TRIBAL ART & THEIR RITUALISTIC, UTILITARIAN, INDIVIDUALISTIC IMPORTANCE: A GLIMPSE OF TRIBAL ART

Bhil tribes have a long history of their existence. Bhil love arrow and bow and it is believed that their name emerged from Dravid language word "billu" means bow and arrow. Their reference is in old literature Ramayana (in context of Shabri) and Mahabharata in context of Eklavya. In Sanskrit literature Bhil tribe occurs in Katha Sarit Sagar (600 A.D.). The traditional abodes of the tribes are hills and forests, and their popular names, meaning either the people of forest and hill or original inhabitants, are: Vanyajati (castes of the forests), vanvasi (inhabitants of forests), pahari (hill dwellers), adimjati (original communities), adivasi (first settlers), janjati (folk people), anusuchit janjati (schedules tribe). Amongst all these terms adivasi is known most extensively. Generally, the uppermost section of the enclosure, above a wavy line with geometric motifs.