Bhil: Tribe of India

 Bhil: Tribe of India 

(Image representing geographical wise distribution of population of Bhil tribe)

(Source: https://joshuaproject.net/)

(Image representing Bhil Tribe of India)

(Source: https://vishnuias.com/bhil-tribe-and-their-demand-for-separate-state/)

(Image representing Bhil Tribe)

(Source: https://www.gujaratexpert.com/blog/tribes-of-gujarat/)

They are considered an Adivasi ethnic group present in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh- all located in the Western Deccan regions and Central India along with Tripura in the far-eastern India. The term 'Bhil' refers to several ethnic communities living in the forest and hills of Rajasthan's southern parts and surrounding regions of western India, indicating the popularity of bow and arrow as a weapon among these groups. The language commonly spoken by them throughout their geographic distribution is Bhili which has upto 36 identified dialects and is considered a blend of Gujarati and Marathi, the two major languages in their region.

(Image representing the clothing and jewellery women by women of Bhil Tribe)

(Source: http://traditionalclothingindia.blogspot.com)

Bhils have a unique and rich culture. The sub-division of Bhilala is known for its Pithora painting. Ghoomar, the traditional folk dance of Bhil Tribe, is a symbol of womanhood wherein young girls take part in this dance and declare that they are stepping into the shoes of women. These people have extreme and staunch faith in superstitious beliefs as well as Bhopas for their mental, physical and psychological treatments. For Instance: They believe in omens as well as the evil eye. They wear charms and amulets for protection from ghosts, evil spirits and witches. Individuals and women suspected of sorcery, witchcraft or magic are identified by a shaman.

(Image representing a group women belonging to Bhil Tribe dancing)

(Source: https://www.rajras.in/rajasthan/tribes/)

(Image representing a group of men dancing during festival times)

(Source:https://www.shaan.academy/blog/indias-tribal-communities-the-bhil-tribe-of-gujarat)

Marriage among the Bhil Tribes occurs between the age of 16 to 21 years. The eve of the marriage ceremony is marked by dancing, feasting, singing and drinking. The marriage proposals generally come from the suitor or his family rather than from the girl's father. Polygamy, the custom of having more than one wife is acceptable especially if the first wife is barren or too ill to handle the house. Moreover, widow remarriage is permitted with the deceased husband's younger brother being the most desirable partner. Divorce, is allowed but can only be initiated by the husband.

(Image representing a group of women participating in the annual fair of the Bhil Tribe)

(Source: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-india-rajasthan-state-baneshwar-the-annual-fair-of-bhil-tribes-is-87255760.html)

The traditional dresses of men include Angarkha, Pagri, Gamchha and Dhoti, Long frock and pyjamas whereas women wear Sari and Ghagra Choli. The ornaments wore by men are Chain, Earrings, Kada and Bajuband. On the other hand, women wear hansli, bangle, ring, Zele-Zumke, nose-jewel and many more. Tattooing is a traditional custom among them. They generally put on heavy ornaments made of brass and silver along with rosaries of beads.

(Image representing the traditional dress for Men in Bhil Tribe)

(Source: http://traditionalclothingindia.blogspot.com/2014/07/tribal-dress-and-jewellery-of-rajasthan.html)

(Image representing the traditional dress for women in Bhil Tribe)

(Source: https://www.dreamstime.com/editorial-photo-traditional-dress-bhil-tribals-haat-festival-tribal-you-can-also-see-some-people-their-dresses-ornaments-males-play-image82699991)

The Bhil were originally gatherers and hunters. They subsisted by hunting foxes, deer, rabbits, birds, wild pigs and rodents. After switching towards agriculture, they adopted the slash and burn techniques of shifting cultivation. This tribe is strongly addicted towards the use of tobacco and alcohol, making liquor from the flower of the mahua tree or the bark of babul.

(Image representing a group of people going on hunt)

 

(Source:https://www.hinduhumanrights.info/the-bhils-saga-of-the-most-famous-hindu-tribal-warriors/)

The staple foods include millet, onion, garlic, barley, pulses, maize such as chickpeas, lentils and vegetables. They keep self-made bows and arrows, swords, knives, axes etc with them as weapons for self defence as well as hunting the wild fauna which forms a major part of their diet.

(Image representing farming done by people belonging to Bhil Tribe)

(Source: https://www.alamy.com/ and https://asiatimes.com/2018/02/indias-bhil-tribe-struggles-cope-modernization/)

Almost all Bhil practice ethnic religions that have been highly influenced by Hinduism. Each village has its own local deity (Gramdev) and families have their Jatidev, Kuldev and Kuldevi (household deity) symbolised by stones. They accept Shiva as their Supreme God and worship their deceased ancestors.  Most of them worship local deities like Khandoba, Kanhoba, Bahiroba, Sitalmata and Tiger God Vaghdev. 'Bhati Dev' and 'Bhilat Dev' are their serpent-god, Baba-dev is their village god, Karkulia dev their crop god and many more. Some of the other gods include Indel dev, Mahadevel, Tejaji and Lotha mai.

(Image representing God being worshipped)

(Source: https://www.alamy.com/tribal-deities-madhya-pradesh-india-bhil-tribe-image64828650.html)

The chief means of their recreation are Folk songs and dances. Their dances include Lathi dance, Dhol dance, Bhagoria Dance and Deepawal dance. The musical instruments used basically consists of harmonium, sarangi, flute, tabla, jhanjh, mandal and thali which are usually made from local products. They also observe the Hindu festivals of Holi, Dussehra and Diwali. For Instance, Holi the spring festival of India is marked by burning of bonfires and throwing of coloured water. Bhil in the state of Chhatisgarh celebrate the Bhagoriya Festival, a festival that occurs a week before Holi when lovers are officially given permission to elope. A male applies gulal (coloured powder) to the head of a girl he likes and if she reciprocates, the couple is at complete liberty. The marriage is formally consecrated at a later date. This tribe also celebrates traditional festivals like Akhatij, Sawan mata ki jatar, Diwasa, Dhobi, Sanja, Doha etc.

Lets have a meme to make this much more interesting

Le singles after knowing about the Bhagoriya Festival wherein people are getting married by officialy getting permission to elope

The Indian Constitution designated the Bhils as Scheduled Tribe, one of the groups identified as needing special representation and assistance in India after securing Independence in India from the British Rule. At present, the Bhils remain a disadvantaged community with high levels of poverty, illiteracy and several other social problems. Moreover, despite the availability of state-supported schools and government-sponsored programmes for the Scheduled Tribes, educational achievement and literacy levels among the Bhils are low, with literacy rate being at 6.6% (For women it is less than 1%). Most Bhils are farmers. However, with the pressure of uneconomic land holdings, subsistence agriculture, burden of debt and frequent debt have forced many Bhils to leave the land and switch to other occupations. Furthermore, the tribals of Bhil continue to remain socially and economically disadvantaged especially in the areas of sericulture, agriculture and education despite repeated efforts by the union and state governments to promote development.

Well, I hope you guys must have learnt a lot by learning about the Bhil Tribe. Just to clarify that all the gifs and memes posted on the blog are meant for entertainment purpose and does not intend to disrespect any person, tribe, community or religion. Keep following me for more such valuable content.

(Le the writer after recieving immense appreciation from the audience for his blogs😎✌)

(In the form of Taarak Mehta ka ooltah Chashmah gifs 😍)

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