Indian Folk Art

Every region in India has its own style and pattern of art which is popularly known as folk art. Despite the existence of folk art, there is another form of art which is specially practiced by the tribal communities of India and is known as tribal art. To some, tribal art includes a wide range of art forms such as wall and floor paintings, dances, music and so on. The decorative traditions of the tribal people can be found on the walls and floors of the houses of tribal people or on any other objects such as wooden material and clothes. The tribal art in India is simple yet colourful and vibrant. It generally portrays the pictures of humans, animals, or any other living or non-living objects that surrounds their immediate environment. The portrayals also include their subsistence activities such as hunting, agriculture, pastoralist and so on.

Tribal art is generally treated with religious and mystical motives and is based and attached to the notion of the population. Thus, we see in tribal art that a man living by hunting or by gathering fruits and tubers from the jungle or practicing shifting cultivation is a man not at work but at play (Swaminathan 1990). The arts of tribes like Warli of the Western Ghats, Bhills of Central India, and Gond tribe of Madhya Pradesh are very famous. Edisung, the inner wall paintings among the Savara tribe in Andhra Pradesh also received due attention recently and is being promoted by many non- governmental organizations. Almost all the tribes of India have their own languages to speak and also have a diverse range of songs in that language. These songs usually go with various forms of dances and playing of exclusive musical instruments. These dance forms are considered as performing arts.

Similar to all others, the tribes of Andhra Pradesh also own a number of famous dance forms which consist a wide variety of colours, costumes, and types and also include different settings and musical instruments. Among these, Dhimasa dances performed by the tribes of Araku valley in Visakhapatnam district, Mayura nata of Koyas in East Godavari, Natch of the Lambada tribe, Tong Tseng dance of the Savara tribe of Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts are well known. Among other art forms, the embroidery work of Lambada tribe, also known as Sugali tribe, is very popular across the country.

The traditional dresses of the Lambada tribe is perhaps the most colourful and elaborate than any other tribe has. The base cloth used is cotton khadi or power loom fabric and is also dyed locally. The embroidery work is an amalgamation of pattern darning, mirror work, cross stitch, and overlaid and quilting stitches done on loosely woven fabric. The artwork has now reached all over the world. Among them, bedsheets and cushion covers in subtle colours are most famous. Heavily embroidered bags are also popular among tourists. Crafts, popularly known as handicrafts are defined as “Items made by hand, often with the use of simple tools and are generally artistic and/or traditional in nature. They are also objects of utility and objects of decoration”.

Tribal handicrafts are any of such items made by tribals with specialised skills which are passed on from one generation to another and these handicrafts are means of livelihood of tribal artisans. The natural setting i.e., habitat and ecology influence material culture so deeply that it leaves an impression on every other aspect from the simple technology of food-gathering to building houses. Just to adapt themselves to their habitat and negative physical environment, tribals prepare their essential commodities (i.e. handicrafts), the raw materials of which are provided by their immediate physical environment. Besides the adaptive functionality of the handicrafts, they also reflect virtuosity and aesthetic sense to a great extent of the tribal artisans. The handicrafts also have socio-religious significance for tribal artisans, as most of these crafts with certain characteristics and flawlessness are used in socio-religious practices (Das 1939).

Tribal art is related to their myths, rituals, festivals, and to magico-religious practices. However, they also have a strong sense of the purely decorative expression, enhancing, or adding to what is naturally given without any signification other than that of the simple delight of the eye. The tribal art has the capacity to hold us enthralled even when the representational aspect or the “content” is rationally unacceptable or is mundane or even tribal and common place.

Even through most tribal economics lie in a scuffle, the creative provider and scope of the tribal mind is persistent. There may be a renaissance in tribal artistic expression for all the carping criticism of the purists, who would rather have tribal cultures die a natural death than see them entering our times with their creative power sharpened (Swaminathan 1990). Tribal art has a great potential in the international market because of its simplicity and authenticity. Similarly, in case of handicrafts, tribal artisans use the abundant natural resources of their surroundings to make their everyday used materials, which are made with artistic embellishments. Thus, tribal handicrafts are exotic, needful for everyday uses, and also artistic in nature. These products definitely have a national and international market.