- "a warli world view"- documenting cultural heritage

WARLI WORLD VIEWA DIGITAL DOCUMENTATION

INTACH – DAHANU CHAPTER

DAHANU, MAHARASHTRA

By Phiroza Tafti

Convenor, INTACH - Dahanu Chapter

CULTURAL HERITAGE and TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE

Warli Art is their language to communicate in story form about their lives

Warli Art shows their relationship with life

Celebration with dance in an open circle shows the cycle of life and death

Warli paintings always show creaturesand portray their respect for nature

Hunters and Gatherers Cultivators

Originally a forest community

Now do sustenance farming

Warli ‘padas’ built around a well at the edge of the forest

Warli huts made from natural materials

Original huts with fibre thatched roof

Sturdy shelters made from reeds

Warlis have practiced and preserved traditions of the early agriculturists

The “rab” practice of burning leaves kills the seeds of the weeds Ploughing with the wooden “hal”

A Warli Family - Janu the painter

Warli artists can afford ‘pakka’ homes

Janu at work – an inborn talent

Warlis working as farm labourers

Warlis demonstrating their traditions

The traditional TARPA dance & Rangoli

The TARPA dance today

“Waghiya” temples and totem poles of wood or stone to communicate with spirits and dieties

Sustainable living is part of Warli philosophy

Warlis live off the land- ingenious fishing nets built on rivers

No stream is too small to catch their dinner- main source of protein

Warli paintings as murals adorning walls- telling the story of their customs

‘Lagna Chowk’ replete with symbols Murals tell their life stories

Supplementary Income

Selling of Stalks

The Local Market

Mat Making

Pottery

Toddy Tapping

Filming on location – daily life of artists

Interacting with students who learn from first hand observation

Sensitizing the students as to the background of this unique community

Exploring the surroundings to get a feel of the rural setting

Hands-on Experiential learning

Visiting villages and becoming curious

Getting the feel of local practices

Students documenting for project reports- a different perspective

Thoughtful recording of events and experiencesInformal observation and asking the kids point

of view

Educational initiatives – digital documentation with a broader context

Respecting the “Bhagat” or religious medium at the sacred grove site

Interviewing the locals to their personal feelings on changing scenarios

A picture explains customs in vivid detail

Women sit in groups to mourn a deathA family walk to and fro daily to the fields with

cattle and kids

Changing practices and transitions…..

Home deliveries with a mid wife Girls being sent to school

Marriage rituals rooted in tradition

The ‘bhagat’ doing the puja

Marriage procession- modern style

Vibrant living Traditions

The backless ‘choli’ and the 9-yard sari

Sacred Groves - worshipping stones to communicate with

spirits via a “Bhagat”

Warlis are an indigenous people with their own beliefs, customs and traditions

Warlis live in tune with nature

WARLI Tribal culture is a heritage too precious to be lost.

Let us Archive it!