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Sunday Reading
New Delhi, 18 May 2009
Tribal Art
HERITAGE UNDER
GRAVE THREAT
By Suraj Saraf
(Tribal art is vibrant
primordial bonanza developed over millennia amid virgin nature. It has often
enriched and reoriented classical art when in doubt, or having run its course
is in search of new currents beyond monotonous repetition and rococo
exhaustion)
Tribal art is, indeed, primordial treasure trove of aesthetics
and culture accumulated over millennia imbibing new elements and motifs from
generation to generation. Classical rhythms draw upon this gold mine, whenever
they had reached a stage of exhaustion and had started depending upon merely re-moulding
or ornamenting the old motifs to conceal its sterility.
When European artistic taste began to doubt the established
canons of art in the 19th century the westerners started looking to
Africa and Asia. In the Indian sub-continent,
the post-colonial identity crisis directed a horde of artists to return to the
native traditions and several of them sought inspiration from tribal art.
Expatiating on the influence of Red Indian art on the modern
American art, an art chronicler underpins: “Richness and diversity of art works
being produced today is more than ample evidence of the innate ability of
traditions to withstand erosion and their extraordinary power to inspire new
currents of creativity and diversity.
A strong supporter of the tribal cause and a Jnanpith and
Magsaysay awards winner for her forceful tribal activism, Mahasweta Devi, points
out, “it is not new for my literature to spring from a fight for the right of
the tribals, who are oppressed and downtrodden…. My social activism is the
driving force of all my literary activities…. Perhaps their stories impart a
narrative immediacy to my language.”
Adivasis and denotified tribes, she adds were civilized in
their own way and instead of looking down upon them, we must try and understand
them. Sadly, “Mainstream India had continually refused to recognize them and
denied them their right to a dignified living even though they have had a very
vibrant culture in the past.”
It is our biased and blinkered outlook that all our cultural
studies have either discarded or marginalized the tribal or folk aspect of
society. We simply bifurcate the culture of a given society as higher and lower
according to the hegemonic notions. Consequently, something which is raw and organic is considered as natural and something
which is in order or disciplined as culture.
We recognize only sophisticated and technically perfect
human activities as significant parameters in the studies on culture. That
means culture has always been considered as that of a limited but sophisticated
set of human beings. What we have been losing by taking such a perspective is a
comprehensive view of the vastness and vividness of the society and its
peculiarities.
Actually the innumerable human activities that shape and
mould every culture or the entire cultural process are more important than the
result of it in realizing the character and structure of a society. Unlike the
polished and well-structured objects created and used by higher strata of
society, the ordinary people have got directness in their conceptions and
creations. Every such object signifies an urgent need or belief. There is, therefore,
an active social participation in the emergence of each image.
Rather than art objects, these objects give us a clear idea
about the culture and sensibilities of the community at large. Considering them
low only reveals the degradation of our own sensibilities. Tribal art is a
spontaneous response to nature and natural events. Ritual plays a major role,
yet it is closely linked to food security, health and survival.
The lack of codified rules makes it colorful, vibrant and
evocative, the natural expression of people that had resulted in some most
wonderful works of art. Little wonder that even the greatest artists like Henry
Moore and Picasso had made use of the tribal idioms. Musician celebrities like
Mozart, Richard Straus or Mahler had also used tribal musical instruments in
their classical performances.
For the past few years some private and official agencies
are organizing exhibitions of the tribal art in Delhi and these objects d’ art are eliciting increasingly
encouraging response. In some States, even museums have also been set up
showcasing the tribal arts and crafts.
These display a riot of colours and relate tales of a
distinct culture that celebrates a community’s proximity to nature.
However, as emphasized by Mahasweta Devi it is essential to
understand the life and culture of the tribals, who are being forgotten in the
mad-race for progress. She strongly recommends orientation programmes in colleges
and universities. However, with the exposure of tribal arts and their getting
increasing acceptance and demand from society, there is a down side. It is getting
doubly threatened. There is exploitation by the middle-men who buy these tribal
creations at throwaway prices and make a fast buck by selling them in cities at
high costs. Worse, their designs and motifs are now being pilfered and
replicated, the benefit of which goes to the unscrupulous pilferers leaving the
tribals high and dry.
Recently, at a workshop by the Action Forum for Manav
Adhikar to educate, empower and create awareness of the rights of tribal
artisans the need for a comprehensive legislation, both by way of the Copyright
Act and the intellectual property rights was stressed. This would safeguard the
tribal heritage and enable them to combat illegal imitation and adaptation of
their work and also to allow them a stronger bargaining position to harness the
economic potential of their talents.
Importantly, due to widespread plagiarism the economic
exploitation of the tribal artisans have reduced them to starvation and forced many
to go to cities to work as unskilled labour merely to survive. In the face of
liberalization and coming in of foreign apparel companies if our tribal
artisans and weavers are not well-versed with their legal rights, there is a
serious threat that they may even be divested of their cultural heritage.
To properly compensate the tribal artisans for their
productions, it is important that attempts should be made to encourage
contemporary use of their arts and crafts to increase their market on the one
hand and provide them their rightful recognition and remuneration on the other.
Sad, but its true--the tribals are treated as invisible
identity, ignoring the directive principles of the Constitution of due
recognition. Worse, the process of patenting of traditional Indian motifs by
foreign companies has already begun under liberalization yet nothing is being
done practically to protect the tribal heritage other than big talk by the
concerned ministry.
However, we should take a cue from what is being done in Australia.
According to a report, the aboriginal tribes are accorded a special place in Australia and
myths, legends and lifestyles that have remained over the millennia are
considered national treasure. Everything is being done by the government to
preserve the ethnic culture in its unadulterated form. Why can’t we? ----INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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