The Ghotul in Muria Society

This work will be on interest to all Indianists and South Asianists concerned with minorities and contemporary social change, and also to specialists in socialization, adolescence and family life in peasant societies.
The Muria of Blastar district are one of the largest of the Gond tribes of Central India; they have a rich cultural heritage and a distinctive way of life. This is the first full-length study of the Muria to be based on the results of intensive fieldwork and guided by contemporary anthropological theory. Gell analyses the spatial framework of Muria society and the politics of marriage exchange. The study columinates in a detailed account of the Ghotal, the village dormitory for adolescents of both sexes, and the complex dilemmas faced by young Muria on the threshold of adulthood. The emphasis throughout is on allowing the Muria to speak directly from their own experience, using personal case-histories. This leads to new insights into the issues of gender and social power.