C. (2002). Indian Tribes Through the Ages. Publications Division, Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting, Government of India. ISBN 978-8-12300-328-3.
7. "Census of India 2011" (http://censusindia.gov.in/2011Census/C-16_25062018_NEW.pdf) (PDF).
8. Rashid, Omar (29 August 2015). "Bringing rural realities on stage in urban India" (http://www.thehindu.com/featur
es/friday-review/theatre/bringing-rural-realities-on-stage-in-urban-india/article7592193.ece). The Hindu – via
www.thehindu.com.
9. "Salwa Judum is the only effective weapon against Maoist terror at present" (https://www.hindustantimes.com/opi
nion/salwa-judum-is-the-only-effective-weapon-against-maoist-terror-at-present-strengthen-it/story-liLxecdkR5hK
TAVDtv6eBK.html). Hindustan Times. 6 June 2017.
10. Chaubey, Gyaneshwer; Tamang, Rakesh; Pennarun, Erwan; Dubey, Pavan; Rai, Niraj; Upadhyay, Rakesh
Kumar; Meena, Rajendra Prasad; Patel, Jayanti R; van Driem, George (April 2017). "Reconstructing the
population history of the largest tribe of India: the Dravidian speaking Gond" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/ar
ticles/PMC5386418). European Journal of Human Genetics. 25 (4): 493–498. doi:10.1038/ejhg.2016.198 (https://
doi.org/10.1038%2Fejhg.2016.198). ISSN 1018-4813 (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1018-4813). PMC 5386418
(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5386418). PMID 28145430 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubme
d/28145430).
11. Bates, Crispin (1995). "Race, Caste and Tribe in Central India: the early origins of Indian ...anthropomorphize" (ht
tps://books.google.com/books?id=PwNkQgAACAAJ). In Robb, Peter (ed.). The Concept of Race in South Asia.
Delhi: Oxford University Press. p. 233. ISBN 978-0-19-563767-0. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
12. Vahia, M.N.; Halkare, Ganesh (2013). "ASPECTS OF GOND ASTRONOMY". Journal of Astronomical History
and Heritage. 16 (1): 29–44. arXiv:1306.2416 (https://arxiv.org/abs/1306.2416).
13. Vahia, M.N.; Halkare, Ganesh; Menon, Kishore; Calamur, Harini (2014). "THE ASTRONOMY OF TWO INDIAN
TRIBES: THE BANJARAS AND THE KOLAMS". Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage. 17 (1): 65–84.
arXiv:1406.3044 (https://arxiv.org/abs/1406.3044).
14. Murkute, S. R. (1984). Socio-cultural study of Scheduled Tribes (https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=X2gpF5bs
AjUC&pg=PA155). p. 155.
15. "Everyday Cultures/Gonds" (https://www.everyculture.com/wc/Germany-to-Jamaica/Gonds.html).
16. Mehta, B.H. (1990). Gonds of the Central Indian Highlands (https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=wpfUwRl24lgC
&pg=PA118). p. 118. ISBN 9788170222620. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
17. "Gond | people" (https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gond). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
18. Santrock, John W. (2017). Life-Span Development (16th International ed.). McGraw Hill. p. 598.
ISBN 9781259254833.
19. Asuras? No, Just Indians (https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/asuras-no-just-indians/291677), Outlook
India
20. Celebrating Ravan (https://www.thehindu.com/features/magazine/omar-rashid-on-ravan-worship/article7799972.
ece), The Hindu
21. "List of notified Scheduled Tribes" (http://censusindia.gov.in/Tables_Published/SCST/ST%20Lists.pdf) (PDF).
Census India. Retrieved 15 December 2013.
22. Darpan, Pratiyogita (July 2007). "State At A Glance - Uttar Pradesh" (https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=7egD
AAAAMBAJ&pg=PT72). Pratiyogita Darpan. 2 (13): 81.
23. "State wise Scheduled Tribes — Uttar Pradesh" (https://web.archive.org/web/20161123041643/http://tribal.nic.in/
WriteReadData/CMS/Documents/201212010356439267578File1068.pdf) (PDF). Ministry of Tribal Affairs,
Government of India. Archived from the original (http://tribal.nic.in/WriteReadData/CMS/Documents/2012120103
56439267578File1068.pdf) (PDF) on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
24. "A-10 Individual Scheduled Caste Primary Census Abstract Data and its Appendix - Uttar Pradesh" (http://www.c
ensusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/SC_ST/PCA-A10/SC-0900-PCA-A-10-ddw.xlsx). Registrar General &
Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 6 February 2017.

Further reading
The tribal art of middle India - Verrier Elwin - 1951
Savaging the Civilized, Verrier Elwin, His Tribals & India - Ramachandra Guha - The University of Chicago Press
- 1999
Beine, David m. 1994. A sociolinguistic survey of the Gondi-speaking communities of central India. M.A. thesis.
San Diego State University. 516 p.
Banerjee, B. G., and Kiran Bhatia. Tribal Demography of Gonds. Delhi: Gian Pub. House, 1988. ISBN 81-212-
0237-X
Elwin, Verrier. Phulmat of the Hills; A Tale of the Gonds. London: J. Murray, 1937.
Fürer-Haimendorf, Christoph von, and Elizabeth von Fürer-Haimendorf. The Gonds of Andhra Pradesh: Tradition
and Change in an Indian Tribe. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1979. ISBN 0-04-301090-3
Kaufmann, Walter. Songs and Drummings of the Hill Maria, Jhoria Muria and Bastar Muria Gonds. And, the
Musical Instruments of the Marias and Murias. 1950.
Mehta, B. H. Gonds of the Central Indian Highlands: A Study of the Dynamics of Gond Society. New Delhi:
Concept, 1984.
Museum of Mankind, Shelagh Weir, and Hira Lal. The Gonds of Central India; The Material Culture of the Gonds
of Chhindwara District, Madhya Pradesh. London: British Museum, 1973. ISBN 0-7141-1537-1
Pagdi, Setumadhava Rao. Among the Gonds of Adilabad. Bombay: Popular Book Depot, 1952.
Pingle, Urmila, and Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf. Gonds and Their Neighbours: A Study in Genetic Diversity.
Lucknow, India: Ethnographic & Folk Culture Society, 1987.
Sharma, Anima. Tribe in Transition: A Study of Thakur Gonds. India: Mittal Publications, 2005. ISBN 81-7099-
989-8
Singh, Indrajit. The Gondwana and the Gonds. Lucknow, India: The Universal publishers, 1944.
Kangalee, Motiram Chhabiram, Paree Kupar Lingo Gondi Punemi Darshan (In Hindi),Publisher ujjvala society
Nagpur,2011
Vatti, Jalpati,Mava sagaa padeeng, in Gondwana sagaa Patrika published (In Hindi) in October 1986

External links
Gond Tribal Art — Madhya Pradesh (https://web.archive.org/web/20150622220138/http://www.folkpaintingsindia.
com/), archived from the original (http://www.folkpaintingsindia.com/) on 22 June 2015.
Gond Tribal Art — Madhya Pradesh (http://www.artribal.com/).
Sinlung — Indian tribes (http://www.sinlung.com/).
Gond - The History (http://www.gondindia.org/).
« Animating Tribal Art » by Leslie MacKenzie and Tara Douglas with the Pardhan Gond artists (https://www.youtu
be.com/watch?v=KXFqaqHJ8Xk&feature=youtu.be), 8:16
Gond painting 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AK0Lp51j0c), 6:54
This article includes material from the 1995 public domain Library of Congress Country Study on India.

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