Gond tribe
- They are the tribal community mostly found in the Gond forests of the central India.
- They are widely spread in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.
- The name by which the Gonds call themselves is Koi or Koitur which means unclear.
- Gonds are one of the largest tribal groups in the world.
History
- They settled in the Gondwana region from ninth to thirteenth century AD.
- In the fourteen century, they ruled several parts of the central India.
- They had built number of forts, palaces, temples, tanks and lakes during the rule of the Gonds dynasty.
- Gonds have been the warriors since the British period.
- During the British regime in India, Gonds challenged the Britishers in several battles.
Language
- They speak Gondi and Indo-Aryan languages
- The Gondi language belongs to the Dravidian family of languages and is related to Tamil and Kannada.
Religion
- They have been largely influenced by the Hindus.
- For the long time they have been practicing the Hindu culture and traditions.
Festivals
- Their fairs and festivals are influenced from the Hindu traditions.
- Keslapur Jathra is an important festival of the Gonds.
- Madai is another major festival celebrated among the Gonds.
- They also celebrate Hindu festival called Dusshera.
Dance
- Gusadi dance is the most famous dance performed by them.
- It is performed by wearing head gears decorated with the peacock feathers.
- They wear cotton cloth around their waist.
- They smear ash all over their body and the beards made of animal hair is also an important part of the dance costumes.
Section : History & Culture
