Verrier Elwin
Encyclopedia
Verrier Elwin was a self-trained anthropologist, ethnologist and tribal activist, who began his career in India
as a Christian missionary. He was a controversial figure who first abandoned the clergy, to work with Mohandas Gandhi and the Indian National Congress
, then converted in Hinduism
in 1935 after staying a Gandhian ashram, split with the nationalists over what he felt was an overhasty process of transformation
and assimilation
for the tribals. Elwin is best known for his early work with the Baigas and Gonds of central India, and he married a member of one of the communities he studied there, though he also worked on the tribals of several North East Indian states especially North-East Frontier Agency
(NEFA) and settled in Shillong later in life, apart from Orissa
and Madhya Pradesh
.
In time he became an authority on India
n tribal
lifestyle and culture
, particularly on the Gondi people
. He also served as the Deputy Director of the Anthropological Survey of India
upon its formation in 1945. Post-independence he took up Indian citizenship. Nehru appointed him as an adviser on tribal affairs for north-eastern India, and later he was Anthropological Adviser to the Government of NEFA
(now Arunachal Pradesh).
His autobiography, The Tribal World of Verrier Elwin won him the 1965 Sahitya Akademi Award
in English Language
, given by the Sahitya Akademi
, India's National Academy of Letters.
, the son of Edmund Henry Elwin
, Bishop of Sierra Leone
. He was educated at Dean Close School
and Merton College, Oxford
, where he received his degrees of BA
First Class in English Language and Literature, MA
, and DSc
. He also remained the President of Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union
(OICCU) in 1925.
and in the following year he became a lecturer at Merton College, Oxford
. He went to India in 1927 as a missionary
. He first joined Christian Service Society in Pune. The first time he visited the central India, current states of Madhya Pradesh
, Chattisgarh, and parts of eastern Maharashtra
was with another Indian from Pune, Shamrao Hivale. Their studies are on the tribes are some of the earliest anthropological studies in the country. Over the years he was influenced by the philosophies of Mahatma Gandhi
and Rabindranath Tagore
. He came out with numerous works on various tribal groups in India, the best acclaimed being those on Maria and Baigas.
After India attained independence in 1947 he was asked by Jawaharlal Nehru
to find solutions to the problems that emerged among the tribal peoples living in the far northeastern corner of India, the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA). NEFA is now the State of Arunachal Pradesh
, just north of Assam
. He also remained a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy
.
Most recently, Ramachandra Guha
's biography Savaging the Civilized: Verrier Elwin, His Tribals, and India brought attention to Elwin's life and career.
-- that youth must be served, that freedom and happiness are more to be treasured than any material gain, that friendliness and sympathy, hospitality and unity are of the first importance, and above all that human love - and its physical expression - is beautiful, clean and precious, is typically Indian."
tribal girl who was a student at his school at Raythwar (Raithwar) in Dindori district
in Madhya Pradesh
. The girl Kosi was 13 and Verrier 40 at the time of marriage on April 4, 1940. Verrier first made his wife Kosi the subject of his anthropological studies including publishing intimate sexual details in what is called participant observation
. They had two sons the elder Jawahar Singh, born in 1941 and the younger Vijay. After finishing his work in Central India Verrier left Kosi in 1950-51, after nearly nine years of marriage, to the mercy of his friend Shamrao Hivale, had an ex-parte divorce at 1949, at the Calcutta High Court
, which Kosi does not remember and married another woman Leela, the daughter of Pradhan (village head) of Patangarh (Pathangad) in NEFA, where his subsequent research took him. The elder son Jawahar was in Verrier's custody and the younger in Kosi's. A monthly alimony of Rs. 25 and a house in Jabalpur was given to Kosi. After Verrier's death in 1964, 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of land was sold off and the rest of the inheritance was taken by Leela, leaving a life of poverty for Kosi and her children. Elwin died in Delhi on February 22, 1964 after a heart attack.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
as a Christian missionary. He was a controversial figure who first abandoned the clergy, to work with Mohandas Gandhi and the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
, then converted in Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
in 1935 after staying a Gandhian ashram, split with the nationalists over what he felt was an overhasty process of transformation
Transformation of culture
Transformation of culture, or cultural change, to the dynamic process whereby the living cultures of the world are changing and adapting to external or internal forces. This process is occurring within Western culture as well as non-Western and indigenous cultures and cultures of the world...
and assimilation
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...
for the tribals. Elwin is best known for his early work with the Baigas and Gonds of central India, and he married a member of one of the communities he studied there, though he also worked on the tribals of several North East Indian states especially North-East Frontier Agency
North-East Frontier Agency
The North-East Frontier Agency was one of the political divisions in British India and later the Republic of India till 1972, when it became the Union Territory of Arunachal Pradesh...
(NEFA) and settled in Shillong later in life, apart from Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
and Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
.
In time he became an authority on India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n tribal
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
lifestyle and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
, particularly on the Gondi people
Gondi people
The Gondi, Goindi or Gond people are people in central India, spread over the states of Madhya Pradesh, eastern Maharashtra , Chhattisgarh, northern Andhra Pradesh, and Western Orissa. With over four million people, they are the largest tribe in Central India.The Gondi language is related to...
. He also served as the Deputy Director of the Anthropological Survey of India
Anthropological Survey of India
Anthropological Survey of India is the apex Indian organisation involved in anthropological studies and field data research for human and cultural aspects, working primarily in the fields of physical anthropology and cultural anthropology...
upon its formation in 1945. Post-independence he took up Indian citizenship. Nehru appointed him as an adviser on tribal affairs for north-eastern India, and later he was Anthropological Adviser to the Government of NEFA
North-East Frontier Agency
The North-East Frontier Agency was one of the political divisions in British India and later the Republic of India till 1972, when it became the Union Territory of Arunachal Pradesh...
(now Arunachal Pradesh).
His autobiography, The Tribal World of Verrier Elwin won him the 1965 Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
in English Language
Sahitya Akademi Award to English Language Writers
The Sahitya Akademi Award is given each year, since 1955, by the Sahitya Akademi , to writers and their works, for their outstanding contribution to the upliftment of Indian literature in each of the official languages of India....
, given by the Sahitya Akademi
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi ', India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India...
, India's National Academy of Letters.
Early life and education
Verrier Holman Elwin was born on 29 August 1902 in DoverDover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
, the son of Edmund Henry Elwin
Edmund Henry Elwin
Edmund Henry Elwin was born on 18 September 1871 and educated at Dover College and Merton College Oxford where he gained a third class degree in Theology...
, Bishop of Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
. He was educated at Dean Close School
Dean Close School
Dean Close School is a co-educational independent school in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The school is divided into pre-prep, preparatory and senior schools located on separate but adjacent sites outside Cheltenham town centre, occupying the largest private land area in the town...
and Merton College, Oxford
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
, where he received his degrees of BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
First Class in English Language and Literature, MA
Master of Arts (Oxbridge)
In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts of these universities are admitted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university .There is no examination or study required for the degree...
, and DSc
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
. He also remained the President of Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union
Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union
The Oxford Inter-Collegiate Christian Union, usually known as OICCU, was the second university Christian Union and is the University of Oxford's most prominent student Protestant organisation...
(OICCU) in 1925.
Career
In 1926 he was appointed Vice-Principal of Wycliffe Hall, OxfordWycliffe Hall, Oxford
Wycliffe Hall is a Church of England theological college and a Permanent Private Hall of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located on the Banbury Road in central North Oxford, between Norham Gardens and Norham Road.-Overview:...
and in the following year he became a lecturer at Merton College, Oxford
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
. He went to India in 1927 as a missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
. He first joined Christian Service Society in Pune. The first time he visited the central India, current states of Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
, Chattisgarh, and parts of eastern Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
was with another Indian from Pune, Shamrao Hivale. Their studies are on the tribes are some of the earliest anthropological studies in the country. Over the years he was influenced by the philosophies of Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
and Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
. He came out with numerous works on various tribal groups in India, the best acclaimed being those on Maria and Baigas.
After India attained independence in 1947 he was asked by Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
to find solutions to the problems that emerged among the tribal peoples living in the far northeastern corner of India, the North East Frontier Agency (NEFA). NEFA is now the State of Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh is a state of India, located in the far northeast. It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, and shares international borders with Burma in the east, Bhutan in the west, and the People's Republic of China in the north. The majority of the territory is claimed by...
, just north of Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
. He also remained a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy
Indian National Science Academy
The Indian National Science Academy , New Delhi is the apex body of Indian scientists representing all branches of science & technology.-History:...
.
Most recently, Ramachandra Guha
Ramachandra Guha
Ramachandra Guha is an Indian writer whose research interests have included environmental, social, political and cricket history. He is also a columnist for the newspapers The Telegraph , and The Hindustan Times.-Early life and education:Born in Dehra Dun, Uttarakhand, India in 1958, Guha studied...
's biography Savaging the Civilized: Verrier Elwin, His Tribals, and India brought attention to Elwin's life and career.
On Ghotul
Verrier Elwin wrote - "The message of the ghotulGhotul
A Ghotul is a spacious tribal hut surrounded by earthen or wooden walls. It is an integral part of Gond tribal life in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh and the neighboring areas in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh in India. It’s a place by youths and for youths, an independent and autonomous children’s...
-- that youth must be served, that freedom and happiness are more to be treasured than any material gain, that friendliness and sympathy, hospitality and unity are of the first importance, and above all that human love - and its physical expression - is beautiful, clean and precious, is typically Indian."
Personal life
Verrier married a Raj GondGondi people
The Gondi, Goindi or Gond people are people in central India, spread over the states of Madhya Pradesh, eastern Maharashtra , Chhattisgarh, northern Andhra Pradesh, and Western Orissa. With over four million people, they are the largest tribe in Central India.The Gondi language is related to...
tribal girl who was a student at his school at Raythwar (Raithwar) in Dindori district
Dindori District
Dindori District is a district of Madhya Pradesh state of central India. The town of Dindori is the district headquarters. The district is part of Shahdol Division.-Economy:...
in Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
. The girl Kosi was 13 and Verrier 40 at the time of marriage on April 4, 1940. Verrier first made his wife Kosi the subject of his anthropological studies including publishing intimate sexual details in what is called participant observation
Participant observation
Participant observation is a type of research strategy. It is a widely used methodology in many disciplines, particularly, cultural anthropology, but also sociology, communication studies, and social psychology...
. They had two sons the elder Jawahar Singh, born in 1941 and the younger Vijay. After finishing his work in Central India Verrier left Kosi in 1950-51, after nearly nine years of marriage, to the mercy of his friend Shamrao Hivale, had an ex-parte divorce at 1949, at the Calcutta High Court
Calcutta High Court
The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It was established as the High Court of Judicature at Fort William on 1 July 1862 under the High Courts Act, 1861. It has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The High Court...
, which Kosi does not remember and married another woman Leela, the daughter of Pradhan (village head) of Patangarh (Pathangad) in NEFA, where his subsequent research took him. The elder son Jawahar was in Verrier's custody and the younger in Kosi's. A monthly alimony of Rs. 25 and a house in Jabalpur was given to Kosi. After Verrier's death in 1964, 60 acres (242,811.6 m²) of land was sold off and the rest of the inheritance was taken by Leela, leaving a life of poverty for Kosi and her children. Elwin died in Delhi on February 22, 1964 after a heart attack.
Works
- The dawn of Indian freedom, with Jack Copley Winslow. G. Allen & Unwin ltd., 1931.
- Truth about India: can we get it?. G. Allen & Unwin, 1932.
- Mahatma Gandhi: sketches in pen, pencil and brush, with Kanu Desai. Golden Vista Press, 1932.
- Gandhi: the dawn of Indian freedom, with John Copley Winslow. Fleming H. Revell company, 1934..
- Songs of the Forest; The Folk Poetry of the Gonds. with Shamrao Hivale. London: G. Allen & Unwin, ltd, 1935..
- The Agaria. H. Milford, Oxford University Press, 1942.
- The Aboriginals. H. Milford, Oxford University Press, 1944.
- Folk-songs of the Maikal hills. with Shamrao Hivale. H. Milford, Oxford University Press, 1944.
- Folk-songs of Chhattisgarh. G. Cumberlege, Oxford university press, 1946.
- The Muria and their ghotul. Oxford Univ. Press, 1947.
- Myths of Middle India, Indian Branch, Oxford University Press, 1949.
- Bondo highlander. Oxford University Press, 1950.
- Maria murder and suicide, OUP, 1950.
- The tribal art of middle India: a personal record. Indian Branch, Oxford University Press, 1951.
- Tribal myths of Orissa. Indian Branch, Oxford University Press, 1954.
- The religion of an Indian tribe. Oxford University Press, 1955.
- Myths of the north-east frontier of India, Volume 1. North-East Frontier Agency, 1958.
- India's north-east frontier in the nineteenth century. Oxford University Press, 1959.
- The art of the north-east frontier of India, Volume 1. Pub. North-East Frontier Agency, 1959.
- The Fisher-Girl and the CrabThe Fisher-Girl and the CrabThe Fisher-Girl and the Crab is an Indian fairy tale collected by Verrier Elwin in Folk-Tales of Mahakoshal; it comes from the Kuruk, a people living in Chitrakot, Bastar State.-Synopsis:...
- A philosophy for NEFA. S. Roy on behalf of the North-East Frontier AgencyNorth-East Frontier AgencyThe North-East Frontier Agency was one of the political divisions in British India and later the Republic of India till 1972, when it became the Union Territory of Arunachal Pradesh...
(NEFA), 1960. - A new deal for tribal India. Abridgement of the tenth Report of the Commissioner for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for the year 1960-61. Ministry of Home Affairs, 1963.
- When the world was young: folk-tales from India's hills and forests. Publication Div., Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Govt. of India, 1961.
- The Tribal world of Verrier Elwin: an autobiography. Oxford University Press, 1964.
- Religious and cultural aspects of khadi. Sarvodaya Prachuralaya, 1964.
- Democracy in NEFA.. North-East Frontier Agency, 1965.
- Folk paintings of India. Inter-national Cultural Centre, 1967.
- The kingdom of the young, OUP, 1968.
- The Nagas in the nineteenth century. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- A new book of tribal fiction. North-East Frontier Agency, 1970.
- Folk-tales of Mahakoshal. Arno Press, 1980.
- The Baiga. Gian Pub. House, 1986.
- Leaves from the jungle: life in a Gond village. Oxford University Press, 1992.
- Verrier Elwin, Philanthropologist: Selected Writings, Ed. Nari Rustomji. North-Eastern Hill Univ. Publications, Oxford University Press, 2002, ISBN 0-19-565801-9.
Further reading
- Anthropology and archaeology: essays in commemoration of Verrier Elwin, 1902-64. Ed. Mahesh Chandra Pradhan. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- An evaluative study of Verrier Elwin, folklorist, by Bhabagrahi Misra. Indiana University, 1969.
- Verrier Elwin: a pioneer Indian anthropologist. Asia Pub. House, 1973. ISBN 0-210-40556-2.
- Verrier Elwin and India's north-eastern borderlands, by Nari Rustomji. North-Eastern Hill University Publications, 1988.
- Din-sevak: Verrier Elwin's life of service in tribal India. Daniel O'Connor, Christian Institute for the Study of Religion & Society, Bangalore, , 1993. ISBN 81-7214-069-X.
- Savaging the Civilized — Verrier Elwin, his tribals and India, Ramchandra Guha. University of Chicago Press; OUP. 1999.
- Against ecological romanticism: Verrier Elwin and the making of an anti-modern tribal identity, by Archana Prasad. Three Essays Collective, 2003.
- Verrier Elwin as remembered by his family and friends, by B. Francis Kulirani, Bibhash Dhar. Anthropological Survey of India, 2003. ISBN 81-85579-80-6.
- Between Ethnography and Fiction: Verrier Elwin and the Tribal Question in India. Tanka Bahadur Subba, Sujit Som, K. C. Baral (eds.). New Delhi: Orient Longman, 2005. ISBN 81-250-2812-9.
External links and further sources
- The Muria and Their Ghotul by Verrier Elwin
- Warren E. Roberts, 'Verrier Elwin (1902–1964)', Asian Folklore Studies 23:2 (1964), 212-14
- The Tribal World of Verrier Elwin, An Autobiography, Oxford University Press (1964)
- Beating a dead horse Verrier Elwin