Children of the Earth Goddess society, marriage and sacrifice in the highlands of Orissa / Roland Hardenberg.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hardenberg, Roland, author.

Series:

Religion and society (Hague, Netherlands) ; Volume 73.

Religion and Society ; Volume 73

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Marriage.

Orissa (India)--Religious life and customs.

Orissa (India).

India--Odisha.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (710 pages) : illustrations.

Place of Publication:

Berlin, [Germany] ; Boston, [Massachusetts] : De Gruyter, 2018.

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

The whole world is changing with incredible speed towards something radically new, yet people across the globe also show resistance to the forces that homogenize our lives. This book deals with a community that has found its niche in the remote Niamgiri mountain range of Odisha (India) and is struggling to preserve its way of life: the Dongria Kond. In recent years, they made the headlines as the real "Avatars" because they successfully fought a multinational company's plans to mine the mountains. From the perspective of the Dongria Kond, these mountains are the seat of gods, and the whole environment is animated by spiritual forces. This highly complex cosmic order includes humans and non-humans and rests on a divine law (niam). This book captures the viewpoint of the Dongria Kond and provides deep insights into their vision of the world. It offers elaborate accounts of how the Dongria relate to the outside world, conceive of their own society and engage in complex rituals in order to (re-)establish the cosmos. The book confronts the reader with radically different imaginings of familiar human concerns: love, fertility, wealth, status and well-being.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Preface

Contents

Figures, Tables, and Photographs

Abbreviations

Spelling of Dongria words

1. Introduction

2. "Tribal society" in the Niamgiri Hills

3. Dongria social categories, rules, and practices

4. Forms of marriage: negotiation, violence, and love

5. The clan sacrifice: Creating Niamgiri society

6. Conclusion: A system of ideas and values

7. Glossary

Appendix 1: Family tree of icha jani segment (Gumma)

Appendix 2: Marriage relations between Gumma and other villages

Appendix 3: Numbers and names of villages

Appendix 4: Plan of a Dongria house

Appendix 5: Plan of a Dongria house (profile)

Appendix 6: Myths about Duke and Dumbe

References

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (EBC, viewed February 6, 2018).

ISBN:

9783110531763

3110531763

OCLC:

1020025772