The Hill of Flutes : Life, Love and Poetry in Tribal India: A Portrait of the Santals

Contents: Preface. 1. The Santals. 2. Early years. 3. Induction to the tribe. 4. Social dances. 5. The rules of sex. 6. The village lover. 7. Beyond the village. 8. Conflict with the parents. 9. Accidents. 10. Marriage and the family. 11. Outlets after marriage: The Sohrae Festival. 12. Breakdown and divorce. 13. Santals and sex. 14. Marriage and fertility: the Baha Festival. 15. Marriage and fertility: The Jiwet\' Karam. 16. The wanted child. 17. The Bonga Lover. 18. Woman as witch. 19. The annual hunt. 20. Death and society. Notes and comments. Bibliography. Glossary. Index of imagery. General index.

"W.G. Archer, who lived two and half years among the Santals and learnt Santali language, organized the collection of Santal poetry, legends, stories and addresses, attended Santal ceremonies, dances and festivals.

Therefore the primary objective of the book as to acquaint the readers with the descriptive account of the Santals and their poetry is fully achieved. The book very beautifully illustrates their love of dancing and singing, their splendid physiques, their beliefs in Bongas or nature spirits which reminds the scholars of ancient India and their love poetry -- Simple, sensuous and passionate shared with Kalidasam Amaru and Jayadeva. It also intrinsically discusses their traditions and customs.

To do full justice with the subject, the work consists of twenty major chapters which are fabulously enriched with comprehensive information on Santals who existed in the Santal Pargana district of Bihar.

The book is a painstaking, knowledgeable study of anthropological aspects, social aspects of the Santals in all respects. All students, research scholars, anthropologists, historians will find the book very valuable as a reference source and general study." (jacket)