Note: This story is about a specific tribal community I am working with in Rajasthan’s Udaipur. Please don’t generalise it to all other tribal communities.
Tribal culture is a culture dating back to the primitive culture of the prehistoric era. Today, tribal groups are settled on different padas (pieces of land).
Even though the distance between the tribal people living in the valleys and those living in cities is decreasing, with increasing transportation facilities and improving infrastructure, their traditions and culture are still very much alive. Their lifestyles and motivations are quite different from non-tribals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GMiHMTtnf4
I am working with a tribal community in the Kotra block of Udaipur. Their way of life depends on nature entirely. They consider earth, light, air and sky as essential elements, present at the root of their existence.
It shows not just in their festivals and rituals, but also in their art and everyday life. I was interested to know more and so, I would talk to people about the same.
The Tribal Custom Of Mautana
Whenever I went to the village for meetings, I would engage with the tribal people living there. One day, in Mamer village, Satyendra Kumar*, a resident, told me a bit about a custom called mautana.
According to it, if someone kills a person, the entire community will support the victim’s family by making the suspect’s family pay the price for the same.
A lot of questions arose in my mind about the origin of this custom and if there was any government involvement. But, due to lack of time, I could not inquire any further. I had to leave early as the last taxi was about to depart.
The next day, I met Dharmachand Khair, convener of a local collective of tribal people called the Adivasi Vikas Manch. The moment I saw him, all the questions about mautana started coming back to me. I went ahead and asked him all about it.
Money To Make Up For Murder
As I sat in front of him, he gave me all the information he could. He began by talking about tribal history. According to him, this custom goes back several ages. When the human race was still evolving, we were completely dependent on forests.
In those times, people used to attack other groups of people in the fight for resources. Because of this, many people lost their lives. When one of their members was killed, the villagers would gather to discuss the death after the funeral of the deceased.
It was then decided that the person who has killed the deceased, would give cattle (livestock) to the deceased’s family. Once that is done, the people gathered for the meeting would end the matter by eating some jaggery.
Gradually, humans evolved and the population of tribal peoples increased. So, they started living together in villages. People of other castes also joined them. But, when money came into circulation, they started asking for money instead of cattle.
The term is composed of two words: maut (death) and ana (money). Together, they mean the money (or compensation) offered against death.
Pay Up Or Leave The Village As Punishment
In the present time, the nature of this death ritual has completely changed. Within the system of mautana, certain groups of people have started bluffing. They try to link every incident with mautana. Even if someone died due to an accident, animal attack, or suicide, they try to deny the same.
If the body of the deceased is found in someone else’s village, field, or house, then the owner of the property is asked for money. Until they pay up, the body is not moved from its place.
If a person is believed to have been murdered, a huge amount is demanded from the culprit. And, there’s no choice but to pay. If they do not have money, they can give away their land, house and/or animals like cows, buffalos and oxen.
Under any circumstances, if the accused is unable to pay the amount, or give away his house or livestock, then they are asked to leave the village. This has become the way of life in Kotra.
Modern-Day Laws Versus Age-Old Rituals
According to the elders of the tribal area, this rule was made for the benefit of the family of the deceased. Hence, all the villagers have to follow it. I was shocked at first and then surprised. In today’s times, even when there are several laws and rules in our country, some tribal communities follow their own, age-old rituals and traditions.
I could be wrong but it appears to me that their lack of interest and awareness about our country’s laws, is the prime cause behind the on-going practice of mautana. As long as I am in Kotra, I will try to help them bridge this awareness gap.
*Name changed to maintain confidentiality
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This article was originally published here.
About the author: Akash Tanpure is an India fellow working with the Kotra Adivasi Sansthan in Rajasthan. Akash is working to develop key insights to help improve the organisation’s interventions further, and support the team suitably. His main responsibilities include capacity building, field research, documentation, communication, and to pilot need-based, innovative interventions.
India Fellow applications are now open for the 2022 cohort.