THE NIGHT LIFE OF TREES

Bhajju Shyam, Durga Bai and Ram Singh Urveti

Intricately drawn visions of trees fill the pages of this sumptuous book of art and folklore
from the Gond tribe in central India. In Gond belief, trees stand in the middle of life, and
the spirit of many things lie in them. They are busy all day, giving shade and support and
shelter and food to all. Only when night falls can they find rest for themselves, and then,
under quiet dark skies, the spirits that live in them are revealed. Recreated from original
art by Ram Singh Urveti, Bhajju Shyam and Durga Bai, three of the finest living artists of
the Gond tradition, The Night Life of Trees is a tribute to the majesty of trees, and to old
ways of relating to the natural world. Each painting is accompanied by its own poetic
tale, myth or lore narrated by the artists themselves recreating the familiarity and awe
with which the Gond people view the cosmos.

HOME OF THE CREATOR

The Peepul tree is the home of the Creator, worshipped by Hindus and forest people
alike. They come from afar to pour water on the trunk in prayer. The Peepul tree is so
perfect that seen against the sky, it seems to have the same shape as its own leaf. The
detail is the same as the whole.

SNAKES AND EARTH

The earth is held in the coils of the snake goddess. And the roots of trees coil around the
earth too, holding it in place. If you want to depict the earth, you can show it in the form
of a snake. It is the same thing.

THE BINDING TREE

Mahalain trees are found deep inside the thickest jungles, holding each other in a tight
embrace. Because it clings and binds so well, Mahalain bark is known for its strength.
Our ancestors from earliest times searched for it in the deep jungles and used it to build
houses. A house built well with Mahalain bark is said to last a hundred years.

THE DUMAR TREE

The holy Dumar tree, whose fruits look like little birds, is worshipped for nine nights
during the festival of Navratri. It blesses marriages, where its wood is used to make the
wedding canopy. No mortal has ever caught sight of the Dumars flower. If anyone did,
they would be nothing less than a god.

THE TREE OF INTOXICATION

Gonds make liquor from the flowers of the Mahua tree. If you take small amounts, and
mix it with good herbs, it is a medicine for many ailments. If you drink a little more, it is
pleasant. But if you drink too much, your very form can change, and depending on your
character, you may become a mouse or a tiger, a pig or a pigeon.

ARROWS ON THE SEMBAR

Once there was a girl who was killed by the arrows of her cruel older brothers as she
took shelter in a Sembar tree. Her younger brother, who loved her very much, buried her
deep in the forest, and on that spot sprang a new and beautiful tree.

THE SERPENT HOOD

The Nagphani tree seems to bite, for its branches are full of thorns, and its leaves are
shaped like the hood of a snake. It has great strength and healing powers. Its wood is
hard enough to be used as a crowbar, or to carry a heavy bridal palanquin. And its
healing is so gentle and quick that a bullock with sore eyes needs only the sap from the
Nagphani mixed with a little bit of water to cure it.

THE ENCIRCLING KHIRSALI

The Khirsali surrounds and protects us wherever we are. It makes the fences around our
fields, the borders of our homes, the slats in the roofs above our heads, and the gates
that guard entrances.

THE NIGHT OF THE GLOWING SEMBAR

In the rainy month of July, a cowherd was looking for a lost cow along the edge of the
forest. The evening grew darker, and there was no sign of the cow anywhere. The
cowherd became anxious, and the little calf with him cried for her mother.
Together, they wandered into the forest calling out for the cow and soon they lost their
way. Night fell fast, and the black clouds gathering in the sky confused the cowherd. He
could do nothing but weep with the calf.
A firefly saw the scene and felt pity for the two lost creatures. Follow me, he called to
them. I think I can lead you to what you seek. And so the two walked through the dark
forest, led by the lone blinking light.
And all of a sudden, the cowherd saw a strange vision ahead of him. It was a Sembar
tree, shining like a jewel in the blackness. On every leaf, on every branch, sat a firefly.
And under the tree, bathed in the glow, was the lost cow.
So to this day, we know that good spirits live in the Sembar tree, and to this day the
cowherd and the firefly are friends. And if you happen to be lost in the forest, you should
find your way to the protecting Sembar, glowing like gold in the night.

THE DEPARTING VISITORS

Everyone knows that holy spirits live in the Sembar tree. As night falls, its daytime
visitors depart bees, a bird, and two chameleons.

THE CREATION OF TREES

When Shankar Bhagwan, the creator, made the first man, there was no tree, no leaf on
earth. The man said, Lord, what will I eat? How will I live? The creator pulled three
hairs from his own body, and from them made three great trees. Then the man said But
lord, there are no fruit on these trees. Three will remain three, and three must die one
day. Then Shankar Bhagwan took the ash coating his matted hair and sprinkled the
trees with it, and they began to flower and fruit. So in the days before we knew how to
grow grain, it was trees that filled our stomachs with their fruit.

THE TREE OF SERPENT GODDESS

The Serpent Goddess carries the earth on her head. Disturb her, and the whole earth
shakes with fearful earthquakes. A tree grows silently above the Serpent Goddess, who
gathers up the entire earth and guards her precious eggs inside her coils.

THE SILKWORMS HOME

There was a time when people used plain cloth and yarn. Then they discovered that the
silkworm weaves wonderful thread, and took it from him to make clothes. Before he is
found, the silkworm sits in the threads of his own making on the Bamur tree.

THE PEACOCK
When the peacock dances in the forest, everything watches, and the trees change their
form to turn into feathers.

THE BIRTH OF A FRUIT

When this tree bears its first fruit, a marriage ceremony is performed for it, just like for
people. No one eats the fruit until the ceremony is over, and a holy lamp is lit in honour
of the occasion.

THE SQUIRRELS DREAM

A squirrel sat on a tree, dreaming. How wonderful it would be to become something
other than a squirrel! A tree? But then birds would sit on him An insect perhaps? No,
frogs would eat him... Maybe a fish, then! Only to be swallowed by water snakes? No,
thought the squirrel. Better remain a squirrel on a tree.

THE TREE OF SONG

Once there were seven Gond brothers who wanted to give away their property and
mingle with the common folk. The Great God appeared in the youngest brothers dream
and told him that their calling was to sit under the Saja tree and play music in praise of
him. Now the Saja is the tree of song.

THE MARRIAGE OF DESIRE AND INTOXICATION

According to legend, the Ganja plant and the Mahua tree are husband and wife. They
were human beings once, lovers who could not marry because they came from different
castes. Refusing to be separated, they went deep into the jungle and took their own
lives. They were re-born as plants on the spot where they died. Seeing the beauty of
their love, Shankar Bhagwan, the creator, named them Ganja and Mahua, desire and
intoxication.

THE TREE OF TWELVE HORNS

Sometimes a tree is actually a deer with twelve horns, standing on a hillock that houses
a birds nest.