HomeAbstract of 4th-icsh21Sacred Lineages, Social Barriers: a Sociological Study of the Dev Tradition (deity System) Among Gond Tribes and Its Impact on Marriage Prospects.

Sacred Lineages, Social Barriers: a Sociological Study of the Dev Tradition (deity System) Among Gond Tribes and Its Impact on Marriage Prospects.

  • Dec 1, 2025
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Abstract Book of the 4th International Conference on Social Sciences and Humanities in the 21st Century

Year: 2025

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Sacred Lineages, Social Barriers: a Sociological Study of the Dev Tradition (deity System) Among Gond Tribes and Its Impact on Marriage Prospects.

Heena Nagbhirey

ABSTRACT:

The Gond community of central India has been the largest tribal group, with its majority and major occupancy all over the central part of the country. The community also has deep cultural traditions that are still in practice, irrespective of being exposed to urban migration and modernization. Central among these traditions is the DEV TRADITION (deity system)- a system that controls the exogamous marriage structure built on clan deities. In this contemporary scenario, the practice of this system has become a complicated social barrier for individuals coming from Gond Gond-dominating regions such as Nagpur, Maharashtra, who are highly educated and unmarried. Today, those individuals are quite into the ideals of compatibility, prioritizing personal choices, and selecting partners through professional parity. The rigorousness of the deity system strongly narrows the marital options. This study proposes the sociological study of the Dev Traditions (deity system) among the population of urban Nagpur, delving into its historical roots, contemporary relevance, limitations, and barriers it creates for highly educated and unmarried individuals engaging with the marriage institution. Through the involvement of ethnographic records, evolving literature, and emerging field evidence, the paper highlights the dissonance between cultural preservation and individual autonomy. The outcomes highlight that while the Dev traditions continue to be a compelling cultural label of identity and belongings, their intransigence often becomes the excuse for postponed or prevented marriage among educated Gonds. This paper underscores the necessity of reimagining traditional institutions to integrate cultural continuity with the aspirations of the younger generation in an urbanizing society.

Keywords: Education and Marriage; Exogamy; Cultural Barriers; Deity System; Tribal Indigenous Sociology