A tradition that bore the pulse of the people

Rooted in the land, in the simple sentiments of the pagan, agrarian communities of yore, are myriad traditions that make for an interesting study of the establishment of a people’s identity. In this respect, Goa’s ‘maand’ traditions, once an intrinsic part of tribal life, has served as guardian and nurturer of many of the state’s folk arts.
The maand, in the literal sense, is nothing more than a small plot of land, but metaphorically speaking, it is a repository of secular socio-cultural values.It is also a holy ground where the community gathers to commune with nature gods and their ancestors and where there is no place for casteism.
It is, however, difficult to really understand the philosophy behind the ‘maand’ as an outsider. Rachol seminary professor, Fr Victor Ferrao, says it could be understood as a totemistic or anionic representation of tribal faith.
He draws a parallel between tribals of Africa, who dance around a totem as a way to appease their gods, and the tribal communities of Goa that dance around a lamp placed on the maand with the same intent.
Folk researcher Pandurang Phaldesai says the tradition is not to be confused with the gaunkari system.
In the absence of records about the maand, it is difficult to understand its significance entirely. What is known about the over 5,000-year-old tradition is what researchers have gathered over the past few decades.
They have learned that the maand is an open meeting place of a particular ward of a community, which, for centuries, served as a place of cultural activities, where folk arts were developed and perpetuated.
“While it was a place where cultural activities like dhalo, fugdi, intruz, intrumez, zagor, ranmalem, shigmo, etc, would take place, it was also a place where important decisions pertaining to the ward were taken,” secretary of the Adivasi Sangatna Kepem, Joao Fernandes, says.
Researcher and writer Vinayak R Khedekar reveal an interesting financial aspect of the ‘maand’, one rarely heard of. In an article in the periodical, ‘Govapuri’, he writes, “It (financial power) encompasses all aspects of rural life. Even activities unrelated to the maand were affected by it, like the dhenlo of the cowherds…the digging of the village well or building of bandhs...”
Khedekar goes on to explain that the money required by the cowherds to celebrate dhenlo and the instruments required for it came from the maand. “Even the annual dramas staged in the village were given monetary aid by the maand. Except for the perni zagor and the dashavatar kala, the rest of the art forms depended on the help of the maand,” he writes.
Similarly, a person from the community in need of money could be sure of getting a loan from the maand, of course on interest, as fixed by its committee. And in the simplistic, trust-based tradition of the maand, no collateral was needed. “Sometimes things like utensils or cattle were kept as a security deposit,” writes Khedekar.
In fact, all maand-related activites were rooted in trust, and if, perchance, someone had to betray that trust, the gods would be invoked to mete out punishment.
Sadly, this multi-faceted tradition largely died out in the mid-‘90s. After surviving for thousands of centuries, even persevering during the Portuguese rule, it ultimately succumbed to modernisation and changing social values.
The maands that died out were mostly those of the Christian communities. Fernandes, alleges that the Church “or to the effect some priest” that likened performing on the maand to “worshipping a blind god”, was responsible for the decline of the tradition among Christian tribes.
Ferrao, who believes that just attributing one reason for the decline of the tradition would be inaccurate, says, “It is also true that finding themselves in an encounter with modernity, these agrarian communities, in an attempt to shake off the ‘backward’ tag, slowly moved away from the maand, an intrinsic, all-encompassing symbol of their culture.”
All are equal here. However, on some maands, one male villager — deemed the ‘maandkari’ — has precedence at every observance
Maands derive their names from the folk festival or art they are associated with. So, Hindus have the shigmo, dhalo, zagor, ranmalle and gadde maands, while Christians have the Sao Joao, intruz and dhalo maands. This sacred space has no written rules. It functions purely on beliefs, tradition and trust.
Variations in folk dances were introduced on the ‘maand’. Change in governance and social customs were also depicted through these folk dances
LAW OF THE LAND
All village disputes were handled in a democratic manner and given the sacred nature of the maand, there were no arguments during hearings.
Even the gravest of offences would be condoned on the payment of a fine or carrying out of community service. But, first, due forgiveness had to be sought In rare cases, a person could be declared an outcast
Popular religions have no place on the ‘maand’, and deities like ‘Dhartimata’ (earth goddess) and ‘Vanadevta’ (forest god) are invoked.
Instead of the mantras seen in Vedic cultures, here there are songs, which are just as sacred
On Christian maands, though Jesus is prayed to, the recitation ends with the words ‘in fact all gods are one’
FUND MANAGEMENT
A maand had money of its own, collected through donations either in the form of cash or kind. The latter would be auctioned.
There was a tax the maand collected called the ‘pati’.
This would be collected per person, per household, per head of cattle or per fruit-bearing tree. The decision on which of these tax would be collected depended on the year’s expenditure
Some communities associated with the maand
Dhangars, Kulwadis, Kulambis, Gawdas
Qoute
It is essential that awareness be created that some maands are unknowingly moving away from the core concept of the folk tradition, which is to ensure man remains connected with nature — the ‘panchamahabhutas’. Roofing and tiling the maand cuts the cord with nature, and the very essence of the culture is lost. The government initiative to incentivise the maand monetarily is welcomed on the condition that its authentic values and folk festivals are preserved and promoted in the right perspective
Pandurang Phaldesai
Folk Researcher