Description

Les Bastars

Bastar is a district of South India in the state of Chattisgarh, it was an independent kingdom from the 14 ^th century until its integration into India in 1948.

The tribal population represents 70% of the population of the Bastar district: the main tribes are the Gonds - the Abhuj Maria and the Bhatras. Most have kept their tradition (culinary art, dress, parties ...) and their animist religion.

The tribes still live mainly from agriculture and resources drawn from the forest (hunting, medicinal plants, wood ...).

Some tribes have dedicated themselves to brass statues art for over 4000 years. This art, which is also found in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar ... is called Dokra.



Bust Head of a woman adorned with a festive headdress with a large feather, on the left side. The ears, represented by a simple S, are embellished with magnificent earrings oriented towards the sky.

The hair is depicted perfectly combed, pulled back with a typical tribal bun hairstyle. The facial features are delicate, reduced to their simplest expression without superfluous details. The bridge of the nose is long, the chin almost absent, the eyebrows are non-existent. The arches are very marked and are reinforced by the presence of a frontal band. Many necklaces adorn her slender neck.

The expression on this woman's face seems impassive, beyond time.

Note: among the Bastar, this statuette is always accompanied by the male bust adorned with horns.