Post on 06-Feb-2023
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Chapter 4
Folktales of Gamit Community
‘Narration is ageless’ says Linda Degh. Giving detail explanation of this folklore
genre she observes, ‘The impulse to tell a story and need to listen to it have made
narrative the natural companion of mankind throughout the history and civilization.
Stories are able to adapt themselves to any local and social climate. According to the
concepts of the Grimms and their disciples, folktales are the late relics of the ancient
mythology of the Indo-Germans, and the myths of gods and heroes can be reconstructed
from these fragmentary mosaics. Because of their oral existence, narrative genres float in
an unlimited variants around a limited number of plots. Like novels and short stories,
their sophisticated counterparts, Folktales are told primarily for entertainment although
they may have secondary purposes’ (53).
The first documentation of Gamit folktales recorded is by Colonial administrator
George A. Grierson in his monumental study of Indian languages, Linguistic Survey of
India. Grierson has given the sample of Gamit language through a folktale, ‘The Prodigal
Son’ that he collected from Olpad region in Surat district, (Volume IX, Part-III). The last
two decades of twentieth century marked the rise in the field of study of tribal and border
languages. Institutions like Sahitya Akademi, Central Institute of Indian Languages
(CIIL), Bhasha Research and Publication Centre, Vadodara and Adivasi Academy
Tejgadh have contributed remarkably for documentation, conservation and propagation
of tribal oral literature. Launched towards the end of 20th century, collection and
compilation of tribal oral literature have been undertaken by many non-native and native
writers as well as by the researchers. Wellknown folklorist of Gujarat Kanjibhai Patel has
published folktales of Adivasis entitled Goth (1996). Father Raymond Chauhan has
documented nineteen Gamit folktales in Gamit Dantkathao (2002), which also formed
the part of M. A. degree programme for the students of Gujarati literature in Veer
Narmad South Gujarat University, Surat.
Thirteen folktales included in this chapter have been collected from Vansda taluka
of Navasari district, where the Gamit population is dense. Variants of these tales are
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found in Indian regional languages and also across the world. These tales possess rich
aesthetic value and bring about the tribal psyche. Most of the tales have supernatural
element. All these tales are M�̈rchen type, as no myth known to be collected in Gamit
language. Most of the tales have animal characters but these tales can not be categorized
into fables. Animals, birds, vegetation, hills and river play important roles in these tales
as tribal psyche does not discriminate between the animated and inanimated phenomena.
Most of the tales included here are the amalgamation of narratives and songs. Gamit
word for the tale is ‘Goth’ which seems to be derived from Marathi ‘Gosht ‘. Goth also
means ‘to communicate’ and ‘to bring together ‘in Gamit dialect.
Culture Bearer (Somliben Gamit)
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Table 4 INDEX OF THE TALES
NO TITLE IN GAMIT ENGLISH TITLE CHARACTERS
1. Koo-a-lo ne Teen Ba-a-
hinyo Crab and Three Sisters Animal, Human
2. Men- hout Mynah Bird, Deity,
Human,
3. Khaira Khunt Katechu Tree Human , Tree
4. Pavari Ba-a hin Flute Sister Human
5. Dollo Anklet Animal, Human
6. Kovalan Pumpkin Husband Human , Fruit
7. Pasali Step –Mother Human
8. Pado Magical Buffalo Human,Deity,
animal
9. Ahali Mor Peacock – Husband Bird , Human
10. Baglo – Lavandi Crane and the Princess Bird , Human
11. Kavalan Fulan Lotus Flower Human , Flower
12. Ventyo Dwarf Human
13. Panoti Panoti Human
1. KOOALO NE TEEN BA-A-HINYO (Gamit Transcription)
Ek gaanvamain ek doho rav ato. To ek dihi jadie main lakde la geeyo. Dohe te
lakda ba-a bandyo baki tyal ba a j nay uchkay. Doho te bamla mandy, “e….kada ba-a
chadava yeja ..ra…” Ahadamain tan ek kooalo yano ne dohal akhe, “Ain tul ba-a
chadavu baki tapuhie vorad maa are kaara padi.” Doho akhe, “haran.” Doho ga-a yano
ne mathi puhiel puchhaya ka tu kooala are vorad kaahe?”, te mathi puhi akhe,“ kooala
are ku vorad kae?
choolamain take te chudam
ne mooamain take te koodam
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Dohe te vachali puhiel puchhayan, te tee hagi akhe, “kooala are ku vorad kae?
choolamany take te chudam
ne mooamany take te koodam.
Pase dohe vahni puhiel puchhay, tve tee kooala are vorad kaara tiyar ovi goy.. Kooalo te
vorad kaine vahni puhiel ley giyo. Thoda dihi jaya pase doho akhe, ‘maan puhiel mila ja
de.’ Doho te puhie ta gaavaro yeno. Tave kooalo ga-a nay ato. Ami vahani puhie kooalal
poohhayan,
Maan abo bu yeno ra… ma raja ra .. tu,
Ami kai randi khavadu maa raja…. ra…tu”
Tave kooalo akhe,
Kookadan ne bokdan randi khavadje
maan rani …va…tu”
Puhie te kukadan ne bokadan randi ne abbahal khavadyan. Doho teraji ovine tya ga-a
giyo ne ga-a jaine ben puhiel badi vat kaee. Thoda dihi pase ben baanhiyo vahani
banhiye ta gavaryo giyo. Kooalo ga-a nay ato, pasen puhie kooakal puchhayan,
Maan baahin bu yeni ra… ma raja ra …tu,
Ami kai randi khavadu maa raja…. ra…tu.
Kooale akhyan,
Kukadan ne pichhadan randi khavadje
Maan rani…va..tu.
Puhie te kukadan ne pichhadan randine baanhiel khavadyan. Ba-a-hinyo pasi gavari
yenio j nay. (Heard by the researcher from the family members)
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Crab and Three Sisters
There was an old man. He had three daughters. One day he went to forest to
collect the firewood. He was not able to raise the firewood bundle so he called for the
help. No one responded to him. At last, a crab appeared and 'he' agreed to help the old
man on one condition that he would allow one of his daughters to be married off with
him. Old man agreed. He came home and talked to his three daughters about his meeting
with the crab and the promise he had made to him. Sneering at her father's proposal, the
eldest daughter said,’ I will not get married to this insct because, if you put crab into oven
the sound heard is 'chudum' and when you put into mouth the sound heard is 'kudum!.'”
Both the elder daughters turned down crab's marriage proposal but the youngest one
agreed. She got married with the crab and came to stay with him at his place.
Some days passed and the old man visited his daughter to know about the well
being of her. Crab husband was not present at home. So the wife asked the husband …
O King of my heart
My father has become our guest
What shall I cook for him?
The crab husband replied,
O queen of my heart!
Cook chicken and mutton for your father
Father was entertained with chicken and mutton. He found his daughter living happily.
After some days, two elder sisters visited their married sister. The husband was not at
home this time too and his wife again asked him,
O King of my heart!
My sisters have become our guest
What shall I cook for them?
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The husband replied,
O queen of my heart!
Cook chicken along with feathers for your sisters.
After such hospitality, two sisters never visited their sister.
●●●●●
Analysis: It was obvious that the crab was not happy with two elder sisters' arrival who
had turned down his marriage proposal. Though he was not present at home, he conveyed
his message clearly through food that two sisters were unwelcomed guest and better they
should never come again. There are some indigenous elements in this story which must
be highlighted.
· The crab, a small animal in the story possesses magical power. It is super-human.
Old man is convinced about it and so as his youngest daughter.
· When told in native Gamit dialect, rhyming of the words like 'Chudum - Kudum,
Kukadan - Pichhadan' - entertain the listeners as well as it also work as
nmemonic technique.
New World Dictionary of Advance English defines crab as one of the species of
decapods which has four pairs of legs and a pair of pincers. Another meaning is that it is
a heavy machinery to hoist the weight. Crab has a good balance and it can walk side
ways. It can survive under water and on land. Some of the species of crab inhabit on the
trees too.
As per Aarne Thompson tale type motif classification of this tale can be put under the
category of :
· B - 495.1 Helpful Crab
· B - 620.1 Daughter promised to animal suitor
It is important to note that many stories found in the different part of the India and across
the world have resembalance with the crab tale. Verrier Elvin collected from M. P. region
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near Chitrakoot where crab is replaced by the fisher-girl. In Grimm Brothers' collection, a
Frog Prince gets married to the Princess. Hungarian, Scotland and English tales revolve
around the same storyline. Only and foremost difference is that metamorphoses of the
Crab or the Frog or the Wolf takes place in the end while in Gamit tale crab remains the
crab till the end.
2. MEN- HOUT (Gamit Transcription)
Ek goval ato. To roj dobe cha-a-ra jay. Dobe cha-i-ne vakhathe j yey. To ba
pavari bo hajjad vajade. Ek dihi dobe gothadi ne to angala giyo. Tave noye mere jada ve
rav ati ti devi tya dagale ne pavari ley nathi ne jadave chadine bahi goy. Goval te ga-a
giyo ne ajjehe- abbahal dagale lan dovadye. Tye te jada tale yene ne akhet,
Hout …..va…hout…
Ma poha pavari de..
Ma poha dagale de…
Tave tee hout akhe,
Mama …ra,,,,ma. ta pohaluj dovad
Ra…mama.. ta pohaluj dovad.
Pase govala ayo giyi, tee akhe,
Hout …..va…hout…
Ma poha pavari …de.. Ma poha dagale de…
Baki tee hout akhe,
Fuchi….. va…fuchi….ta pohaluj dovad
Va…fuchi…. Ta pohaluj dovad
Pase tya govala baha giyo ne akhe,
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Hout …..va…hout…
Ma baha pavari de…Ma baha dagale de…
Baki tee hout akhe,
Bavalaha Ra… bavalaha….ta bahaluj dovad.
Ra..bavalaha…. ta pohaluj dovad
Ek pas eek bade hagen hout pahe yeyne govala dagale ne pavari mange, baki tee ba
govaluj da. Pase govaluj yeno ne akhe,
Hout …..va…hout…
Ma pavari de…. Ma dagale de…
Tave tee kabati akhe,
Goval ra… goval.. velse ye ..ra.
Goval velse... ye..
Goval jehe jehe upe chadato jay tehe tehe tee hout upe ne upe j chadati jay ne govalal
upe j hadati goy. Pase sek upe chadi giyo tave tya govalal pankhadaha main leyne udavi
ley goy. (Rataniben Gamit, Kelkutch village, Age. 78 years)
Mynah and Cowherd
Long ago there lived a cowherd. He used to take cattle of the village for grazing
on the side of the riverbank. When the cattle would gather under the shadowy trees after
grazing, he would play on his flute beautifully. One Goddess was residing in the nearby
forest. She liked this cowherd's flute playing very much.
One day when the cowherd went for bathing in the river, the Goddess took the
form of a mynah and took the flute and the clothes of the cowherd and perched on the
highest branch of the tree. Cowherd went home and said that a mynah had flown away
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with his flute and the clothes and he wanted them back. He sent his father to take his
belongings back. Father went under the tree and said,
Mynah O Mynah!
Give my son's flute back
Give my sons clothes back
The mynah replied,
Mama O mama!*
Send your son only
I will give him his flute
I will give him his clothes.
* (Mother's brother, Father-in-law)
She did not give him his son's things. Then the cowherd sent his mother. She came under
the tree and requested mynah to give back his son's flute and clothes. Mynah said to her,
Fuchi O Fuchi!*
Send your son only
I will give him his flute
I will give him his clothes
* (Father's sister, Mother-in-law)
Then the elder brother of the cowherd went to the mynah and demanded to give his
brother's belongings. Mynah replied to him,
Bavlaha O Bavlaha!*
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Send your brother only
* (Husband's elder brother)
Then, sister followed, whom mynah said,
Nandihi O Nandihi!*
Send your brother only
I will give him his flute
I will give him his clothes.
* (Husband's sister)
One by one all the family members of the cowherd went to Mynah but they returned
empty handed, because mynah insisted to give the flute and clothes to the owner himself
and to nobody else. Finally, the cowherd went himself and said,
Mynah O Mynah!
Give me my flute back
Give me my clothes back
Mynah was sitting on the highest branch of the tree and said to the cowherd,
O cowherd!
Climb the tree
And come closer
Mynah went on calling the cowherd closer and closer and he climbed on and on. When
the cowherd reached at the top where mynah was waiting, she took the boy into her
wings and flew far … far away.
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●●●●●
Analyais: As Aarne Thompson motif index, this tale can be placed in the classification of
· A - 188 - Gods in love with human
· 552 - Animals and in-laws
· 527- Other stories of supernatural 700 - 749
It is interesting to note that Mynah addresses cowherd's father as 'Mama' and
mother as 'Fuchi'. In Gamit community, father-in-law is addressed as Mama and Mother-
in-law as Fuchi by the daughter-in-law or Son-in-law. This suggests the social practice of
cross-cousins marriage in the community. Addressing one by one relatives of husband or
wife, is an important feature of tale or folk song. This also serves as the memory
technique as these tales and songs were meant for oral transmission.
Cowherd is worshipped by the Gamit community as 'Goval Dev'- local deity, as the guard
of the chief deity. His place is at the footstep of hillock or at some distance from the chief
deity. It is interesting to note that myna or mynah is the term derived from mãina, from
Sanskrit Madanã which stands for passion or God of Love.
3. KHAIRA KHUNT (Gamit Transcription)
Ek dihi baha noiye angala giyo, tan tye lamba, hajjad nimbala dekhya, lamba ne
lethth nimbala! Baha te noiye re nimbala isi layno ne ga yey ne ajjejel akhe, “Ye nichkiye
are j vorad kauu vo!” To te ga-a yeno ne ajjehe- abbahal yey ne akhe, “man yi puhi hodi
dya, ne te ain ma-ee jahin.” Tye pohe te khaina piyana chhodi dena. Ajjoho badi puhie
are nimbala mapi mapine thaki goy baki badi puhie kaato to nimbalo lambo.Ami ba-a-
hin noye angla ne talapa dova giye tave tye nimbala ray giyala Tye bo hajjad nimbala
ata.. Ganva mahani kadi nichakie roka nai ata. Ek dihi ayoho puhiel talapa okhavi daaun
ati tave puhie nimbala are mapi eayan te nichakie j nimbalo! Ajjehe te bahal hamjadyo ,
abbehe hago hamjadyo baki baha nai manyo. To te akhe ‘ain te maee j jahin.’ Pase ga-
a-me bade vorada tiyari ka –a-ran mandye. Baanhiel hagi khabar padi goy. Tee baha are
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nay vorad kaara kae. Pase tite ga-a pahe ek khera khuntadan atan tya ve chadi goy. Tye
pahala garye bade tyel hamjada chadye.Baki puhi te upe ne upe j chadati jai ne akhati
jai,
‘Vad ra vad, khaira khunt
Pailo ato ma baha ato, ami jayo, ma matado jayo.
Khaira khunt te uncho ne uncho vadato jai ne puhi hagi upe ne upe chadati jai.
Pase ajjoho khuntave hamjada chadi, te puhi akhe,
Vad ra vad khaira khunt, paili ati man ayo ati, ami man hahu jaee.
Badde hage hamjada chadye baki puhi te upe ne upe chadati goy ne khaira khunt
hago vadato j giyo, vadato j giyo ne tyel devlohain upe j ley ledi!
(Somaliben Gamit. Kelkutch village. Age 82 years)
Katechu Tree
Once, brother went to the river for bathing. He found long, beautiful hair on the
riverbank. He came home and told his parents that he wanted to marry only that girl who
had such beautiful hair.His mother tried to find out the girl from the whole village but she
could not find such girl in the village. One day, while doing the hair of her daughter, she
found that it was her daughter’s hair. The mother tried to dissuade the son but he was not
counseled. He obstinately demanded with his parents that if his sister was not wedded to
him, he would commit suicide. His parents and elders tried to counsel him but of no use.
Giving in before the son’s demand, the family members began the preparation for the
wedding. When his sister came to know that she would be the bride to her own brother,
she escaped and climbed up on the khair tree.
The family members chased her and tried to explain her, coaxed her to come
down. Traumatic sister went climbing higher and higher, praying the Khair tree to stretch
higher and higher. She was also expressing her feelings through tears and in an agonized
song,
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Go higher and higher, Khaira Khunt,
Who happened to be my father,
Is going to become my father–in–law.
Likewise,
Go higher and higher, Khaira Khunt,
Who happened to be my mother
Is going to be my mother – in – law
and,
Go higher and higher, Khaira Khunt,
Who happened to be my brother, Is going to be my husband.
In the end, the Khair tree did not stop stretching higher until the heaven and the sister
took flight in to the devlok.
●●●●●
Analysis: This tale can be placed under the motif classification of:
· Volksmarchen no.28, Type 313E * Brother wants to marry his sister
(www.furerteutenicus.eu)
Another version of this tale is from Tripura having the same storyline. Only
difference is that in the object of escape. In this tale, the sister climbs upon the Chhatim
tree also known as Saptparna, Yaksippala or devil tree. In the end, brother is sacrificed
who turns into chameleon and chases the sister but she reaches to the heaven.One more
veriant the researcher found from the lady who hails from Rajput community of
Banaskantha region. Only variation is that the brother takes his horse to river to quench
its thirst, where he finds a golden hair floating upon the water. He decides to marry the
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girl with a golden hair who happens to be his sister. Here too, the sister takes refuge on
the Khair tree and finally saves herself reaching to the heaven by the extended help of the
tree. It would be apt to mention here that Khair or Acacia, Catechu is used for dying and
hide animal skin by soaking in its brown substance.
Another variant is from Santal Pargana. In this tale the sister violates the taboo as
she was not supposed to pluck the flower of a fragrant plant which was meant to be
plucked by the other girls who would marry the brother. But as the sister had violated the
taboo, she would have to get married with her own brother. Here, the girl takes shelter on
the palm tree.Tormented by wind and rain, she comes down and she had to take shelter at
her brother’s house where he had lighted the fire and as, no other person of the village
would allow her entry. But in the end, both of them commit suicide.Their blood flows in
different direction and even the smoke that arises from their death pyres goes in opposite
directions. There are many folktales found among tribals, dealing with the motif of
violation of taboo or ‘Incest tales’ –motivation to commit incest with blood relations.The
examples are of a trickster hero sleeping with his mother –in-law and father desires his
own daughter. The general tendencies of the individuals having incestuous phantasies are
implied in the Oedipus Complex too. But, tone of Sophocles play is tragic while the
versions of brother-sister tales are of didactic tone of looking at the violation of the social
taboo as bringing disorder in the natural course of life.There are many such examples
where the social taboo is violated unknowingly. In some of the tales the female
protagonist gets impregnated by sweat, tear, used water or through indirect contact of
urine of the male protagonist. Our oral literature is full of such episodes including Jaina
Tales.
Fundamental difference in such folktales and Oedipal is that it is not Fate but the
destruction of kinship diagram, such as clear cut kinship relation would be devastating to
a child which would make a shambles of his ordered family world. Folktales depicting
incest among blood relation can be considered as the warning bells against the terror of
incest . As Iravati Karve remarks. “ Many of the incest tales (like Jaina), are told as
illustrations of the sinfulness of all worldly relations or as conundrums and guessing
games- not as deeply tragic tales.” often such tales are also used as the riddles.Great
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masters like Shakespeare in ‘Hamlet’ and Webster in‘Duchess of Malfi’ had touched this
abhorrent subject. Example can be cited of our time’s Booker Prize winning novel, ‘The
God of Small Things’ too.
Freud propagated that Oedipus desire is a universal phenomenon, innate to human
beings and the cause of much unconscious guilt. He considered a girl’s negative complex
to be more emotionally intense than that of a boy resulting potentially in a woman of
submissive insecure personality. Such Taboo tales are part of world literature, oral and
written.The world folklore is full of Incest Tales. Let us conclude this topic citing two
lullabies; the first from Kannada,
Sleep
O son
O grand son
O brother to my husband
Sleep o sleep
Sleep well (Ramanujan 379)
It is very surprising to note stark similarities between the Kannada and Albanian
lullabies.
Hush thee hush thee, son!
Son of my son !
Son of my daughter-in-law !
Born to thy father-in law!
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4. PAVARI BA-A–HIN (Gamit Transcription)
Ek gaanvamany hat baha ranv ata. Tyaha ekuj baanhi ati.Hat baahaha hat ale
chale. Ek dihi ale bhony many guti giye ne bah abo mathya teru ninge nai.Baha te gabrai
giya. Pase bahate devha pahe bada thova giya. Tyanhay tekukada bada mani, teru hal
nai chale, bokda bada mani teru ala nai chale, pada bada rakhi teru ala nai chale.
Pase… tihany te baanhie bada thovhun ahadi bada mani te ale chala mandye. Ami vahno
baha ato, hatamo tiyal ahadan nai game baki tiyal kai bolay nain. Baahayte baahinel
akhyan,” Bayu, devha bada thova ale tiyari kaaya.“Baanhi te chhada bathi ne vahno
baha akhe.”
Bayu, tu chhadatihi baki taj varo hey.
Pase baanhi te dala bathi tave hago baha akhe,
Bayu, tu dalatihi baki taj varo hey.
Baki baanhi kay hamaje nai. Bahahany te baanhie bali dani ne,bada chhodine
bada kha batha. Bada baahahany khadan baki vahno baha nai khai,tyen te chajhanan
beyhalamany taki denan ne patara are bakhe lavi lavine khai ledan.Vahne bahe jes
chakhana bethalamany taki denel tesbethalamahre vanhadi peda jai.Ek jogi tahre janv
ato tye pavari banara vanhadi vadi ledi ne pavari banadi. Jogi te pavari vajadto vajadto
mangto fie. Jogi te pavari vajadto vajadto mangto mangto matha bahha ihi yano, te
pavari bole,
Papi baha hey ra jogi hupadan baine leje.
Jogi te bada bahaha tan manga giyo te pavari ehen j bole,
Papi baha hey ra jogi, hupadan baaine leje.
Pase jogi tya vahna baha pahe manga yeno te pavari bole,
Darami baha hey ra jogi muth baaene leje.
Vahno baha akhe, ‘Pavari hajjad vanavahe, tu man dey de, tu biji banavi leje.”
Pase vahne bahe te jogyal khibe ne khoba baine chokha dana ne pavari ley ledi ne mala
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ve thovi deni.Ami baha akho dihi ranamin ala chalada jay ne vakhathe yey tve badan
kam ovi goylan ray,dalana, chhadana, randana badaj.Baha vichar ke ka ku ma gamany
pedyanhan, dakan, sakan, boot ka devi? Vahano baha te ek dihi dubi ryo ne badan eaya
kae. Banhye te bada kam kaee takyan ne pasi pavarie many uraya jai tave j daee ledi ne
puchhayan, ‘Tun kun heti? “Te banhi akhe,” Baba aany ta baanhi hetyanv. Tave j maan
are daya dekhadine maan nai khade ne bethalamaany taki dene, tya mahre vanhdi ovine
pavari banine taj gaanmany yani.” Pase baha ne baanhi ekthe ovi giyen pala chha baha
bo pastaya. (Somaliben Gamit, Kelkutch village)
Flute Sister
There were seven brothers. They had only one sister. One day while brothes were
cultivating their farms, their ploughs got stuck in the soil. Brothers tried very hard but
they could not move their ploughs. Then, worried, brothers committed to give chicken as
offering to deity, but their ploughs did not move. Brothers decided to sacrifice the goat,
though their ploughs did not move, and then they committed to offer the he-buffalo,
though they could not move their ploughs. Somebody suggested that they should offer
their only sister. So, the brothers committed to offer their sister if their ploughs got free.
And their ploughs were free and so they could complete their farming activities. After
some time, brothers started preparation for their sister’s sacrifice. The youngest brother
did not like to give his sister as human sacrifice, but he could not go against his elder
brothes’ wish.When sister was pounding the grains the youngest brother tried to warn her
saying,
Sister you are pounding the grain,
But is is your turn sister, it is your turn
But sister did not understand. Then, the sister set for grinding, the brother said,
Sister you are grinding the grain
But, is is your turn sister, it is your turn
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Though, the sister did not understand her brothers’ intention. After all the
preparations were done, brothers sacrificed their only sister. After the worshipping was
over, the brothers set to have sacrificial meat. The younges brother did not eat the meat
of his sister and slipped it into the crack of the soil. After some time a beautiful bamoo
plant grew from the soil where the brother had slipped his sister’s meat. A jogi, who
happened to pass from there saw this bamboo plant, cut it and made a Pavari- a flute.
Jogi would play upon his flute and begged from the people. When this jogi came to beg
at the six brothers house, the pavari sang,
This is my cruel brother’s house
Take basketful of grain, Jogi!
Pavari sang in the same tune at the houses of all six brothers, but when Jogi came to the
youngest brother’s house, the pavari sang,
This is my kind brother’s house
Take only handful of grain, Jogi!
The youngest brother liked playing of this flute very much so, he bartered the
flute from Jogi giving him much grains. Brother stuck the flute under the roof of the attic.
Next day, when brother returned from his farms, all the chores of the house was done;
pounding, grinding, cooking and cleaning. Everyday, someone would do all the work.
One day brother kept himself hidden. Then, a girl got out of the flute. She had bath, did
her hair and she started doing all the work in the brother’s house. She cooked, also had
food and kept for her brother. When she was about to enter into the flute, brother caught
her and asked “Who are you, a witch or a spirit?” Then the sister replied that she was his
sister who was sacrificed, she was residing in the flute and thus living with her kind
brother. Brother was very happy and he let his sister live with him forever.
●●●●●
Analysis: The sacrifice of the innocent sister is a wellknown motif of folktales. Sacrifce
of the sister and eating her meat suggests sheer cannibalistic creed of the brothers. This
Gamit folktale has the theme of sibling rivalry which might have resulted from the
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brothers’ gealousy for sister’s future husband as the sharer of their ancestral property. In
Gamit community often, parents get khandhadiyo son-in-law for only daughter. As Arne
Thompson motif index, this tale can be placed in the classification:
· AT Type 780 The Singing Bone
· H150. Circumstances of recognition (S. Thompson motif-Index)
· ‘The Singing Bones ‘formula, (cf Eng. Fairy Tales, No.ix.) (Jacobs 266)
There are many variants of this tale ‘Flute Sister’ in the regional languages. What is
surprising is the ‘ditto’ description of the events found in other variants. For example,
mark the similarities in the folktale collected by A. Campbell in Santal Folk Tales
(1892),entitled ‘Magic Fiddle’, “ Having completed her toilet, she cooked the meal of
rice as usual, and having eaten some herself, she placed the youngman’s portion under his
bed, as before, and was about to enter the fiddle again…” (Jacobs 53)
Another variant is from Folk-tales of Mahakosal (1944) by Varrier Elvin given in
the category of tales of ‘Brothers and Sisters.’ “But the younger boy sat near a crack in
the ground and put all his meat into it”, or “He reached in his house and stuck the flute in
to the roof” (241). Many similarities can be cited from these stories. It has found
parallels in the stories of other regions across the nation as well.
Same story is also found in Chaudhari community of South Gujarat who are culturally
quite similar to the Gamits.
* Note: While editing the story, I thought not to mention the narration of, ‘…sister completed bath, did
her hair…’ considering as not so important to the plot of the tale, but same narration was found in other
variants and then I realized the significance of ‘ meta- motifs’ of the folk tales.
5. DOLLO (Gamit Transcription)
Ek da baha ne ba-a-hi noye angla giye. Ba-a-hin angala giyi te tye dollo povlo
ato to kadi thovyo ne tee talapan dova goy, ne bahal e-a-ra akhi goy. Tahada main ta ek
dedako yano ne to dollo esi leyne jato rayo. Bahate rada mandyo ne ba-a-hiyel hadi ne
akhyan ka alie dollo dedako leyne jato rayo. Ba-a-hin noyada mere ubi rayne
akhe,
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De…ra…dedaka…ma...dollo de…
Tave dedko akhe,
Patalie ale pa-in-ye ye …va… batkal
Ta dollo … dav…
Tee puhi patli bude ale painye goy ne tye dollo mange,
Patalie ale pa-in-ye hagi yeni ra dedaka…
Ma dollo … de…
To dedako pase tye puhiel paso akhe,
Mandye ale painye ye va… batakal…
Ta dollo…dav…
Pase mandye ale painye giyi tave kadye ale painye hadi,
Kadye ale pa-in-ye ye …va…batkal…
Ta dollo … dav...
Pase ajun unde painye hadi, dedako akhe ka satye ale painye yey tave j dollo dav.
Satye ale pa-in-ye hagi yeni ra dedaka…
Ma dollo … de…
Pase tee ba-a-hin tala unda painya main goy tave tye dedake tyel budavi j ledi.
Ese baha ehkloj ray giyo.To tovali vajadine tya pet ba-e. Pase ek da to baha tovali
vajadto vajadato ba-a-hinye ga-a j yeno ne akhe,
Bataku rotalo ap… zolima mel… zolima mel…
Dovadi gathu ap… tumbadima red... tumbadima… red..
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Ba-a-hin tee vanay ne akhe, ‘haraj jehe vanavahe...baba paso akhne’. Tave baha akhe,
Bataku rotalo ap… zolima mel... zolima mel…
Dovadi gathu ap… tumbadima red...tumbadima… red...
Ba-a-hniye te bahal olakhi j kadyo ne pase baha jogia ves kadi takyo, anglavyo,
khavadyan ne tyal ektho j ka-ee ledo.
(Somaliben Gamit. Kelkutch village)
ANKLET
Once, brother and sister went to river. Sister removed her anklet called ‘dollo’ and
went to wash her hair. Brother was looking after her ornaments. Meanwhile a frog
appeared there from somewhere, took the anklet of the girl and disappeared into the
water. Brother told his sister about the frog who had disappeared with her anklet. Sister
went to take her anklet she called the frog saying,
Give me my anklet…O...Frog! give me my anklet…(2)
Then, the frog replied from inside the water,
O…Girl! enter into knee- deep water…
then I will give you your anklet…
The girl went into knee-deep water and said,
I have come into khee-deep water,
O frog!… give me my anklet back…(2)
Then, the frog called her waist – deep water, and when she went waist – deep water, frog
called her chest –deep water.
O...Girl!... enter into chest- deep water…
Then, I will give you your anklet…
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The girl entered into chest-deep water, and said,
I have come into chest-deep water,
O frog!… give me my anklet back. (2)
When she went into chest-deep water, the frog fully submerged her into the water.
Brother wailed on the riverbank as his only sister was drowned into the river. He was left
alone. He made Tovali*, musical instrument and earned his living playing upon his tovali.
One day, the brother came to his sister’s house and he sang,
My only sister was taken away from me by a frog..
O…sister...give a bite of chapatti, put it into my sling
Give me cup-ful of, gatho* pour it into my tmbadi*
Sister heard this and she identified her brother and always kept him with her.
*Tovali- stringed musical instrument made of gourd
*Gatho- potion made of flour, water adding salt,
*Tumbadi- pot like utensil made of gourd,
●●●●●
Analysis: As Aarne Thompson Uther classification of of folk tales, this tale falls into the
category of:
· A 420 God of Water
· B 604.5 Marriage to Frog
· H12. Recocnition by song (music)
There are lots of examples of residing some supernatural phenomenon attached to the
particular place on the riverbank. People and mostly women do not go to river after
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sunset. If there is an incest tale depicting brother’s sensuous desire for his own sister,
murderer brothers sacrificing their only sister and eating her meat, there is also the stories
depicting brother-sister’s innocent love as we have in the present story. Purpose of the
story seems to check the children from going into deep water. But the message served
here is not to scare the children but to show that deep waters are meant for some other
elements and it’s better not to confront with them.
6. KOVALAN ( Gamit Transcription)
Ek doho ne dohali aten. Tiha koi parivar nay ato. Ek da chomhamain tihay
chibade-kovalne ropyen. Tave tiha ga-a ek vela ve mathth kovan lagyan. Kovan pakan
jayan ne tye toda giye te kovalan akhe, ‘Man padte rakha.’ Kovalal boltan vanayne
tiyahalte navai lagi. Baki kovalante bade kam kae ne dobe hagae chara jay. Pase
thodak vakhat giyo ne kovalan akhe,“Aba, Aya, Man bag vovadi liya.” Ami, abbohote
vovadi era giyo ne ekpuhie are vorad nakhki kayan.Vvorada dihi dohe ne dohli e te
kovalan layne ukhale thovyan. Bade manhe akhe kovalan are te kehe ka-ine vorad ka-e?
Bakhi pachhan firi nay javay etle kovlan are vorad ka-ayan ne puhite kovalan are ran
yeni. Bakhi tee the-ae-yel kovalan matado nay game ne tee kada are harakhi bole nay.
Thoda dihi giya ne doho ne dohli akhet, vovlihi!, tumhe ga-a thoda dihi phiri yeya.
Kovalan ne tee the-ae ba tye puhie ga-a gavaren giye. Tan ba hob amba lagla ata. Tee
the- ae akhe, ‘Matado ray te to ambe todi khavade, kovalan kehe ka –ine khavade?
Kvalan akhe, ‘Man upe thov. Tye te kovalal upe thovyan ne tin te dalkhye dalkhye
kudi kudine hob amba padya ne pase utadati vakhate teye te dena afli! Bakhi kovalan
mahre matado ningyo. Tye pase kovala ga-a giyen. Tye the-aye te mamhal ne fuchiel badi
vat akhi ne akhyan,” Tumhe kovalan, ma matado jayo!
(Somaliben Gamit, Kelkutch village)
PUMPKIN – HUSBAND
There was an old couple. They did not have children. In the monsoon season, they
sowed creepers of various vegetables, including pumpkin seeds. One pumpkin creeper
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bore only one pumpkin fruit. It grew day-by-day. When it became ripe, old man and
woman went to pluck it. But lo! The pumpkin said in a human voice, “I am your son; you
take me home carefully, do not let me fall.” The old couple took the pumpkin home.
Pumpkin would do all the work of the house and would also go to graze the cattle. Old
couple was very happy. After some time the pumpkin – son told to his parents to find a
‘vovadi’- bride- for him. The old couple found a suitable girl for him. During marriage
procession, the couple put a pumpkin before the bride at the pounding place. The bride
did not like the bridegroom at all but the marriage could not be broken so she got married
with the pumpkin bridegroom. The bride was neither happy with her husband nor was she
happy with her Mamo and Fuchi for getting her married with a pumpkin. After some time
the bride expressed her desire to see her parents. The pumpkin-husband and his wife both
went to see his in-laws. It was the season of mangoes and there were lot of mangoes on
the trees at the bride’s house. One day, when the pumpkin-husband and his wife were
alone, the wife said “If my husband would be a man, he would have plucked mangoes for
me; how can a pumpkin pluck the mangoes for me?” Then, pumpkin said “You put me
on the mango-branch and I will pluck mangoes for you”. Pumpkin plucked mangoes for
his wife jumping from branch to branch. When it was time to bring the pumpkin down,
the wife deliberately threw the pumpkin on the ground with great thud and a handsome
young man stood up from the pumpkin. The wife became very happy and happily they
both went to the young man’s parents. The wife told her in-laws, “Your pumpkin son
became my husband”.
●●●●●
Analysis: According to Arne Thompson Motif Classification, this folktale can be placed
under the category of:
· AT 1960.D The Giant Vegetable
Verrier Elvin has documented the parallel tale, from the Chitrakoot region of Bastar
district, a Kuruk story, entitled, ‘Fisher Girl and the Crab’. In this story, crab - son is born
out of the gourd to the old couple, they get him married to a beautifu girl, who is not
happy with her crab husband and she ill-treats him. In the end, the crab- son turns out to
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be a handsome man. Changing of skin or ‘skin-dress’ motif is the very important feature
of the folklore and this has been exploited repeatedly by the transmitters of the folktales.
In some rituals pumpkin is used as the sacrificial offering suggesting the primitive belief
which finds similarities between human head and pumpkin. Image of pumpkin seems
quite handy for the narrator of the tales. In European tale, fairy God – mother transforms
pumpkin into Cinderella’s carriage, which helps the protagonist reach to the fulfillment
of her wish.
7. PASALI (Gamit Transcription)
Ek doho ne dohali aten. Tyaha ben pohen aten. Dohli ben pohe takine ma-ee goy
te doho biji dohli hoda giyo. Vatemain ek dohali chhane esu ati. tee puchhe, ‘ Kes ra
jahto, doha?’ Te doho akhe, ‘Dohali hoda jathaun vo.’ Tave tee akhe, ‘Ain ba nay gamu
ka?’ Doho akhe ‘Tu hagi gamtihi baki man agala hoda jan de’. To doho agla giyo te
dohali te pasi agla firi voli ne puchhe. ‘Ain ba nai gamu ka?’ Doh akhe ‘Chal pase, tuj
ma dohali.’ Doho ne dohali ga-a yane. Pase doho akhe,’ Eya… dala tale grye deve heten,
tu ugadine e-a-ti rakhe, ale ba bo luchche heten.’ Doho te dala pahe j kha bahe ne
nichakahal dala tale khayana dey dey. Ehe ka-ine bo dihi e-ee giya. Ek dihi doho majare
akha giyo, te dohali akhe. ‘Aje te man devhal e-a-ran de.’ Tye te angali ledan, ne dalo
ugadine e-a-yan te nichaken ! Pase doho ga-a yano tave dohali akhe ka tu man thagu
ato. Tu ami ne ami j nichakahal thovi ye ne te ain jati rahin. Pase bije dihi dohalie te
bakhe ne tuvie dal banavi deni ne doho nichakal thova nigi padyo. Pase diggi jadie main
thovi ne nahi yeno. Nichkahain te bakhe khavay tali khadi ne pase buhke jaye te rada
mandye. Tahadamain kudarat jehe tyaha pahe yeno ne tyahal gajavamahre chibada
minjade kadine dene ne akhyan ka chibade khayne raja. Nichake te chibade khayne ra
mandye pase dohalie dohal pachho dovadyo ka nichke jivtehe ka ma-ee giye e-ee ye.
Doho te yano te nichake te lethth! chibade khayne mati rayle. Nichkahay te dohal hage
chibade khvadyen. Dohal hajjad lagye, tye te thodek dohalie bag ley lede ne nichkahal
thagine paso jato rayo. Te dohali akhe ka tu chibadaha vele upadi ye ne te ain jati
rahin.Doho te giyo ne chibada velo upadi yeno. Bukh lagi te nichake te pase rada
mandye. Kudarat paso yeno ne tyahal ek gavadi dey giyo ne akhyan ka gavadie dud pine
raja. Nichke te dud pine ra mandye. Thoda dihi pase pachcho doho e-a-ra yano ne
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dohalye bag dadyamain dud ley giyo. Te dohali akhe ka tu gavadyel main takad nete ain
jati rahin. Pase doho te bilkahal leyne giyo ne gavadyel main takadi. Nichake te pase
rada mandye te kudarat yano ne akhe ka gavadye adke barabar gothavi dya. Nichakain
te tahad j ka-ayan, ne pase hakale uthaye tave te tan maththo bungalow bani gilo ne
khyna, pain ne badi sagvad ati. Thoda dihi pase dohalie dohal pachcho e-a-ran dovadyo
ka nichke jivatehe ka ma-ee giyen. Doho yeno te nichake te khy-piy ne maththa
bungalamain rathe. Eeyee da baki doho nichakaha pahe j ray padyo ne dohalie pahe
giyo j nain!
(Somaliben Gamit, Kelkutch village)
STEP-MOTHER
Once there lived a couple. They had two children. The woman died and the man
went in search of a new wife. A woman met him on the way and asked him where he was
going. The man said that he was going in search of a wife. Then again that lady asked,
‘Don’t you like me?’ The man replied, “yes, I like you but let me search for some more.’
The lady went ahead and again asked the man whether he liked her or not. Old man said,
“Ok, let it be, now onwards, you will be my wife.” That lady went to patel’s house and
cooked toor-dal and hurriedly prepared coarse chapattis and exchanged it with the old
man’s and said that she had cooked it for him. He became happy and took the woman
with him. There was a big basket turned up side down in the house. He warned his new
wife not to open that basket as the home deities were residing there and they were very
mischievous and get angry if they were disturbed. The man would sit to have food near
that big basket and used to give food to his children stealthily from his new wife. One day
the man went out for some farming related work, so that old lady became curious. She
said to herself, “Let me see the deities today.” She had bath and opened the basket and
she saw children. She realized the situation and when the old man returned she said,
“You have been cheating on me, you get rid of the children or else I would leave you.’
She cooked the chapattis and dal to be eaten by the children and the man took the
children into the forest. He left them in the dense forest under some excuse. Children
survived on the stale chapattis for some days and after they started crying bitterly out of
hunger and fear. God appeared there and gave them seeds of the creepers and advised
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them to survive on that. Children survived and were living happily. The lady sent the man
to see whether the children have survived or dead. Children gave some of the gourds to
their father. The old man again put the children into the forest but took gourd for his wife.
The woman said, ‘You pluck the creepers of the gourds or else I will ditch you.’ The man
went into the forest and he uprooted the gourd creepers. Children again started crying.
So, this time God gave them a cow. Children were drinking cow’s milk and they survived
and became strong too. The old man came to see the children and took the cow milk for
his wife in the leaf cup. His wife said, “You get the cow killed, otherwise I will leave
you.” Old man took the Bhils with him the next day and got the cow killed. Children
again started crying. God again appeared before them and told them to put properly the
bones and head of the cow. Children did as they were told and next day when they woke
up there was a big bungalow and all the facilities were available in it. Brother and sister
were living happily in the big house. Some days passed, their father again came to visit
them and to know whether the children were dead or living. But this time the man ditched
his wife and stayed with his children.
●●●●●
Analysis: This folktale can be placed under Motif classification of:
· S 31.Cruel Stepmother
· S 352. Abandoned Child(ren)
Step mother in this and other tribal tales shares the common attribute of hatred
towards the children of the former wife. Closely observing the social structure of the
time, we find that the condition of the motherless children was pathetic. In all the tales,
they are sent out of the society under some pretext and they take shelter into attic, forest
or in some object as the Flute Sister does. Land was the only wealth of the tribals and fear
of division in the ancestral land makes the step mothers cruel. In the beginning, the
innocence has to suffer but its plea never goes unheard and they are provided help
through divine intervention. The characters like ‘the youngest son, and, ‘step mother’ are
motifs found in European folktales too. Because of such examples of ill –treatment by the
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step mother all across the globe, the proverb might have come into existence ‘Ear-
piercing is done by the stepmother.’
There are many women centric tales in India. A. K. Ramanujan calls stepmothers as
the malevolent forms of the goddesses. Many of European tales about cruel step- mothers
tend to appear in India as mother-in- law tales. Yet, there is no tale found where step
father appers as one of the characters.
8. PADO (Gamit T ranscription)
Ek ba Patalaihi ek Pohlyo goval ato. To roj doben cha-a-ra jay. Patlani balali ati,
tee roj Pohlyal batara bakhe ne toovie dale ne chhalte randhi dey. Nichakan bicharan
khai nai hake ne batah-batha rade. Ami tya dobahamay ek pado ato tya pahe ahadi devi
shakti ati. Tyen yeyne Pohlyal akhyan ka tu ma ek higda main thokhe te ladva nigri ne ek
hingdamay thokhe te pain nigri. Pohlye te bo dihi pase pet baine khadan ne baki tyen
vadala ladva ata tya bandi leda ne ga-a ley giyo. Patlaniel ladva gandhay giya ne
polhyal puhhye te khabar padi ka tyal eya ladva ne pain pada pahethi milhe. Patlani te
Patlal ake ka kale kotvalyahal ne Kolchahal hadadine padal main takada. Pado badan
vanay giyo ne Pohlya akhe ka ma puchhado da-ee le ne to bada dobahal udavi ne
jangalmian du-oo leyne jato rayo. Ta dobe ne goval haririte ran mandye. Tan goval
ekhlo j ato, ale to roj pavari vajade. Tya jangalmain hat devio rav ati. Tyo pavarie tale
nacha ya mandi. Goval roj pavari vajade ne devio roj nacha yet. Ek dihi pade Pohlyal
hikhavi thovyan. Tadahi devio nacha yani te , baki goval akhe any nay vajadu. Devie bo
kalavala ka-aya te goval akhe, ‘ek sarata ve vajadu ka tuma tumhe vahani ba-a-hi man
diya’. Devio akhe, ‘Ama kale amhe ba-a-hiel tiyar kaine ley yahu ne tul dahun’. Bije dihi
te tihe vahani ba-a-h-el kutari banavi dani ne bhanra lakdal puhie roke fadke povadine
vachmany ghaline laynyo ne Pohlayl ache, Amhe ba-ahi amhethi judi padhe etle aliel nay
game’. Ale Pohlyo akhe. ‘Tumhe ba-ahinyel nay game te kay nay, tuma ehe ka-a-ya, man
ali kutari dey dya, man dobe cha-a-ne te man ari yi ne man bag hohle –bohle main di’.
Deviyo te bakai giyli etle tya govalal kutari dey dani. Tee kutari te ratrihi kutra chamda
mayre nigine Ba-a-hinyel mila jay. Ek dihi govale tye kutrye chamdamany kane ka-I
thove. Ami tye deviel tye hacha rupamany yan padyan. Pase tee tya govalabhag roj
batara bakhe ne tuvie dala chhale randi thove, baki to goval tyel kay nay akhe. Pase tee
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devi govala are hari rite ran mandi. Pase thoda dihi jaya ne tee devi akhe, Chala bo dihi
jayha, ba-a-h-nyel mili yete. ‘Pado govalal akhe,’ hachvine raje ne ba-a-hye ve visvas
rakhe ka-a-he.’ Goval yeno te te mathi ba-a-hinyel nis nay gamyan baki teru tyehey
haran haran kayan ne gavarhal khavadyan. Pas eek dihi mathi ba-a-hin ache jane
ghodal pain dekhadi ya’: etle goval te giyo te ghodo te ekdaj upe udyo ne vadla are jay
thokayo.Tave goval ghoda niche yeto rayo. Pase ghodo ekda udyo te painya main jai
padyo, baki goval ghoda ve bahi giyo etle to te bachi giyo. Pase ek ba-an-hye tyal ghodal
noye pijada ley ja akjua. Goval te ghoda leyne noye gye te ta ekki hamata noyadan yey
giyan. Baki goval ghoda gogiye many barabar da-I rayalo te painya many nay vivi
giyo.Govalne ba-a-hi tea mi tya ha ga-a yan ka-et. Pas eek dihi tye deviye ba-ahyel panin
la dovadi ne govala kha bahadyo.Tyehe te khayana main ajgara ankhve bhegi danlae.
Goval khanv ato tave j vahani ba-ahi yay giy ne govala gogiye ve jorthi thokye te tye
khayna badan oki kadyan baki hakhva hitan khavay gi lan. Pase vahni devi ne goval te
tave ne j ga-a yan nigi padye baki vatye goval ajgar bana mandyo, tave pali devie te had
had tye viti ajgara puchhadamany povadi deni. Pase govalte puro ajgar bani giyo te
daramany uray giyo. Vahani devi te rada mandi ahada many tae k guru yano ne tye
tovali vajada mandi te bade hapade ba-a nigiy yene. Tyahamayn to puchhadye ve viti
povli ajagar hago ato. Guruve te manra ka-aine tya ajgaral paso goval banavi deno ne
pase tye ga-a yey giye ne haran kaine ran mandye.
(Dhansukhbhai Gamit, Kelkutch village)
MAGICAL BUFFALO
There was a cowherd in Patel’s house. He was Pohlyo- orphan. Eveyday he would
go to graze the cattle of Patel but Patlani did not give him good food. Pohlyo would weep
as for many days he ate only coarse chapattis and toor-dal. He had one male buffalo. The
cowherd came to know about the magical power of the buffalo. Knocking at one of its
horn cowherd used to get food and knocking at other, water. One day the cowherd took
the remaining of the food at home. When Patlani came to know this, she told the Patel to
get rid of the buffalo, to be killed by the Kotvaliyas. Buffalo heard this and told Pohlay to
hold its tail and with them all the cattle of the village flew to another part of the forest.
Cattle and Pohlyo were living happily there. Since, Pohlyo – cowherd was alone he
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would play beautifully upon his Pavari, flute. Seven deities were residing into this forest.
These deity- sisters were enchanted by this spell of flute and would everyday come and
dance at the flute tune. One day when the deity sisters came to dance, the cowherd
refused to play on the flute. Seven sisters appealed him again and again but he would not
play flute. Then, he put one condition that if they give him one of their sisters, he would
play on his flute. Deities agreed to give their youngest sisters to the cowherd on the next
day. Next day, when the deities appeared, they had changed their sister into a dog and
had clothed a wood of bhangro like their sister. They said to the cowherd that their sister
is so unhappy to get separated from them that she is not able to walk. Cowherd knew
every thing, so he said to them, “If your sister is so upset to be separated from you, then I
will not take her. You give me that dog instead of your sister. It would prove useful to me
and even hunt rabbits for me.” Deities were bound by the promise, so they did not have
any option except to give the dog. The youngest deity sister everyday used to live in the
dog’s skin and would go to meet her sisters at night. One night cowherd made holes into
the dog-skin. Next day the deity had to appear in the form of a woman. Everyday she
prepared the chapattis of rice and vegetable of toor dal - skin for cowherd, but he praised
the food prepared by the deity. Actually, he used to have food from his magical buffalo.
Gradually, the deity came to be in terms with the cowherd. She started living with him
happily. One day she expressed her desire to see her sisters. Buffalo warned the cowherd
not to go but he won’t believe. So, the buffalo advised him to be cautious. When they
both went to the see deity sisters, they were not happy. However, they welcomed them
and did good hospitality. One day the eldest sister gave one horse to the cowherd and told
him to take the horse for bath into the sea water. When the cowherd took the horse to the
sea, suddenly it flew very high and collided with sky, but cowherd stuck under the horse
and then the horse suddenly fell into the sea, but then he rode on it and thus he was saved.
Next day, second sister sent him to take the horse to river. When cowherd went to river,
suddenly, the river was swollen with the flood but he tightly stuck to the neck of the
horse and he was saved. Six sisters employed various strategies to get rid of cowherd but
he was saved. Deities got more angry when they knew that even their sister had gone to
his side. One day they sent their sister away to fetch water and served the food to
cowherd, when the cowherd and the deity were to return home. Deities had mixed python
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eggs into his food. The cowherd was having food when his wife came back. She knew
about her sisters’ plan so she struck loudly on his neck. Cowherd vomited the food,
though he had swallowed the yolk of the python egg. While the cowherd and deity were
returning, he started changing into a python. Deity slipped her finger ring on the tail of
the python to identify cowherd before he completely changed into a python and slipped
into a hole. Deity got guru who had secret power. He played on his bin and all the snakes
and pythons came out of their holes. Deity indentified cowherd from the ring on its tail
and again brought him into the form of the cowherd with the help of charm of the guru.
Deity gave lots of gifts to the guru and they came back at cowherd’s house. And they
lived happily.
●●●●●
Analysis: Arne Thompson Maotif classification of this story is:
· B 100-199 Magic animals
· B 300-349 Helpful animals
There are so many tales found about ‘Goval’ in Gamit community and other tribal
societies. The significance attached to goval suggests the pastoral way of living of the
people in former days. In Gamit community, mostly the cattle-grazing is done by pohlyo-
an orphan male child. He leaves village early in the morning with cattle and returns at
sunset. His time is spent with his cattle.Wandering into the wilderness, his gang of boys
provide him with unlimited spheres of adventure. He can go on romantic errands with the
girl cattle grazers. There is no one to check him. His leisure hours are filled with hunting,
catching fish, bathing in the river and playing upon his flute. A Gamit father would very
proudly tell other person that his son has become goval; meaning a young man. Goval in
Gamit community is no different than Krishna. Because of tribal belief in animism,
animal talea are considered as the oldest genre of folktale. ‘No Hindu would doubt the
fact of animal speaking or of man transformed into plants and animals. There are lots of
songs available relating to goval in Gamit community. The world of goval is closer to the
world of make-belief. His place is at such horizon where the natural and supernatural
blend is experienced more realistically. As a child I have heard lot of tales about goval’s
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prayint to local deity, not to allow the cart or the marriage procession to go until they
‘pay some big offering’ to the deity which would be consumed by the goval after offering
a part of it to the deity.
9. Aanhali Mor (Gamit Transcription)
Ek gaanvamay ek matho khatedar Mor ranv ato. To ba ek puhie are vorad kaaran
ke. Tye puhie havaki ayo ati. Tee tye hagi puhyel tya Mora are rakhada kae.Pase ek dihi
mathi puhyel pane bara dovadi ne veyamany j dekli danee. Pase, Aahalimor vovdi hode
baki tyal vovdi j nay jadi, etle to aandalyel leyno. Aandhali randi thove ne bande kaam
kaene to majaren aakha jaayaa kae. Aandali angalan jay tyan ek dihi kanvlaa fuunle
dechyan. Aandli lyaa jay te doou ne doou ba jay ne aahali mor lan geeyo te upe upe yey.
Ek dihee aahali mor fulan pendee leyano ne beentada ve laavee dena ne tyaaluj eayaa
kae. Khaato jay ne aeato jay. Te aandalyel kheej chadee. Tee baa mandee ne te kanvala
fuln ukade j take yaanee. Taan ek dolako peda jayo. More te tiya dolkal uchharee
kaadyone dolako laagyo. Teeye te todeene cheeyen ne aandalyel raanda dei geeyo ne to
majaren aakha geyo. Dolakaha cheerande aandalye ten randa thovye. Tye tapalaan
maanhare bole,
“Aandhyeaadaken gad… gad...
Aandhye aadaken gad… gad…”
Aandaleete mandee te tapalan leine ukde khekharee yenee. (yaanee) Mor ga yano ne
poochyan, “Dolako nain randhyo?” Te aandalee aakhe,“marakhee yey tyaan patala
kootaral, gaamain urai ne tapaleh j lai Nathan.” Jese dolake takee denle tan kaalaha
velo udyo. More te teeyal hago uchaareekaadyone kaaalen lagye tyaa cheerade kaene
majare aakhaa geeyo ne aandalyel raandaa aakhee geeyo. Aandalye te taavo thoyone
kaaale randan baakee kaaale bole,
“Aandhye aadaken gad... gad
“Aandhye aadaken gad….. gad
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Aandalee te pache kaaale ukde khekharee yaanee. Mor te yayne pooche,“tve kaalen nai
randyen?” , tva andali akhe ‘laaggee yey tyaa patla ihna kootaral, tavo j lei naatha’.
More te kaai naiaakhyan. Ukden aambo udee neegyo. Aahali more te to hago uchharee
kaadyo ne neecho j teru aambaa lagyaa. Aakha gavanmany aambaa denaa baakee
pohlyayaaluj nai dena. Pohlyo akhe, “majare akha anyu j janv ato , ne badahal aamba
dena bakee manuj nai denaa”. To te aamba tale geeyo te ekuj aambo ray geelo aato.
Tyen te dagdatee dagdateene aambo padyo te agyamaahy jay padyo! Pohlyete paage
page kaine luchee takyone dovi takyone batamany thovee danone aakhe,
“Aambo pakaree tave aaye aare choleene, vaateene khaahuh”.
Pohalyo te roj dihee kame jay. Ese ambamahreek batakaal nige. Teete aangalee leine
talap- balap okhaveene, gan baaine raandee thove.Ahada char-ek dihee jayane pohalyo
mala ve chadee rayo.Kaame nai geeyo. To te bad eaya kae paase pale batkal badan kam
kaine aambaamany urayaa goy tave tye chotlo j daee ledone aakhe,“Tu boot hetee ka
choot hetee? Tuh alaa dihee thee randee thove, bakee aaje tul nai jandaun.” Palee
batkaal aakhe,“Aain te kaala mathanan mahjh hetyaahv ne aambamany rahuh. Aany ta
badh kaam kahee baakee tuh maan tah ihee ravde”.
Pohlye te tyel rakhee. Ek dihi Mor majre ankha yeno ne to pohlyal aakhe, “Tumhe
taahnee batkaal lethth dekhaahe, tee maa ihee kamaree nai yeya ka? Pohlyo aakhe, “yey
j ra! “Pase batkal te Pohlya are kame jan lagi. Ek dihi Pohlyal batkal akhe,” aany tula
ek goth akhhu, tu o babai ehe akhje.” Pase batkal te goth akhan mandi, geete lavti akhe,
“Andhlyel dekhine man booli geeyon…..nee ra Pohla …
Dolkal ukde takyo nekala kutaral khavadya…..nee ra Pohla…
Ehe kaine tye te akhi goth geeta main akhi, Tve Aanhali Mor ranamany j ato. T obad
vanayun j ato. Pase More te hupadan baine rupiya Pohlyal dana, amba haga dana ne tye
batkalyelu j rakhi!
(Somaliben Gamit, Kelkutch village)
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Peacock Husband
In a village, there lived a Peacock. He had much land. He wanted to marry a girl,
but the girl’s step mother wanted her own daughter to get married with the peacock. One
day that lady sent the girl to fetch water and she pushed her from behind in to the river.
The girl was drowned. After some time, peacock again started the search of a wife, but he
did not get any, so finally, he got married to the blind girl, the daughter of that woman.
That blind lady would do all house- hold work including cooking. Peacock would take
care of his farming. One day, when the blind woman went for bathing, she saw a lotus
flower in water. When blind lady tried to reach it, the flower seemed to move far and far
away. When the peacock went for bathing, the lotus flower approached closer and closer.
He brought the flower home and stuck it on the wall and kept it watching all the time. He
would stare at the flower even while having food. So, his wife got angry and plucked the
flower and threw it at the heap of the cowdung, dump-yard. A creeper of gourd grew up
there, peacock nursed it and very soon a gourd creeper bore the fruit. Peacock plucked it,
gave it to his wife for cooking and went to call the labourers. Blind woman cut the gourd
into pieces and put them in the pan to cook when vegetable was being cooked, it made
the sound,
“Blind lady’s bones are boiling…ga…da….ga…da….
Blind lady’s bones are boiling…..ga…da…ga...da…”
The blind woman got angry and she dumped away all the vegetable at the cowdung dump
yard. When the peacock came and inquired about the vegetable she said,“May hell befall
upon that dog of the patel’s house, it entered into the kitchen and ate up all the
vegetable.”
Where the gourd was dumped, a creeper of bitter gourd grew up there. Peacock
nursed it well and when the creeper started to bear bitter gourds, he plucked them, cut
them into pieces and gave them to his wife to cook. Blind lady put them into the pan to
cook and again she heard the sound,
“Blind lady’s bones are boiling…ga…da….ga…da….
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Blind lady’s bones are boiling…..ga…da…ga...da.”
She took the whole pan and dumped the vegetable. When peacock inquired, she
said, ‘Damn that dog of patel’s house, it ran away with the whole pan’. Now, there grew
a mango tree where the vegetable was dumped. Peacock took good care of the plant and
soon it started bearing mango fruits. Blind lady gave mangoes to all the people of village
but she did not give to the farmhand ‘pohlyo’ who used to work in their farms. He
became sad, though he went under the tree and saw only one fruit which was left out. So,
he hurled the stones and fell the fruit down. Though, it fell in the shit he took it, clean it
and put it in to the hay to ripe and he said to his mother that they would relish mango fruit
when it got ripe. Now, this farmhand was going to work in the peacock’s farms. When
the farmhand would go out for work, then a beautiful girl would appear from the mango,
would bath, get ready and would cook the food for the farmhand and for his mother. The
farmhand was surprised and one day did not go for work and kept hiding. The lady came
out of the mango, cooked the food and as she was about to enter in to the mango, he
caught her by her tresses and asked her,” Are you a spirit or a witch? The woman said
that she was only a human being and requested him to let her stay with him and help her.
When the peacock came to call the farmhand and said that the girl at pohlya’s house was
very beautiful, why he was not sending her to work in his farms. One day when these two
were working in the field, the girl said, “I tell you my story, you just listen to it”. Then
she sang,
‘Watching the blind woman you forgot me,
Nee ….ra..pohla…
I was pushed into river….ne ra pohla…
You dumped sweet gourd and threw bitter gourd to dog
Nee, ra, pohla…
And thus she told her story through a song. Peacock heard this story and he came to
know about the girl and her tragic death. He gave money and also mangoes to pohlya
and he married the girl.
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●●●●●
Analysis: Aarne Thompson Motif classification of this tale is:
· AT Type 780 The Singing Bone
· ‘The Singing Bones’ formula, (cf Eng. Fairy Tales, No.ix.) (Jacobs 266)
There are two stories in which motif of ‘step mother’ is used and in both these tales
they remain true to their nature. One stepmother tried to kill the step children while the
stepmother in this story killed her step daughter, so that her daughter would marry a
wealthy peacock. This story suggests about village politics wherein a competition takes
place among unmarried girls to get a prosperous husband. Some would also resort to
witchcraft to fulfil their ambition. Peacock in the present folktale doesn’t show any bird
like qualities or behave like a supernatural being like ‘mynah’. He is purely human, rather
he behaves like a responsible farmer who is always busy with agricultural activities.
In many Gamit and tribal folktales, Pohlyo plays very important role though he
stays out of the central social structure of the society. His house proves to be a shelter for
the tormented souls like protagonist in the tale. ‘Person appearing from mango’, such
narratives are found in the ‘Folktales of Mahakosal’ as well. Motif of rebirth is found
here. Though trying hard, stepmother never suseeds in her plan. This tale had variants in
the countries like, The Blue Lily (Spain), The Singing Bones (French Louisiana), Under
the Green Old Oak Tree (Antigua), The Griffin (Italy) etc.
10. BAGALO – LAVAND (Gamit Transcription)
Ek Raja puhi ati. Tave ek bagalo akhe ka ainy ali raja londye are vorad ka-a-ran.
Baki bagala are kehe ka-i-ne vorad ka-e, ale tyahay ek sarat thovi ka bagalo raja bungla
jalo j khambo banavi dey te tye nichkie vorad bagala are ka-ari. Bagalo te khambo
banada mandyo ne banavi kadyo, baki tee puhi akhe ka bagala are nay vorad ka-un.
Pase bagale te tya ganva main pain band ka-ee dan-a. ne ghodan ne chidan bade ma-a-
177
ran mandye. Pase rani akhe ka ali puhiel arada raj diya, nokar –chakar diya, ne tiyar
ka-ine bagala pahe thovi ya. Pase tee raja puhi akhe,
Khamba parna bagala…. (2)
Pani varu chhod re…tu...pani varu...chhod
But the crane replied,
Gadi parni londi (2) tu ori avti ja….
Pani kadi na chhodnar re...pani kadi na chhodnar..
Raja puhi bagala pahene pahe jati goy pase tye bagale te tee puhiel hagi ley ledi ne
arada raj unche thovi dana ne ekk hatya pain chhodyan nay chhodyan ka raja ne rani ne
raj ne bad vovadi ley giyan.
(Somaliben Gamit, Kelkutch village)
CRANE AND THE PRINCESS
There was a princess. A crane wanted to marry her, but the princess would not agree to
marry the crane. So, she put a condition that if the crane makes a pole as high as her
father’s palace, she would marry him. So, the crane started to make the pole and finished
its construction and chirped on the pole. Though, princess refused to marry the crane. So,
the crane stopped the flow of the water into their kingdom, animals and birds started
dying. The king gave half of his kingdom, animals and everything to the princess and
commanded the queen to send the princess to the crane in the palanquin. The princess
sang,
‘O crane…. sitting so high on the pole,
Please, release the water’
But the crane said,
‘O princess…. riding in the palanquin
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Would not release the water
Unless you come to me’
The princess went closer and closer to the crane. Then, the crane took the princess,
kingdom, placed them safely and so suddenly released the water that all the kingdom and
animals were washed away with the flow of water.
●●●●●
Analysis: As per classification of Thompson, this tale’s type is:
· B602.5 Marriage to Crane. India : Thompson-Balys
· B623.1 Crane as Wooer. India : Thompson-Balys
Marriage is very important theme that is found in most of the Gamit tales. But, the
marriages take place in folktales are the type of forced marriage as we found in the tales
of Menhout, Anklet, Pumpkin-huband, in Step-mother or in Peacock Husband. Marriages
in these most of the folktales are made not in heaven but in the supernatural world.
Suitor for the bride can be a crab, frog, pumpkin or a crane as in the present tale.
In the presnt story, flood reminds us of the mythological Great Flood, which is
caused as the divine retribution. Kanjibhai Patel observes in the tribal folktale collection
‘Goth,’ that the Creation Myth does exist in Gamit community and they believe that land
was created from water.
It is very important to note that before bringing the flood, the crane finds a
mate for him, puts half of the kingdom safely which was given to him as the ‘bride-
money.’ Gamit people worship ‘Bagala Dev or’ ‘Bagala Bhoot’, a white deity who
possesses both benevolent and malevolent powers.
The use of the word ‘lavandi’ or ‘londi’ stands for ‘Laundiya’ which is the Hindi
slang for an unmarried girl. The image of the characters identifying them as the royalties
is not very familiar in Gamit milieu. This folktale has the hint of sacrifice motif. To
appease the deity or to save the people, offering human sacrifice, is a very familiar motif
of Indian folktales.
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11. KAVALAN FULAN (Gamit Transcription)
Ajjoho ne puhi ek dihi noye dagle dova giyen. Tan puhiye ek kavala fulan dekhyan
ne ayhel akhe, “Aya, man fulan ley de.” Fulan panya main udalan atan. Ayo fulan la goi
baki fulan nay vavday. Tave tee geetan lavine puhyel akhe,
‘Mondye ale painye hagi yeni va …bayu…
kavalan fulan nay vavday…’
Baki puhi akhe, “mante fulan j jujhe.” Tave ayo pachi unde fulan lan goi, ne akhhe,
‘Kadye ale painye hagi yeni va…bayu….
Kavalan fulan nai vavday…’
Ajjho jale fulan la jahe, fulan unde ne unde jatan jahe. Puhi fulan lan akhe. Pase chhatye
ale painye goi. Ajjoho akhe,
‘Chhatye ale painye hagi yeni va……bayu,…
. Kavalan fulan nay vavday…’
Baki tee nichaki te ath ley ne bathali, tyel fulan j juje. Ajjoho anju ba unde fulan lan goi
ne tee budi j goi ne nichaki radati j ray goy.
(Rataniben Gamit, Kelkutch village)
LOTUS FLOWER
Mother and daughter went to the river to wash the clothes. Daughter saw a lotus
flower floating upon the water and she said to her mother, “Mother! Get me the lotus
flower.” Mother went to pluck the flower but she could not reach it, so she said to her
daughter,
‘I’ve come into knee deep water…. dear
But can’t reach lotus flower’
But the daughter wanted the lotus flower. And mother went further into deep water but
she could not reach the flower; so she said to her daughter,
‘I’ve come into the waist-deep water ... dear
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Though, I can’t reach the lotus flower’
The mother was going to reach the lotus flower, and it was moving into deeper and
deeper water, but the daughter wanted nothing except the flower. Then, the mother went
into still deeper water and she said,
‘I’ve come into the chest- deep water... dear
Though, I can not reach the flower’
But, the daughter was obstinate, she would not be persuaded. Then, the mother went into
still deeper water and she was drowned in to water. The daughter would not stop crying.
●●●●●
Analysis: Aarne –Thompson Motif Index of this tale is:
· A 420 God of water
The tale can also be classified into a moral tale. Demanding something beyond the reach
can result into permanent loss. The use of showing different water level comparing with
various human limbs is the archetype feature of folktale found across the globe. Among
the primitive societies, when the unit of deapth was not known, people would use their
limbs to measure. Joseph Jecobs has given a story which he quoted from Santal Folktales
collected by A. Campbell. The protagonist in the tale cried to her brother,
‘Oh! my brother, the water reaches to my neck,
Still, oh! My brother, the pitcher will not dip.’
12. VENTYO (Gamit Transcription)
Ek ganva main hat baha rav ata, tyaha mainre ek vahano baha ventiyo ato. Eya
baha ba chor ata baki tya ventyal nay ley jay. Ek dihi chh bahahain nakki ka-ayan ka
patla ihin chori ka-a-ra jainan. To ventiyo akhe ka man bu ley jaya baki tya akhe ‘tu ba
ventiyo heto, tan ta kay kam?’ Ventiyo akhe’, varu’. Pase ventiyo te kavalo patala ihi
giyo te dubi rayo. Nichakal jolie main takine patala vovlihi ba bakhe banavu ati. Tee
vahana nichakal huvadti jay ne bakhe banavti jay. Ventiyo mandyo ne te vahana pohal
181
ba vayuk chimati denan ne nichakan rada mandyan.To pase nichakal uchakine ukade
thovi yeno. Nicahaka boj rada mandyan tave patala vovlihi ache ,‘Bayu, payaha kes kes
thoviaha ain tee tila akhahun baki tu radto rakhe. Pase patala ihni vovlihe nichakan
vanaya aga ray giyan ehen hamajine badan akha mandi. Pase badan vanayne ventiya te
chanaha kothadie main kudi padyo ne dubi rayo. Pase barabar rat padi ne pala bahate
patala ihi chori ka-a-r yena ne khado khodine ga-a-me uraya baki tyahal kai nay jadyan.
Tave tyahay pala ventiya bahal kothadie many dekhyo. Tave baha puchhet. ‘Arrr…. tu
kayla yano ra?’ Baki to ventiyo ache. ‘Man ba-aa kada ne te bamli dihi vo.’ Pase pala
bah ate ventiyal ba-aa kadi ley natha. Tya akhya parmane kothadi hagi tyal chadavi
deni.Tya ek jada ve payha thovun ata. To baha tyahal da-a-vadi dee ehe ka-ai-ne tya
bahahany te tya vettiyal hago kothadi are upe chadavi deno ne tya bada payha ley ne jata
raya. Ese ujalan jayun, pase ekte ese raja dhad jaun ati, tya bada ghodawala ek pas eek
ghoda ve chadine jau ata. Jave chhella goda valo yeno ne tave tye ventiye te butadi j deni
afali! To godo te ma-ee j giyo ne palo godavalo upere kay padyan ehe ka-ee-ne gabrayne
nahi giyo. Pase tyen ventiye te kay ka-a-yan terse chana ek chhodvo upadine goda
muanmain thovi dano. Pase tya chana kiyada malik yeno tave to ventiyo akhe,’ Tuen ba
ma godo main takyo ami ain rajal fariyad ka-hine tila da-a-vadi dihin. To akhe ka ehe
rakhe ka-a-to, ain tul hupadan ba-ee-ne payaha dahun. To te payaha ley ne paso jada
tale yano te tya ghodal bade govade khaya ka-et. Godal kha bade govade andar hage
uray giyle. Tye ventiye te kay ka-yan, goda mu-u-n j duki dan ne govade uda nandye te to
godo hago udan mandyo. Tahada main bijo godavalo yeno to akhe, ‘Ayaya… ta godo te
udhe to ra…Tu ta godo man dey de ne ain man godo tul dey dahun’. Tye te ventiya are
godo badali ledo pase ventiya akhe ka ek da godo unche udari pase tu ala goda mu-un
duklan hey ti kadi takje. Palo unche udyo ne godavale goda mu-un dukalan atan tee kadi
takyan te bade govde udi nathe ne to ghodavalo niche padine ma-ee giyo. Pase to ventiyo
te bada payha leyne ga-a giyo ne bahahal akhe, ‘Tuman man takine nahim yenla ele ain
tumhal kay nai daun.’ Pase to ventiyo te sukhethi rayo.
(Ratanibeb Gamit, Kelkutch village)
DWARF
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There were seven brothers. Of these seven brothers, the youngest was the dwarf. These
brothers were thieves but they did not take their dwarf brother with them. One day these
thieves made a plan to steal at the patel’s house and they said the dwarf that they would
not take him as he was of no use to them. The dwarf reached patel’s house earlier than his
brothers.Patel’s daughter-in-law was making chapattis for dinner and her child was
sleeping in the cradle. Dwarf pinched the child and the child started crying loudly.
Child’s mother said ‘Do not cry, I tell you where your father and grandfather has hidden
the money’. Dwarf took the child and put it at the cow-dung dump-yard and he slept into
the cradle. The child’s mother thought that her child was interested to know where the
money was hidden, so she told about all the places where money was hidden. Then, the
dwarf again put the child into the cradle and he hid himself in to a kothi of peas. When
his brothers came, he showed them all the places where money was hidden and he said
them that if they did not take him with them, he would awake the whole household. So,
the six brothers took him with them, they divided money but did not give anything to the
dwarf. The dwarf said, ‘You put me up on the tree with this kothi or else I will call the
people.’ Day broke and a group of soldiers was passing from there. Then, the dwarf
threw the kothi on the last horse rider. The horse died on the spot and its rider ran away.
The dwarf came down, put some pea-plants from the near by farms and put inside the
mouth of the dead horse. When the owner of the farm came, he said ‘You killed Raja’s
horse, now I will complain and you will go to jail.’ Owner of the farm appealed the dwarf
not to complain, instead he would give him a basket full of money. The dwarf agreed.
When the dwarf returned, eagles were feasting the carcass of the horse from inside. So,
the dwarf blocked the hole and the eagles flew in to the air inside the skin of the horse.
Meanwhile another horse-rider came there, he was very much surprised by the flying
horse and he gave a proposal for the exchange of horse, offering the dwarf more money.
The dwarf agreed and he said the rider to remove the blockage of the horse when it
reached up high. The rider did the same but with the removing of the blockage, all the
eagles came out of horse’s carcass and flew away. The horse rider fell down with a big
thud and died on the spot. The dwarf went home with lot of money but he did not give
even a single coin to his six brothers.
●●●●●
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Analysis: Aarne Thompson Motif classification of folktale is:
· AT 1535 The Rich and the Poor Peasants
· + 956 B The Clever Maiden at Home
· 1653 R- The Robbers Under the Tree
Use of numericals three, seven is very common formula of folk tale. The youngest
sibling enjoyes special affection in the family which gives rise to the feeling of sibling
rivalry. Joking relation with the sister –in-law and in case of elder brother’s death, fear of
future suitor of his wife results into hatred of the elder brothers for the younger one. In
several stories a youth achieves his porpose in this way; he climbs a tree and when some
travelers comes below, he/she drops something upon them which frightens them away.
He/She descends and takes their property. All the characters in the story are humans
though, the dwarf is not considered as the normal human being. He is always considered
below normalcy but in the end with his wit and by fate, this underdog, suddenly reaches
to riches, from weakness to powers.
13. PANOTI (Gamit Transliteration)
Ek raj –rajwadan atan. Raja, rani ne tyaha ben poha ata. Tya raja ihin ek sadu
mangan yanv ato. Raja tyal khob khayanan dey devade ka jyathi tyal roj khayan nay lan
yan pade. Teru sadu te roj khob khayana ley jay. Ek dihi raja sadua ga-a jayne dubi
rayo. Sadu te mangi leyne yano baki talhamain ek the-e yani ne badda khayan leyne chal
padi ne sadua bag vaykuj thovyan. Raje te tee the-el da-ee ledine akhyan ka tu kaykan
sadua khyanan kadi ley jatahi. Tave tee the-e akhe. ‘Ain Panoti hetyav ne sadua are
rahun.’ Tve raja akhe ka ami tu maa are raje. Panoti te raja ga-a ran yani. Dire, dire
raja baddan dan gata mandyan ne puran ovi giyan. Pase tyen bija rajmain ran jate
rayen. Raja ne pohal te kodan kam nay avde ale rani gahayan pikhi ley ne ehe ka-ine
tyen arade bukhe rayne pet baet. Pase ranie ath gahya kaine bo vaday giya. Tave tye n
ajjoho abboho bukhe rayne orsi leyne. Ami, rani vadare charan vadi lay ne dala vanjara
ihi goy te vanjaro tyel leyne ratorat jato rayo. Ese, raja ne poha vat aee aee ne thaki giya
pase tya haga akhe ka apa haga ihithi jata rata. Tya jaun ata tave vatemain noy yani ne
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barabar noyadan yenlan atan. Raja ek pohal ley ne jan hoden baki beni poha are j laget,
tyahal ehen ka abboho tyahal taki jairee. Pase, raja te ek pohal ese bandine thovi giyo ne
ekal leyne giyo. Tya pohal tes thovine, bandine bija pohal lan yeno. Noyadamain magadi
ati tee magadi rajal gili goy. Beni poha radataj raya. Noyade dubalen ynen, tyen beni
pohahal ley giyen ne hari rite rakhya ne banavya. Ese, jee magadi rajal gili goyli, tyel
machhimarahain da-ee ledi ne chee-ee, tave tye mahare adami ningyo. To jve banmain
yeno tave tyen badi vat machhimarhal ka-ee. Tya , rajmain raja nain ato, ale tyahain tya
rajal raja banadyo. Ami vanjaro hago tya j rajmain ato. Tya ihi chori jaee, ale tye rajal
fariyad deni. Raje pala ben sipadhal vanjara ihi di rakha thovya. Ratrihi eya ben
sipadhal bo nind yey ale tyen tyaha vat ka-a-ra mandya ka, tya raja poha ata ne tyaha
ajjoho kehek jati ray ahe. Ami vanjara the-e een badan vanati jay ne radati jay baki tyel
kayn bolay nain. Bije dihi raje badhal hadi dovadye ne puchhyan ka beni sipaden
barabar choki kahun aten ka nay. Vanjara the-e akhe ka beni sipaden hage nain huvalen
ne tee hagi nay huvye; kahaka tee tyaha vat vanayun ati ne tya tyej poha heta. Raje te
sipadhal hadya ne puchhyan tave tyen baddi vat ka-ee ka tyaha ajjoho ne abboho kehenk
chhuten padi giyen. Tave raja akhe ka magadi gili giye tote ain j, maa poha chhuta padi
giyala ne ma rani takay giye. Bade ekthe ovee giyen. Raje tya vanzaral tangadi kadyo.
Tyaha panoti puri ovee gee.
(Rataniben Gamit, Kelkutch village)
PANOTI
There was a king, queen and they had two sons. A sadhu used to beg to king’s
palace everyday. The king would give him lot of food and food items so that the sadhu
did not have to come everyday. However, the sadhu came everyday. One day king went
to see at sadhus’ place and hid himself. Then, a woman came over there and took most of
the food from sadhu’s hut leaving just handful for him. The king caught the woman and
asked who she was. She said that she was Panoti and she consumed everything Sadhu
had. King told her to come with him and stay at his palace. After Panoti came to live at
the king’s palace, everyday his wealth went on reducing and one day king became very
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poor. So, the king and his family left the kingdom. They did not know any work, so
queen would go and bring some grass snatching with her hands, would sell and thus they
were living. Then, queen’s hands were so bruised that she was not able to pluck grass and
they decided to bring sickle to cut grass. To buy the sickle, king and queen went without
food. Now, queen would bring more grass, so they had proper food. One day queen went
to grind the food grain at Vanzara’s place, where he captured her and left the place. King
and his sons waited for the queen for many days and when she did not return, they
decided to live that place. When they were leaving, there was a flood in the river. Now,
both the sons were very young and were not ready to leave their father. The king left
younger son on opposite side of the river, tied him up and came to take the another son.
But, into the water, a crocodile swallowed him and both sons cried very much but they
could not do anything since they were tied up on each river bank. People of dubala
community came there and they took both the princes with them. The crocodile was
captured by the fishermen, When, crocodile was caught by the fishermen, they cut open it
and found the living man inside who was unconscious. When the king, came to his
senses, he told his pathetic tale to the fishermen. There was no king into their kingdom,
so he was made king of their kingdom. By coincidence, Vanzara, who had captured the
queen, also came to live in the same kingdom. The two sons had grown up and the dublas
had made them soldiers in the king’s palace. One day, thieves broke into the vanzara’s
place and he reported of the theft in the office of the king. King provided the protection
of the soldiers to vanzara. At night, the soldiers told their story to one another so that
they might not fall asleep. The queen, their mother was also listening to the soldiers’ life
story, but she could not speak to them because of the fear of vanzara. Next day, vanzara
and his wife were called into the court and king asked them whether the soldiers were
awake all the night or not. The queen replied that neither the soldiers had slept nor could
she sleep as she was weeping whole night listening to these soldiers’ story. Then,
vanzara’s wife told the king about how she got separated from her husband and her two
sons. Then, the soldiers too, told the king about how they got separated from their king
father. Listening to this story the king said that he himself was the father of the princes
and husband of the queen. The king punished vanzara and the king’s family once again
came together and thus their panoti was removed.
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(Rataniben Gamit. Kelkutch village)
Analysis: AT Motif classification of the tale is:
· L. Reversal of Fortune
· N. 130. Changing of Luck or Fate
· N.250.Persistent Badluck
This tale seems to be migrated from the Hindu religious stories. Episodes like,
offering help at the risk of harming self and the protagonist’s innocent family’s
suffering, separation of all the family members, abduction of the woman by a lecherous
gypsy, all these aspects make this tale non-tribal. Though, the image of queene cutting
grass, selling it, grinding, make it rooted in tribal milieu. All the characters are pure
human and they suffer the reversal of the fate. After suffering, their badluck was
removed and once again the family came together.
Close examination of these folktales reveal the following folk traits:
· Journey through dark forest
· Enchanted transformation
· Magical curse or other spells
· Encounter with helpful animals or mysterious creatures
· Transformation of human to animal/ Animal to human
· Cruel step mother
· Gods in love with human
Listeners and readers might be awe- struck through the intervention and spell of
supernatural but the tribals take it as the matter of factness and acknowhedge magic as a
part of life without surprise or disbelief. This stylistic feature distances the folk elements
from reality and it provides an important distinction between folk literature and modern
literary fantasy. Boundaries between human world and animal world are less sharply
drawn and change form freely.
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The diversity of India’s culture ensures a wide and complex range of tales which
help to maintain traditional language and customs from different regions, religious and
social groups and tribes. Folktales exercise a powerful influence over the popular
imagination. The most remarkable thing about the folktales is their fluidity. In the preface
to Folk Tales from India, wellknown folklorist A.K. Ramanujan says, “No selection can
truly represent the multiple and changing lives of Indian tales (Ramanujan preface). Each
of the tales found in one culture has the variant in other regions”. In this sense, folktales
are the ‘native documents’.
Perhaps the oldest and some of the best known Indian folktales are about animals,
which go as far back in written texts as the Jatakas (300BCE-400 AD) and the
Panchtantra.. (1200BCE – 300BCE) Intended especially for children, they enable their
young audience to feel powerful when their counterparts in the stories, small animals,
like crow or Hiraman the parrot- defeat stronger animals like tigers. Animal tales assume
a variety of literary forms, including fables, pourquoi tales, beast tales and animal bride
stories, such as the crab, tortoise and the hare are characedrized by their focus on moral.
The Index of Types of folk tales is the classic catalogue devised by ‘Aarne-
Thompson Tale Type Index’. In this Index, animal tales are categorically assigned Type-
1 to 299 numbers, which shows the spread of animal tales across the world.
Transformation technique falls into perhaps the most powerful of the animal tales. These
stories represent human’s bestial nature and reflect a conflict that accompanies the
integration and acceptance of sexual desires and behavior into the personality.
Apart from the established features of folktales which are characters, settings,
plot, and theme, transformation is also one of the significant traits of folktale. It can also
be identified with the disguise, metamorphosis or therianthropy. In mythology, folklore
and speculative fiction, shape shifting is the ability of a being or of a creature to
transform its physical form or shape. This idea persisted through Middle Ages. Usually,
the agency causing shape shifting is used by a sorcerer or witches. Seemingly, all the
Greek and Roman gods were shape shifters, although some of them enjoyed changing
their forms more than others and more than once. The idea of shape shifting is present in
the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism as well as the oldest exist literature and epic
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poems like Iliad and Odyssey. Shape shifting is usually induced by the act of deity or
demi- god. Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are replete with the
examples of shape shifting. It remains a common trait in modern fantasy, children’s
literature and works of popular literature. The most common form of shape shifting in the
myth is that of therianthropy which is the transformation of human beings in to an animal
(werewolves) or conversely, of an animal into human form. Legends too, have the themes
of transformation of another human countenance.
‘Beauty and the Beast’ is one of the most popular of archetype folktales that
appears in every culture in some form or another and is always greeted with delight.
Variants of this tale include monster husband, snake-husband, crocodile- husband, dog-
husband and almost all imaginable animals - all under a spell- all ultimately transformed
by the love and steadfastness of the heroine. In some versions, the animal husband is a
supernatural being who can in either shape; he may be a human or a nature spirit such as
in North American tribal tales of woman marrying fish deities or bear spirits.
Norton (2009) describes transformation stories as threshold tales in which
characters move in and out of animal world and typically show the bond between human
and animals. In these transformation tales, how the relationship is portrayed, is heavily
influenced by the culture in which the tale is originated. Readers and listeners of stories
that feature animals can learn much about humanity and its place alongside its animal
kin. There are lots of Indian fables where animals figure in with their human
counterparts. Bompas collected the tales of Santhal Pargana where the dog features in as
the bride with whom a buffalo- herder falls in love.
Therianthropy, basically the term of Anthropology, is the mythological ability of
human beings to metamorphosis into other animals by means of shape – shifting. The
most well known form of therianthropy is found in stories concerning werewolves. These
stories are still adapted in to the movies and they fascinate the spectators today in the
same manner as they used to be long long ago. The box office success of Hollywood
‘Twilight’ movies is the example of it. Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Ironman are the
modern versions of therianthropy.
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Tribal folk tales that have been collected during the field visist and documented in
the study, majority are the animal tales. In these stories crab, crane, peacock, mynah,
frog, python and even pumpkin, flowers, trees and creepers feature as the spouses of their
human counterparts. Amphibians like crab, python and frog may seem less romantic than
dog bride or wolf husband. One reason for the popularity of such tales may be the idea of
the small and seemingly helpless actually having powers even over the high and mighty.
Another reason for this may be the tribal faith in animism; their belief in the distinct
spiritual essence in physical objects, places and creatures. Supporting this belief Verrier
Elvin says, ‘The skin dress- motif is an old Hindu motif; the changing of clothes,
masques, personae and even bodies’.
In some of the stories like ‘Crab and Three Sisters’, ‘Crane and The Princess’,
shape shifting do not take place, but they use their charm to win over their human
counterparts. Changing of form was one of the qualities out of thirty two qualities of the
ideal king. King Vikram of Ujjain often resorted to ‘parkaya praves mantra’ to help his
subjects.
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Respondents:
Charavi village, Vansada taluka, Navasari district.
Kelkutch village, Vansada taluka, Navasari district.
Unai town, Vansada taluka, Navasari district.
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