Manda Oral Literature

The Kondhs constitute a homogeneous tribal group in Orissa that speak the Kui, Kuvi, Pengo, Manda and Indi-Awe languages. The languages of the Kondhs have become endangered under the impact and influence of the regional major languages and their dominance in the visual electronic media. This volume presents the myths, festivals, rituals, life cycles and stories of the Manda-Kondhs, reflecting the socio-cultural conventions prevalent in the community, its traditional wisdom, practical knowledge, relationship with nature, worldview and philosophy of life. The documentation is a step towards preservation of the tribal socio-cultural and linguistic heritage for posterity that, in turn, provides a unique identity to the community. B. Ramakrishna Reddy is a distinguished linguist, with specialisation in tribal languages and literature. He has conducted extensive linguistic fieldwork on the tribes of central and southern India including the speakers of Kuvi, Manda, Indi-Awe, Gadaba, Irula, Parengi (Gorum), Kharia, Adivasi Oriya and Banjara (Lambadi) languages.