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This blog provides NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Woven Words Essay 4: Tribal Verse, which are designed to help students deepen their understanding of India’s rich tribal oral traditions, poetic forms, and unique cultural heritage. This blog covers the NCERT questions, analysing the essay’s themes, literary elements, and the tone of the essay to prepare for the exam revision. You can also download the free PDF for quick revision.
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Explore Notes of Class 11 English Woven Words
NCERT Solutions Class 11 English Woven Words Essay 4: Tribal Verse
Here are the NCERT Solutions for Class 11 English Woven Words Essay 4: Tribal Verse, crafted to enhance comprehension of the essay’s themes, arguments, and narrative style for effective revision.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
1. Identify the common characteristics shared by tribal communities all over the world.
Tribal communities everywhere share common features: they live in closely-knit, cohesive groups; show little interest in accumulating wealth or capital; accept a worldview linking humans, nature, and the divine; believe in human intuition and the sacredness of space; and have a sense of time that is personal and subjective, rather than strictly objective.
2. What distinguishes the tribal imagination from the secular imagination?
Tribal imagination is dreamlike and hallucinatory, naturally fusing multiple planes of existence and levels of time. Mountains may swim in water, oceans fly as birds, and animals speak like humans in their stories. The tribal imagination does not limit itself to the constraints of spatial order or linear time, unlike the secular imagination, which is more structured and rational.
3. How does G.N. Devy bring out the importance of the oral literary tradition?
G.N. Devy emphasises that oral traditions are vital for preserving culture, memory, and identity among tribal people. Oral literature is passed down across generations and holds immense historical and artistic value. Devy asserts that unless literature’s definition is broadened beyond written texts, these rich oral traditions will fade away, causing a loss of invaluable heritage.
4. List the distinctive features of the tribal arts.
Tribal arts are marked by a fluid construction of space and imagery, often described as ‘hallucinatory.’ Boundaries between art and non-art, or sacred and playful expression, are blurred. Ritual and performance are central, and principles of convention are observed alongside playful subversion. Creativity is collective, rooted in past traditions, and typically not created for commercial purposes.
5. ‘New literature’ is a misnomer for the wealth of the Indian literary tradition. How does G.N. Devy explain this?
Devy argues that tribal literature is not ‘new’ but ancient, existing long before the emergence of written texts. Most people are simply unaware of it, and hence labelling it ‘new’ is misleading. Tribal oral traditions have centuries of history, and their absence from mainstream recognition does not make them recent developments.
TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
Discuss the following in pairs or in groups of four
1. ‘It is time to realise that unless we modify the established notion of literature as something written, we will silently witness the decline of various Indian oral traditions.’
This means that literature must be defined to include oral traditions, songs, stories, and chants, which are essential for preserving India’s cultural diversity. If we restrict ‘literature’ to only written works, oral forms will be neglected and may disappear forever, losing rich history and wisdom.
2. ‘Tribal arts are not specifically meant for sale.’ Does this help or hamper their growth and preservation?
Since tribal arts are made for ritual and community rather than commerce, this helps preserve authenticity and playfulness, free from commercial pressures. However, it may hinder wider recognition or financial support, risking neglect as market-driven art gains prominence.
3. Because India’s tribal communities are basically bilingual, there is a danger of dismissing their languages as dialects of India’s major tongues.
Bilingualism allows tribals to assimilate external influences, but it also means that their distinct languages may be undervalued as mere dialects of dominant tongues. Recognising these as rich, separate languages is crucial for preserving tribal identity and literature.
4. While tribal communities may not seem to possess the scientific temper, there are many ideas from tribal conventions that could enrich modern societies.
Tribal conventions, respect for nature, rituals, communal decision-making, and memory-based knowledge offer valuable lessons. Modern society can benefit from tribal practices such as environmental stewardship, holistic health rituals, and social harmony.
APPRECIATION
1. How does ‘A Munda Song’ show that the perspective of the tribal mind towards the girl child is different from that of (other) mainstream communities?
The Munda song celebrates the birth of a daughter, associating it with prosperity (“the cowshed filled up”), unlike mainstream traditions, which typically favour male children. This illustrates the esteem in which women and girls are held in Munda society, reflecting their important economic and social roles.
2. How does ‘A Kondh Song’ substantiate the tribal urge to gain domination over time by conversing with their dead ancestors?
‘A Kondh Song’ is sung to the spirits of the dead, who are believed to linger near their homes. By making offerings and pleading with ancestors not to trouble the living, the Kondh engage in ongoing ritual communication, demonstrating their emphasis on memory and temporal continuity over spatial dominance.
3. ‘Adi Song for the Recovery of Lost Health’ is in Miri Agom while Adi Agom is the Adi community’s language for routine conversation. How does this reflect upon the high level of language sensitivity of the Adi? Can you think of other parallels in modern languages between the literary variety and the colloquial variety?
The use of a separate ritual language (Miri Agom) for ceremonies, while everyday life uses Adi Agom, shows the Adi’s nuanced respect for linguistic context. It’s comparable to how modern languages often have literary or formal registers (e.g., Sanskrit vs. Hindi; classical Arabic vs. spoken Arabic; or Latin in Catholic rites vs. vernacular languages), showing high linguistic sensitivity and cultural awareness.
Also Read: NCERT Solutions Class 11 English Hornbill Poem 1 A Photograph (Free PDF)
Download NCERT Solutions Class 11 English Woven Words Essay 4: Tribal Verse
You can download the free PDF of NCERT Solutions Class 11 English Woven Words Essay 4: Tribal Verse for effective revision.
Download more NCERT Solutions of Class 11 English ‘Woven Words’ here!
| Essay 1: My Watch |
| Essay 2: My Three Passions |
| Essay 3: Patterns of Creativity |
| Essay 5: What is a Good Book? |
| Essay 6: The Story |
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