India #4 - The Tribal Village

One of my jobs on the trip to India was to be a spokesperson – I spoke at schools, planted trees, cut ribbons, administered polio vaccines, spoke on the radio and attended many dances, both traditional and tribal. One special evening we were visitors at an annual multi-tribal celebration. We were given the opportunity to meet with various tribes while they practiced. Two words describe the experience: Soul Stomping. The room was filled with vivid colors moving quickly in a controlled choreography, the passionate chanting and singing, and the beating of drums matching the movement of the tribe. It overwhelmed all of our senses and created unrelenting energy.

What we did not know was that the next day we would head to the mountains to visit a remote tribe, and experience a different facet of tribal life. We traveled for two and a half hours in a caravan with the tribal leaders of the Eastern Ghat tribes into the Eastern Ghat Mountain Range. We stopped at the social services headquarters and some of the tribal leaders stayed for meetings while others accompanied us by boat to visit the Konda Dora Tribe. After a lengthy boat ride we arrived at shore and were told “now we must walk.” Without a water bottle in hand, we traveled by foot for an hour through dry, dusty and uneven terrain. We arrived at the village, only to be gawked at – we were the first westerners they had ever met – what a sight we must have been to them!

The village had two long houses that held four families each; each family had one room. The houses were built with sticks and hay, with a connecting porch and an entrance to each room low to the ground, but once inside you could stand up. Other structures were for the animals and the village well. The village was sparse but, clean and well maintained. Babies laid in hammocks, children hid behind the women, and the women crouched behind the furniture on the porch. Everyone was scared of us!

We hadn’t eaten in hours, we were thirsty, we were dripping wet and we had another hour walk back to the boat! Once back to the boat they offered us a warm beer which we accepted shaking our heads. With our entourage of tribal leaders on the boat, we headed back to the social services office. The leaders pulled out the drums and set about to keep us entertained. The sensual beat of the drums, the hot sun beating down on us, the warm beer and the movement of the boat gliding across the water created an unforgettable experience. Along the way we dropped off the tribal leaders and were humbled when we found out the leaders had anywhere between a one and three day walk home.

Hours after we left our home stays, we returned still hungry, hot, tired and thirsty. Although we would not trade the experience for anything, we all agreed we needed to start finding out what was planned for each day before we left for the day!