Indian online contemporary and folk art gallery Deccan Footprints was established in 2012 by Manvee Vaid with the aim of sharing the work of Indian contemporary and folk artists directly with the world, cutting out the need Bhil painting for physical gallery space. For Folk Ark’s purposes, Manvee’s collection of folk art works by Bhil, Gond, Madhubani, Patua and Warli people is of most interest, and is what you’ll see on Deccan Footprints’ profile page. From their website, some fascinating explanations of the locations and differing tribal traditions of these cultures are below. Welcome Deccan Footprints!
BHIL
Pithora Horses
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The Bhils are the second largest tribal community of India residing in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Some of the Bhils trace their ancestry to Eklavya, who was more skilled as an archer than Arjuna, the hero of Mahabharata. Some scholars have said that Valmiki, who chronicled the Ramayana was actually a Bhil, Valia.
The rich cultural tradition of the Bhils are manifested in their rituals, their songs and dances, their community deities, tattoos, myths, community art and lore. Everything connected with the Bhil life is painted — the Sun, the Moon, the animals, trees, insects, rivers, fields, mythological figures, and their gods. The Bhils, like all adivasis, live close to nature.
GOND
View fullsizeTiger
View fullsizeHerd of Deer
View fullsizeMonkeys on a Tree
The Gonds are the largest Adivasi Community in India and are Dravidians whose origins can be traced to the pre-Aryan era. They are mainly found in Madhya Pradesh and its surrounding States. The word Gond comes from Kond, which means green mountains in the Dravidian idiom. The Gond called themselves Koi or Koiture.Their language is related to Telegu and other Dravidian languages. About half of Gonds speak Gondi languages, while the rest speak Indo-Aryan languages including Hindi.
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