Adivasi Community

The Adivasi Community

The Adivasis live in small clusters of houses known as falyas, pada, or vasti. They are often located near a water source. In most cases the falyas are inhabited by people derived from one or more families. The adivasis, in spite of living scattered in vast areas, have a strong sense of community. People help each other in times of need freely and without being asked. Labour is often carried out in communal ways. All members of a village come together to help to construct a house or to dig a well. No wage is paid. The adivasis often exchange field labour among themselves. Generally there is a collective meeting place for each village where dances and religious ceremonies are held. Each village has a well defined land boundary. A village committee is generally in charge in each village to enforce the rules of the community, organize festivals and rites, and settle disputes. The village commitee consists of the leading members of each family, it chooses the village chief who is generally the most capable and intelligent man in the village. In most cases, each adivasi group has its community identity, evidenced by the community dialect, the way they dress, the worshipping of the community deities. Annual pilgramages are done to various shrines. The adivasis refuse to allow their belief and practices to be unduly influenced by those of non adivasis. This way they did not accept Hindu Brahmans and Brahmanic rites. In contrast to Brahmanical belief the adivasis have a strong sense of equity. There is practically no difference between the well off and the poor ones, all live in houses made of wood-mud and thatch or tiles. It is believed that any outward show of wealth invites bad luck for the ostentaeous family. It is a disgrace for the community as a whole if any of its members were obviously poorer than the rest. There are no beggars among the adivasis. The elders generally are provided with food and clothing. The less prosperous of the village are treated with respect and sympathy. Employer and employee work together, eat together and dress almost the same.