ABSTRACT
The character of the Gond village as a social unit was shaped at a time when land was plentiful in relation to the population. The foundation of a new village is traditionally accompanied by an elaborate ritual. The establishment of a new village was usually the joint enterprise of several families, often standing in a relationship of affines, for no single household would embark on such a venture. A model of a Gond village constructed on a synchronic plane would not convey a true picture of the social realities. The residuary village community which remained after the exodus of the years 1945 to 1948 consisted of only fourteen households. Occasionally a devari may also possess the faculties of a bhaktal or seer, but such a double function is incidental, and the ability to communicate in a state of trance with supernatural beings is in no way inherent in the role of a village priest.
