The document outlines a collaborative project focusing on the documentation and preservation of the Gond culture, including their language, rituals, festivals, and medicinal practices. It highlights the creation of a Gond dictionary, the unique ceremonies they perform, and the structure of their clans, as well as the impact of mainstream culture on their traditions. Future goals include establishing a digital archive and optimizing information dissemination within the Gond community.

1. NFSC and JATAN

3. Our Collaborators J A T A N trust Baba Maya ram Nagendra Satyendra Mahesh Bhai

4. Content Documentation Archives Dissemination of Information

6. Documentation Focus Villages visited and people met Rituals and ceremonies

8. Focus Gond Dictionary Rice goddess Folktales and Folk songs surrounding the medicinal plants Paintings and Metal crafts of Gond Festivals Clan structure

9. Gond Dictionary The Gond dictionary – G.C. Trench The myth about the origins of Gondi language Relationship between Gondi and Dravidian languages Origin of the script Gondi language relationship with Indus script

10. Gond Dictionary MYTH ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF GONDI LANGUAGE The story of Kupar and Sambhu Mahadeva The words are created by vocalizing the notes created from the drum The first formed word is about his self existence and he addresses himself by the pronoun “ANA” meaning “I”

11. Gond Dictionary RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GONDI AND DRAVIDIAN LANGUAGE Numbers One - Undi - Onnu Two - Rand - Irandu Three - Mund - Moonru Four - Nalung - Naalu

12. Gond Dictionary ORIGIN OF THE GONDI SCRIPT It is based on the Ashokan Brahmi script which dates back to third century B.C Relationship between Gondi and Indus script

13. Gondi script

14. Medicinal Plants Folk tales and folk songs around the medicinal plants A farm with 300 varieties of medicinal plants near Pipariya

15. Paintings and metal crafts of Gond

16. Festivals They celebrate atleast 23 festivals which are unique to Gonds. They differ from the mainstream Hindu celebration in many ways. (eg) They celebrate Dasshera not to celebrate the victory of Ram but be worried about the demise of Ravan. Our collaborators are documenting a festival called Gond Madai right now.

17. Clan structure There are 106 Gothras There are 12 main gods Each Gothra is having a separate totem symbol of plants and animals to which they do not any harm

19. Villages visited and people met Palia Pipariya Dokhri Kheda, Anhoni, Khurshikappa, Singanama, Matkuli Andhra Junheta Kodiya Khumkal, Dobighat,Arra Dongri, Akiya Panchayat P.S. Uike Shanti Raj Khusre Manmohan Batti Queen Raj Shri Dr. Motiravan Kangali Prof. Vijay Dua Payodhi Kallu Uike and Narendra Uike

20. Part of M.P map

21. Palia Pipariya

22. Anhoni, Dokhri keda, Khurshikappa, Matkuli, Singanama

23. Andhra

24. Junheta

25. Kodiya

26. Arra Dongri, Aakiya Panchayat,Dobighat, Kumkal

27. P.S.Uike

28. Manmohan Batti

29. Queen Raj Shree

30. Dr. Motiravan Kangali

32. Rituals and ceremonies FUNERAL Ceremony on the day of death Third day ceremony Tenth day ceremony TONSURING Sixth day ceremony after birth

33. Rituals and ceremonies UNIQUE TO GONDI CULTURE They go around the fire in anticlockwise direction There is no separate community to do the funeral work The son lights the fire at the foot with the smouldering dung cake brought from the house by walking backwards and setting fire As the pyre is on fire sickle and axe is thrown into the fire. Here only axe’s handle is thrown into the fire

34. Rituals and ceremonies UNIQUE TO GONDI CULTURE On the way back home the master of ceremonies breaks a branch from cherwa or bor tree and place it across the way leading into the village. Then he steps over and walks towards the village. Other men follow.

35. Rituals and ceremonies UNIQUE TO GONDI CULTURE A few yards from the house the master of ceremonies with the toes of the left foot picks up the pebble.Without bending down he lifts his foot till his hand can reach the pebble. Then without turning around he hands it to the next man walking behind.The stone is passed from one man to another till the last person and its thrown over his shoulders backwards.

36. Rituals and ceremonies UNIQUE TO GONDI CULTURE When they return home from cremation ground they place a light in the middle of the courtyardd. Then a flour is spread on the ground infrontof the light and covered with a new basket upside down.then the people go for a smoke/liquorand when they come backif they see disturbance of the pile of flour then they decide that the life spirit of the deceased had returned.

37. Rituals and ceremonies INFLUENZES FROM THE MAINSTREAM CULTURE In former times people were only buried. After getting in touch with Hindu customs people are burned. No Brahmin priest presides over the ritual and ceremonies in older times.

39. Archives Writing down the day to day report on the data notebook software Collection of photographs, audio and video files on the computer Writing logins for the collected data in English Creating wordlist in language explorer using the available dictionary Uploading the collected information on the wiki

40. Data Notebook

41. Language Explorer

43. Things to be done in Future Establishing the digital community archive in Kodiya village or Aakiya panchayat and continue the research. Writing down the logins in native language and transliterate Dissemination of information in the archives to the community members through unique system of search Rearranging the structure of the archives according to the world view of the people using language as a tool.