Warli Tribe

About Warli Tribe

• They are an adivasi indigenous tribe who live in the mountainous, coastal, and bordering regions of Gujarat and Maharashtra.
• The word 'Warli' is derived from the word 'Warla,' which means 'piece of land'.
• Language - The Warli people speak Varli or Warli, an Indo-Aryan language. The language is typically classified as Marathi, but it is also known as Konkani or Bhil.
• Culture – They have their own animistic beliefs, way of life, customs, and traditions, and they have adopted many Hindu beliefs.
• The Warli culture is centred on the concept of Mother Nature, and natural elements are frequently depicted as focal points in Warli painting.
• The Warli tribe values folk art as well as gods, goddesses, and ritual culture. They use painting to depict their traditional way of life, customs, and traditions. The majority of these paintings are created by women.
• Style & attire - The Warli Tribe women wear a Lugden that is worn until the knee and is typically a one yard sari. The Maharashtrian rural regions influenced the sari. The knee length draping resembles the Maharashtrian sari draping style.
• Festival: Bohada is a three-day mask festival held by the Warli tribes. During this celebration, mask owners wear these masks and perform several times.
• Dance & music - The Warli Tribes perform Tarpa Dance along with Tarpa music instruments.
• They usually perform in groups. One person plays music with a Tarpa instrument and the rest of the people form a circle keeping the musician in the centre and dance with people.

Q1) What is tarpa?

The tarpa, a trumpet-like instrument, is played in turns by different village men. Men and women entwine their hands and move in a circle around the tarpa player. The dancers then follow him, turning and moving as he turns, never turning their backs to the tarpa. The musician plays two different notes, which direct the head dancer to either move clockwise or counterclockwise.

Source: Maharashtra’s indigenous Warlis teach a lesson about peaceful coexistence with leopards