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