Tribe History

Kunbis, are arguably the earliest settlers of Goa. They are a sturdy tribal community
mostly settled in Salcete Taluka, who were Hindus, were converted to Christianity
during the Portuguese era, have still retained the most ancient folk tradition of the
land. Belonging to the agricultural class, they are perceived as mild mannered and
industrious people. They live together, clustered into several hamlets, known as
‘kutumba’, however today they are categorized as Other Backward Class (OBC) .
Kunbis have a rich tradition of art and culture to which they attach particular
importance. The Kunbi folk dance is distinctive to the tribe and is quite famous in
Goa as it is known to portray social themes.

Gowdas Tribe :

The Gowdas are the major tribe in Goa. The Gowda tribes reside deep within the
interior villages of Goa. There is no official record describing the migration of the
Gowda tribal clan in Goa. The Gowda tribals practice Hindu religion and worship lord
Malikkarjun who is another form of Lord Shiva. The Gowdas guard their blood lines
and ethnicity very seriously. Gowdas are not allowed to marry outside their tribes
and follow this endogamy without fail. Gowdas allow cross-cousin marriages
between maternal and paternal cousins. When the Portuguese forced a part of the
Gowda community to convert to Christianity, the tribe was split up into three different
groups. The Gowdas bury their dead in a burial ground and do not practice the usual
Hindu custom of cremating them.

The Gowdas also provide many rights and powers to their women. The Gowda
women are allowed to take part in the economic development of the community and
can even work in the agricultural field. The Gowda laws allow their women to inherit
her husband's property on his death.

Kunbi Dance

Despite witnessing drastic changes in Goa from the pre-Portuguese rule, till date, the
Kunbis have managed to preserve the ancient folk traditions of the land. This
includes the Kunbi dance which is performed by the women folk. It is fast yet
graceful and the dancers posture is pivotal to perform the steps elegantly.

The performers wear colourful attire that are simple in design and conform to the
tribe’s tradition. After tying their hair into a neat bun, they adorn it with colourful
flower garlands. Simple but elegant is their jewellery such as necklaces, earrings and
bangles. The traditional costumes lend a colourful touch to this ethnic art form. The
Kunbi dance is performed solely on social occasions.
Dhalo
Dhalo, a night long song-cum-dance performed only by women is an
important annual festival of Gawda/Kunbi women, which is celebrated on
moonlight winter night in the courtyard of the house. It signifies the flowering
season. As many as 24 take part in this dance-cum-song form, where the
women split up into two parallel rows of 12 each, facing each other and
forming a closely knit unit by linking themselves with arms around the waist,
swaying, bending, moving forward and backward and singing in unison songs
which are locally composed from memory and revised extempore with
addition or change of words and lines here and there to suit the occasion
(Gomes 2004:345). "The dance steps are very simple, they move five steps
forward, go back and moves back (5 steps forward) in a wave like swaying
pattern. The movements are accompanied by singing a line of a song. The
other group picks up the second line and moves forward in the same manner.
Performances culminate in a circular movement without disturbing the
original formation of rows of arms linked women dancers. (Phaldesai
2011:15).
36
“Though the Dhalo and Fugddi 3 are similar in character, yet the Konkani
expressions used for both are different. Goans will say Dhalo Khellunk (as in
to play), while they will say Fugddi Ghalunk (as in to put)

Origins of the Kunbi Sari

The Kunbi sari is named after the Kunbi tribe one of Goa's indigenous communities.

The traditional dressing style of the Goans is the famous Kunbi Saree. Associated
with the Kunbi tribe of Goa, the saree is worn by the Kunbi and Gawda tribes, who
are the original inhabitants of Goa. The apparel is centuries old and existed even
before the arrival of the Portuguese. During the colonial rule, the culture of the Kunbi
tribes, including the wearing of these sarees disappeared since the Portuguese
forced Goans to change their dressing style. However, it was revived by the
Government and the tribe itself after the Portuguese left, from 1961 onwards.Kunbi
Design and Colour Palette

Similar to the gamcha saree and to plaid, Kunbi weaving is also done in checked
patterns. The colours used are bright yellows, reds, and greens, and sometimes they
also have maroon, purple, and black. The primary colour of the Kunbi textile, like
many tribal textiles around the world, including Aboriginal and Native American, is
blood red, signifying fertility and vitality. The deep red of the dye is developed by
mixing iron ore, starch (rice kanji), and vinegar. Yellow is derived from turmeric and
lilac. Up to 156 varieties of natural plant dyes are available in Goa and Maharashtra,
which the Kunbis would use for their yarn. Today, they can be found at Sawantwadi,
a town on the border of Maharashtra.

All manner of apparel has been fashioned out of Kunbi fabrics including sarees for
women, skirts for young girls, and loin cloths for men, as well as furnishings such as
towels and bedsheets. Sarees tend to be short in length – about 4.5 meters – unlike
most other Indian sarees, which are anywhere between 6 to 8 meters in length. In
1933, until the introduction of artificial silk and rayon, Kunbi wedding sarees or
“sados” were woven out of jute. Among Goans, Kunbi sarees are most ubiquitous
and are in demand when they are heralding some festival or other.