The Hindu : Other States / Madhya Pradesh News : Tribal existence comes alive in a museum

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 10, 2005

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Tribal existence comes alive in a museum

``Depicts the story of humankind in time and space''

BHOPAL: A life-size cross-section of a hut belonging to Gujarat's pastoral Rabari tribe -- complete with cradle, utensils and footwear -- a huge Bhilka `dhol' from Madhya Pradesh's Dhar, ornate Chettiyar doorways and an awesome collection of masks are just a few attractions of `Veethi Sankul', an indoor museum within the sprawling campus of the city-based Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS).

Veethi Sankul was dedicated to the nation on March 22 this year by Union Culture Minister S Jaipal Reddy. An interesting aspect is that it offers limited texts in Braille.

Described as a museum ``depicting the story of humankind in time and space,'' the facility also has a long, ferocious-looking and horned serpent of wood. `Poubi Lai', is associated with Manipur's Paphal lore. It is said that Poubi is a malevolent deity believed to have possessed a malicious spirit that used to threaten to kill the people of Moirang everyday for its meal. The giant spirit was easily tamed and eliminated by an old tantric Kabui Salang Maiba.

``The IGRMS was conceived in two parts -- open air and indoor. Besides human evolution and prehistoric cultures, we have depicted contemporary forms of Indian society. It is a human odyssey where we started from simple societies and even visualised their economic activities,'' Curator Ashok Kumar Tiwari told UNI.

Lifestyles of the buffalo-herding Toda, sheep-tending Rabari and the transhumant Gaddi demonstrate partial freedom from the endless search for food since food sources move along with the semi-nomadic herders.

``We could have just displayed a few Rabari items in glass showcases and on walls but we decided to depict them in the form of a hut's cross-section as that would provide the visitor with a view of the inner life of the tribe, beside the designing and sheer aesthetics of the structure,'' Mr Tiwari adds.

Among the objects on display is the decorated skull of a Kom tribesman from Nagaland's Theusang area. Severed sometime in 1895 by a Konyak youth of Chain, a horn each has been tied on either side of the skull to make a fearsome trophy. Headhunting was abolished by the tribe about a century ago.

The masks collection includes Bhutia specimens from Darjeeling, Buddhist ones from Sikkim, contributions of West Bengal's Rajbansi communities, Baigas and Gonds of Madhya Pradesh and `Chhau' dance masks.

The IGRMS, an autonomous organisation of the Culture ministry, is involved in generating a new museum movement within India to demonstrate ``the simultaneous validity of human cultures and the plurality of alternatives for articulation.'' The Sangrahalaya promotes documentation, research and training for salvage and revitalisation of vanishing yet valuable cultural traditions.

UNI

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Tribal existence comes alive in a museum