The Mythology Book

212

YOU ARE TO BE

THE KING OVER

ALL THE WORLD

THE ORIGINS OF THE BAIGA

T

he Baiga people from the

area around the Mandla

hills in central India believe

that their male ancestor, Nanga

Baiga, was a great magician.

According to legend, he was the

first man and Nanga Baigin was

the first woman.

The Baiga people believe that

their early ancestors were born

beneath a cluster of bamboo trees,

having emerged from the womb of

the earth mother Dharti Mata. She

is the consort of Thakur Deo, the

Lord of the Village and the oldest

and most venerated of the Baiga

gods. Dharti Mata is worshipped in

the month of Jeth (May), just before

the rainy season, when she is said

to lie ready to be impregnated.

Keepers of the world

Bhagavan the Creator spread the

Earth out flat, but could not stop it

from moving around. He invited

Nanga Baiga and Nanga Baigin to

help him secure the four corners of

the world. Nanga Baiga sacrificed a

sow to Dharti Mata, and a white

cock to Thakur Deo.

Dharti Mata, who had been

rocking back and forth, stood

perfectly still when drops of the

sow’s blood fell on her. She was

pleased with the sacrifice and told

Nanga Baiga that from now on she

would listen to him when she

became angry and started to rock.

Nanga Baiga and Nanga Baigin

found four large nails and drove

them into the corners of the earth

to keep it steady. Bhagavan told the

Baiga pair that they must guard

the world and keep its nails in

place. And with that, they became

the keepers of the world.

When Bhagavan had finished

creating the world, he asked all of

the tribes to assemble, for he

wanted to assign them a king.

Once everyone had come together,

IN BRIEF

THEME

Protecting Mother Earth

SOURCE

The Baiga, Verrier Elwin, 1939.

SETTING

Soon after the creation of

the world, the state of Madhya

Pradesh, central India.

KEY FIGURES

Nanga Baiga Male ancestor

of the Baiga people.

Nanga Baigin Female

ancestor of the Baiga people.

Dharti Mata The Baiga

people’s Mother Earth.

Thakur Deo The Baiga

people’s Lord of the Village.

Bhagavan The Creator.

All the kingdoms of the

world may fall to pieces, but

he who is made of earth and

is lord of the earth shall

never forsake it.

The Baiga

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213

Members of the Baiga take part

in the three-day Dharohar festival

hosted in Indore, India. The event

is a celebration of World Tribal Day,

held annually on August 9, and

is a showcase of tribal culture.

See also: Brahma creates the cosmos 200 ■ The birth of Ganesha 201 ■ The game of dice 202–03 ■ The Ramayana 204–09

ASIA

Bhagavan saw that many were

dressed in their finery, while Nanga

(meaning nude) Baiga wore nothing

but leaves. He took Nanga Baiga

and positioned him on his throne,

making him king over all the world.

Nanga Baiga was pleased, but

because a member of the Gond

people had once shown great

kindness to him, he replied: “Make

the Gond king, for he is my brother.”

The Creator honored the request

and rewarded Nanga Baiga with

his blessing.

Serving Mother Earth

Bhagavan told Nanga Baiga that,

as long as they did not forsake

the Earth, the Baiga people would

survive. Then he told him how to

cultivate the land. He said that the

Baiga could dig roots and eat them,

or pick leaves and sell them, but

that they must never plow the

Earth for she was their mother.

Instead, he told them to cut down

the undergrowth, burn it, and sow

seeds in the ashes. They would not

gain riches, but they would grow

enough to survive.

Bhagavan then showed Nanga

Baiga how to follow this slash-and-

burn method of farming, and told

him that the seeds are best sown

when rainfall is expected. Once the

Creator had taught Nanga Baiga

everything he needed to know for

his people to survive, it was time

for the Baiga to receive the seeds.

As Nanga Baiga took them from

Bhagavan, some fell from his hand.

The Creator told him: “It is good, it

should be so, for only the poor will

ever be content to be servants of

Dharti Mata.” ■

Baiga farming today

An Adivasi (tribal) group, most of

whom live in and around the state

of Madhya Pradesh, central India,

the Baiga farmers often live in

hilly terrain and avoid the plow.

Instead, they practice a traditional

form of slash-and-burn cultivation

called bewar, as described in the

Baiga foundation myth above.

It is out of the same respect

for Mother Earth that the Baiga

remain semi-nomadic. The

practice of shifting, or rotating,

cultivation means that they move

to a new plot of ground every few

years, rather than staying put

and exhausting the ground by

continually cultivating it.

During the 19th century,

colonial forest officials forced

many Baiga people to adopt the

plow. One Baiga is reported to

have said, “When ... we first

touched the plow, a man died in

every village.”

The Baiga people coexist

with the Gond people—another

Adivasi group—and have done

so for many centuries. The Gond

favor the same agricultural

practices, which are sustainable

in the face of climate change.

Women collect leaves in the

forest. Like other Baiga farmers, they

continue to follow the agricultural

practices set out by Bhagavan.

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