Tribal and Folk Knowledge Systems of India: Fagun Madai of Dantewada as a Sacred Celebration and Living Cultural Heritage
Sushant Thakur
Assistant professor
Department: English mail id- sushant.2521@gmail.com
Veerangna Masak Devi Nag Govt Model College Jawanga Geedam
Abstract
India’s tribal festivals are not merely seasonal celebrations but embodied knowledge systems that preserve cosmology, ecology, social organization, and inter-community ethics. Fagun Madai of Dantewada, celebrated in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, represents one such living anthropological institution. Organized annually during the month of Phagun, the festival revolves around the sacred presence of Maa Danteshwari and the participation of multiple tribal communities including the Gond, Muria, Maria, and Halba. This paper analytically examines the day-wise ritual structure of Fagun Madai, its processions, ritual symbolism, and its socio-cultural functions. It explores how the festival reinforces inter-village networks, sustains indigenous cosmology, ensures transmission of ritual traditions to younger generations, strengthens ecological awareness, and integrates tribal and mainstream Holi practices. The study argues that Fagun Madai is not a static folk event but a dynamic socio-religious institution that sustains collective identity while negotiating modernization. Through textual analysis, ethnographic observations, and secondary sources, the paper situates Fagun Madai within the broader discourse of tribal knowledge systems and cultural continuity in contemporary India.
Keywords: Fagun Madai, Dantewada, Tribal Knowledge Systems, Maa Danteshwari, Indigenous Cosmology, Cultural Integration
DOI link – https://doi.org/10.69758/GIMRJ/2604S01V14P006
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