Verrier Elwin Research Articles

Book Review: Din-Sevak: Verrier Elwin's Life of Service in Tribal India

Book Review: Din-Sevak: Verrier Elwin's Life of Service in Tribal India

Life among Indian Tribes: The Autobiography of an Anthropologist. By Christoph Von Fürer-Haimendorf. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1990. x, 186 pp. Rs. 190.00. - Philanthropologist, Selected Writings. By Verrier Elwin; edited by Nari Rustomji. New Delhi: Oxford University Press [North-Eastern Hill University Publications], 1989. xiii, 385 pp. Rs. 275.00.

Life among Indian Tribes: The Autobiography of an Anthropologist. By Christoph Von Fürer-Haimendorf. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1990. x, 186 pp. Rs. 190.00. - Philanthropologist, Selected Writings. By Verrier Elwin; edited by Nari Rustomji. New Delhi: Oxford University Press [North-Eastern Hill University Publications], 1989. xiii, 385 pp. Rs. 275.00.

Canadian Ethnology Today: Solitudes and Shifts

is still waiting for a comprehensive work which would place the social and economic life of the Rai on record and clarify their present position in the changing scene of Nepal. Such a publication would also be of interest and value to the Government of Nepal, and thus prove that the work of anthropologists deserves support as a contribution to the planning of tribal development. At a time when some countries of the third world close their doors to Western scholars, anthropologists would be well advised to consider the usefulness of their studies to the Government authorities on whose good will they inevitably depend. Verrier Elwin's life-work was an impressive example of such usefulness, which earned him the recognition of the Government of India and qualified him for a key position in the administration of NEFA. Admittedly the prospects for the employment of anthropologists in such posts are not as good as they used to be, but for those interested in practical work there is still scope in organizations such as Oxfam, Christian Aid, UNICEF, FAO and projects sponsored by the Ford Foundation. In Nepal alone, several anthropologists recently obtained employment in foreign aid schemes, and it may well be that by utilizing anthropological skills and experience in the pursuit of practical tasks they may emulate the achievements of Verrier Elwin.

Verrier Elwin: A Pioneer Indian Anthropologist

Verrier Elwin: A Pioneer Indian Anthropologist

Verrier Elwin's Field Methods and Fieldwork in Inia:d An Appraisal

Verrier Elwin's Field Methods and Fieldwork in Inia:d An Appraisal

Book Reviews

IRISH FOLK DRAMA. By ALAN GAILEY. The Mercier Press, Cork, 1969. Pp. 104. 8s. 6d. Reviewed by Alex Helm. THE GROWTH OF LITERATURE. By H. Memo CHADWICK AND N. KERSHAW CHADWICK. Cambridge University Press 1932. (Reprinted 1968.) 3 vols. Vol I £5 Vol II £6 Vol III £6 10s. Reviewed by A. C. Percival. A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF UKRAINIAN FOLKLORE IN CANADA, 1902–64. Compiled by ROBERT B. KLYMASZ. Ottawa, Ontario: The Queen's Printer, 1969. ‘Anthropology Papers: The National Museum of Canada No. 21.’ Pp. vi + 53, preface, summary. Reviewed by Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett. THE ANGAMI NAGAS. By J. H. HUTTON. Oxford University Press, 1969. Pp. 499. Rs. 40. Reviewed by E. O. James. ANTHROPOLOGY AND ARCHAEOLOGY, Essays in Commemoration of Verrier Elwin. Edited by M. C. PRADHAN, R. D. SINGH, P. K. MISRA, D. B. SASTRY, Oxford University Press, 1969. Pp. 328. 69s. Reviewed by E. O. James. LORE AND LANGUAGE: The Journal of the Sheffield Survey of Language & Folklore. No. 1, July, 1969. Edited by J. D. A. Widdowson. Department of English Language, University of Sheffield. 2S.6d. Reviewed by Theo Brown. CHILDREN'S GAMES IN STREET AND PLAYGROUND. IONA and PETER OPIE. Oxford, 1969. Pp. xxvi. 343 p. 40s. Reviewed by A. W. Smith. BEITRÄGE ZUR DEUTSCHEN VOLKS- UND ALTERTUMSKUNDE, vol. 13. Hamburg (Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte), 1969. Pp. 140, Plates 5. Reviewed by Ellen Ettlinger. A SOCIAL HISTORY OF TRADITIONAL SONG. By REGINALD NETTEL. (First Published in 1954 under the title Sing a Song of England, ‘Documents of Social History’ Series, Editor Anthony Adams.) Adam and Dart, Phoenix House, London 1969. Musical illustrations, index. Pp. 182. Reviewed by Lucile Armstrong. SONG, DANCE AND POETRY OF THE COURT OF SCOTLAND UNDER KING JAMES VI. By HELENA MENNIE SHIRE, with musical illustrations of Court-song edited by Kenneth Elliott, Cambridge, at the University Press, 1969. Pp. xii, 286. Plates, Map, Bibliography. £6. Reviewed by Margaret Dean-Smith. LA CONTREDANSE ET LES RENOUVELLEMENTS DE LA DANSE FRANÇAISE — JEAN MICHEL GUILCHER. Paris, 1969. Reviewed by Violet Alford. FENLAND MEMORIES, By ARTHUR RANDELL. Edited by Enid Porter. Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1969. Pp. 108. Plates 14. 218. Reviewed by Theo Brown.

One Man and his Times VerrierElwin, The Tribal World of Verrier Elwin: An Autobiography. Oxford University Press, Indian Branch, Bombay, 1964, 356 pages.

One Man and his Times VerrierElwin, The Tribal World of Verrier Elwin: An Autobiography. Oxford University Press, Indian Branch, Bombay, 1964, 356 pages.

A Note on The Question of Dress for The Tribals: (With an apology to Dr. Verrier Elwin.)

A Note on The Question of Dress for The Tribals: (With an apology to Dr. Verrier Elwin.)

India's North-East Frontier. Edited by Verrier Elwin. 9 × 5¾. pp. xxxii + 473. (Oxford University Press, 1959). 50s.

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Verrier Elwin (ed.): India's northeast frontier in the nineteenth century. xxxii, 473 pp., 8 plates, map [on endpapers]. Bombay, London, etc.: Oxford University Press, Indian Branch, 1959. 50s.

Verrier Elwin (ed.): India's northeast frontier in the nineteenth century. xxxii, 473 pp., 8 plates, map [on endpapers]. Bombay, London, etc.: Oxford University Press, Indian Branch, 1959. 50s. - Volume 23 Issue 3

: India's North-East Frontier in the Nineteenth Century . Verrier Elwin.

American AnthropologistVolume 62, Issue 5 p. 894-896 Free Access GENERAL: India's North-east Frontier in the Nineteenth Century. Verrier Elwin Gordon T. Bowles, Gordon T. Bowles Columbia UniversitySearch for more papers by this author Gordon T. Bowles, Gordon T. Bowles Columbia UniversitySearch for more papers by this author First published: October 1960 https://doi.org/10.1525/aa.1960.62.5.02a00170AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article. Volume62, Issue5October 1960Pages 894-896 RelatedInformation

Verrier Elwin: Myths of the North-East Frontier of India, xxii, 448 pp. Shillong: North-East Frontier Agency, [1958]. Rs. 10.

Verrier Elwin: Myths of the North-East Frontier of India, xxii, 448 pp. Shillong: North-East Frontier Agency, [1958]. Rs. 10.

: The Tribal Art of Middle India . Verrier Elwin. ; The Art of India Through the Ages . Stella Kramrisch. ; India: Paintings from Ajanta Caves .

Book reviewed in this article: PRIMITIVE ART: The Tribal Art of Middle India. Verrier Elwin PRIMITIVE ART: The Art of India Through the Ages. Stella Kramrisch PRIMITIVE ART: India: Paintings from Ajanta Caves. Preface by Jawaharlal Nehru and Introduction by Madanjeet Singh

The Muria and their Ghetul

DR. VERHIER ELWIN'S very substantial volume “does not profess to be a study of Murie culture as a whole", but it is, in fact, an exhausture monograph on the Muria Gond tribe of Basts State in east central India, approached, and very advantageously indeed, through the medium of one of their most individual institutions, that of the ghotul. The ghotul is the young people's dormitory ; but its use is not restricted, as in so many tribes (for this institution is very widespread), to males only. Among the Muria, children of both sexes start sleeping in the ghotul at an early age, and they are not segregated there. There seem to be two types of ghotul, one in which each individual has his or her allotted partner to whom fidelity is due during the continuance of life in the ghotul, which lasts until marriage ; in the other type, permanent or semipermanent attachment to an individual is banned, and though some of the officers of the institution may have quasi-permanent partners, the sleeping partners of the rank and file are decided for them and varied systematically every few days. Elwin regards this type as a modern variation from the one in which partnerships are expected to be continuing, but it seems possible to the reviewer that it is more likely to be a partial reversion to the less regulated promiscuity of an older pattern which had been changed gradually into the type with permanent partnerships. The Muria and their Ghetul By Verrier Elwin. Pp. xxix + 730 + 151 plates. (London: Oxford University Press, 1947.) 42s. net.

Folk-Tales of Mahakoshal

DR. VERRIER ELWIN has rendered a great service to anthropology in his monographs upon the peoples of the Central Provinces. In this volume he sets out to “preserve for English-speaking readers specimens of their oral literature”. The phrase is not very happy. His purpose is scientific, for he censures certain works as being “published purely for entertainment”. Yet he admits that he has published this volume without reference to Thompson's “Motif -index of Folk-Literature”. It is therefore not surprising that the reader finds his chapter-headings hard to follow. For example, “the boy whose brother was a bull” theme appears both under “The Quest for Love and Treasure” and “The 'Magic Articles' Motif”. Moreover, Dr. Elwin does not attempt to distinguish between the basic folk-tales of the several peoples he reports and the ancient and very highly finished wares of India's professional story-tellers. There are several traces of the purely literary and foreign Persian “Sad Hikayat” among these stories. Folk-Tales of Mahakoshal By Dr. Verrier Elwin. (Specimens of the Oral Literature of Middle India: Published for “Man in India”.) Pp. xxv + 523. (London: Oxford University Press, 1944.) 25s. net.

Folk-songs of Chattisgarh. By Verrier Elwin, with a Comment by W. G. Archer. 8½ × 5½, pp. lxi–466. Oxford University Press, 1946. Rs. 15.

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: Folk Tales of Mahakoshal . Verrier Elwin.

American AnthropologistVolume 48, Issue 4 p. 640-642 Free Access Folk Tales of Mahakoshal. Verrier Elwin Dorothy M. Spencer, Dorothy M. Spencer Washington, D. C.Search for more papers by this author Dorothy M. Spencer, Dorothy M. Spencer Washington, D. C.Search for more papers by this author First published: October‐December 1946 https://doi.org/10.1525/aa.1946.48.4.02a00160AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume48, Issue4October‐December 1946Pages 640-642 RelatedInformation

Reviews

East is West. By Freya Stark. Pp. 213. John Murray, 12s. 6d. Irrigation in Iraq : its History and Development. By Ahmed Sousa, B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D. The New Publishers, Iraq. Luzac and Co. 1945. 54 pp. 8d. The Hindiyah Barrage: its History, Design and Function. By Ahmed Sousa, B.Sc., M.A., Ph.D., Irrigation Engineer, Irrigation Directorate‐General. Government Press, Baghdad. 1945. Xv and 99 pp.; 17 maps. Ikhwan us‐Safa. Dr. Phil. Omar A. Farrukh. Beirut. 1945. (Arabic text.) lbn Bajja (Avempace) and the Philosophy in the Moslem West. Dr. Phil. Omar A. Farrukh. Beirut. 1945. (Arabic text.) A Complete English‐Turkish Dictionary. By K. M. Vasif Okcugil. The Geography of World Air Transport. By J. Parker van Zandt. Published by the Brookings Institution. Faber and Faber, London. 5s. Morning Will Come. By Gordon Waterfield. Published by John Murray. Pp. 194; 31 illustrations. The Future of India. By Penderel Moon. Pilot Press. 5s.. Maria Murder and Suicide. By Verrier Elwin. Oxford University Press, Bombay. Beyond the Chindwin. By Bernard Fergusson. Collins. 10s. 6d. Burma Pamphlets: No. 4 Burma Rice, 32 pp. No. 5, The Forests of Burma, by F. T. Morehead, 67 pp. No. 6, The Hill Peoples of Burma, by H. N. C. Stevenson, 50 pp. Illustrations and sketch maps. Luzac and Co. 6d. each. Beyond the Burma Road. By Alan Houghton Brodrick. Published by Hutchinson. 16s. England and the English. Amin Mumayiz. Baghdad. 1944. (Arabic text.)

: Maria Murder and Suicide . Verrier Elwin.

American AnthropologistVolume 47, Issue 1 p. 163-164 Free Access ASIA: Maria Murder and Suicide. Verrier Elwin M. B. Emeneau, M. B. Emeneau University of CaliforniaSearch for more papers by this author M. B. Emeneau, M. B. Emeneau University of CaliforniaSearch for more papers by this author First published: January‐March 1945 https://doi.org/10.1525/aa.1945.47.1.02a00170AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article. Volume47, Issue1January‐March 1945Pages 163-164 RelatedInformation

FOLK-SONGS OF THE GOND AND BAIGA

THE TRIBES OF THE GOND AND BAIGA live in the Maikal Hills at the eastern end of the Satpura Mountains in Central India. Gonds, or the hill tribes who took refuge in the mountains and fastnesses from the invaders of the country, are the original inhabitants of the country, and, till recently, retained all their primeval habits of barbarism. They have now adopted a form of Hinduism, but they retain many of their ancient customs, and abstain from no flesh except that of the ox, cow, and bull. (Encyclopaedia Britannica, Ninth Ed., Vol. X, p. 770.) Thanks to Mr. Verrier Elwin, who lives among the Gond and who has dedicated his life to their service, I have had the opportunity of recording and taking down thirty-two typical Gond melodies. I am presenting these here not only because they may prove valuable from the musicological point of view but also because I believe that for the Gond, and many other aboriginal tribes of India, song and dance provide the only surviving forms of culture. If acquaintance with these songs proves sufficiently interesting to induce some readers to seek more information about these people and their poetry, I suggest that they consult Verrier Elwin's book Baiga, published by John Murray, London, I939. Each Gond melody is sung to several sets of verses-that is, a melody is sung to one set of verses at one time and to quite a different set of verses at another. The basic melody remains the same, but in a particular combination we may find four notes in a measure while in another there may be three or five or any other number-as many as the syllables of the different verses require. In a few instances I am able to present two out of many versions of a song, but in most I offer only one version since the variants produced by the different verses are of no special importance. Each of these songs is repeated over and over again, and a complete performance consumes considerable time. 280