Tribal Heritage of Western India (With Special Reference to Mavchis of Dangs)

Since prehistoric period Western India has been a settling soil for the various races, tribes and communities of the Old World on account of its straight and easily accessible routes from Central Asia on North Western side and from South Eastern Asia and Australia from South Eastern side.    The Central Asian Communities, like, Indo-Iranians, Scythians, Turks etc. did come here from west. Therefore here we come across all kind of races. The Negros as Siddis of Junagadh, Kutch and Ratanpur of Bharuch, the Mongoloid Luhanas, Caucasoid Scythians as Shepherds like, Rabaris and Ahiras and the Proto Australoids Bhils and other tribal aptly embody the mosaic of earth’s all foremost races. In this museum like land of racial variation, some of the communities for their cultural traditions stand very distinguish. They are the Rabaris of Kutch, Siddis of Junagadh, the Rathva Bhils of the Panch Mahals and the Mavchis of South Gujarat. They present divergent vista of ethnology. The tribal Heritage in Western India: With Special Reference to Mavchis of Dangs is an outcome of Dr. Raj Ratna Goswami’s vast experience as an ethnologist and cultural enthusiast, being curator in the Dept. of Museums of Government of Gujarat since 1977. In general, it touches most of the aspects of life of a tribal in Western India and the Mavchis of South Gujarat in particular, by reciting an unhindered saga which starts with prehistory and then taking a complete tour of social enigma, occupational activities, religion, art and literature ends at recreation and amusement. There is no much muddle of reference after references from erudite studies but rather it just interprets only fundamental first hand information collected from the deep forests, terrains of mountains and smoking shanties of the Dangs.