Tribal Verse by G N Devy

 

Tribal Verse by G N Devy

Understanding the text

1. Identify the common characteristics shared by tribal communities all over the world.

Answer: Tribal communities around the world share some fascinating characteristics that make them unique. These people live in close-knit groups and have a special way of looking at life. Unlike many modern societies, they don't focus on getting rich or making money. Instead, they believe in a deep connection between nature, humans, and God. Tribal people trust their instincts more than pure logic, and they see their surroundings as sacred rather than just ordinary space. They even experience time differently - in a more personal way rather than by strict clock time.

2. What distinguishes the tribal imagination from the secular imagination?

Answer: The stories told in tribal communities are incredibly imaginative and magical. Unlike our usual stories that follow strict rules, tribal stories are more like dreams where anything is possible. In their tales, you might hear about oceans flying through the sky like birds, mountains swimming like fish, or animals having conversations like humans. These stories don't need to follow normal rules about time and space - they're free to flow in any direction the storyteller chooses.

3. How does G. N. Devy bring out the importance of the oral literary tradition?

Answer: G.N. Devy, who has studied tribal literature extensively, wants us to understand how valuable spoken stories are. Many Indian tribal communities don't write their stories down but pass them on by telling them. He spent years collecting these stories and songs, and was amazed by how many there were and how deeply they affected tribal communities. Even nomadic tribes that travel long distances stay connected through these shared spoken st

ories, called oral epics.

4. List the distinctive features of the tribal arts.

Answer: Tribal art is just as unique as their stories. It often looks dreamlike and doesn't follow strict rules about space or organization. What makes it really special is how it blends into everyday life - there's no clear line between what is art and what isn't. Their paintings might mix traditional images with modern ones, and they don't worry about putting things in any particular order. This freedom makes their art very different from what we usually see in modern society.

5. 'New literature' is a misnomer for the wealth of the Indian literary tradition. How does G. N. Devy explain this?

Answer: Some people mistakenly call tribal literature "new," which is quite funny because it's actually very old! The only new thing is that we're finally starting to pay attention to it. Devy emphasizes that we need to respect tribal languages as complete languages in their own right, not just as dialects of bigger languages. What's particularly impressive is that most tribal people speak at least two languages and are skilled at incorporating outside influences into their own language in complex ways.

Talking about the text

1. ‘It is time to realise that unless we modify the established notion of literature as something written, we will silently witness the decline of various Indian oral traditions.’ 

Literature should no longer be considered as something written. It is necessary that we remind ourselves that any depiction with a meaning, whether written or not, should constitute as literature. A failure to do so, as G.N. Devy said, will lead to a silent decline of Indian oral traditions. The numerous tribes and their oral compositions will be lost in our stubborn attempt to limit literature to something written.

2. ‘Tribal arts are not specifically meant for sale.’ Does this help or hamper their growth and preservation? 

Tribal arts, being non-commercial in purpose, helps in the growth and preservation of tribal arts. They are usually a unique mixture of the sacred and ordinary. They often carry a playful tone, although sacred to a certain extent. In fact, listening to tribal epics can be great fun as heroes are not spared of artist’s humour. The tribal artists do expect a certain amount of patronage from the community, like artists in any other context. But, since those performing rituals are very often artists themselves, there is no element of competition in the patron-artist relationship. The tribal arts are, therefore, relaxed, never tense.

3. Because India’s tribal communities are basically bilingual there is a danger of dismissing their languages as dialects of India’s major tongues. 

Many fail to notice that all of India’s tribal communities are basically bilingual and that all bilingual communities have an innate capacity to assimilate outside influences into their own language. It is indeed a highly evolved mechanism for responding to the non-tribal world. In fact, the tribal oral stories and songs employ bilingualism in such a complex manner that a linguist who is not alert to this complexity often dismiss the tribal languages as dialects of India’s major tongues.

4. While tribal communities may not seem to possess the scientific temper, there are many ideas from tribal conventions that could enrich modern societies.

Although the tribal communities didn’t quite possess the scientific temper, their way of living teaches a lot. Their close relationship with the nature and its offerings is appreciable. They are untouched by the evils of the society that haunt us today. The Kondh tribe for instance do not follow the practice of dowry, instead they fix a price for the bride which the groom pays in cash or kind. Their simple way of living and their proximity with the nature is a lesson for the modern societies.