Secret Goa: Tribal Life in Ambaulim

When a bunch of us bloggers were invited by Goa Tourism to experience tribal life in Goa, i wasn’t expecting to be so fascinated by it that it would leave me wanting to know more about their simple life that is perhaps more in tune with nature than our lives as ‘modern’ city dwellers.

Joao Fernandes welcomed us to the tribal village of Ambaulim with some of the most unique things i’ve ever tasted:

• porpoto cha – a herbal tea that’s supposedly a remedy for gas relief, muscular and knee pain and cold
  
• sanna – idli-like flats made with toddy and jaggery
  
• ambil – a staple breakfast food made from rice, raagi, water and salt
  

Perhaps similar to paganism, the Gawda tribe worship the elements and mother earth and don’t particularly relate to mainstream religion.

To that effect, their life revolves around nurturing, harvesting and giving back to the land, back to the soil and nature.

We got to see first hand, how they hand craft materials for their daily life including sheds, brooms and vessels.

Fellow blogger Srishti even tried on their beautiful and vibrant local dress which the friendly tribal folk decked her with.

The highlight of the trip was the traditional dallo dance, usually something that is performed during the time of harvest as a celebration and as an ode to mother Earth.

As we proceeded to have lunch, i found out that the young girl who helped Srishti with her dress was not only the youngest one in the troupe but she wanted to become an IAS officer eventually, to help serve the nation. Given how dedicated, passionate and truly inclusive she was about her own culture, i’m personally confident that she will get there, but I was also impressed and inspired by her vision and maturity.

If you’re looking for a very unique, as-authentic-as-it-gets kind of an experience on your next Goa trip, i would highly recommend getting in touch with Joao who is the man behind preserving and promoting the tribal culture of Goa.

You can reach him here: joao_ferns [at] yahoo.com

Further reading about tribal life & culture in Goa:

Keeping Indigenous Culture Alive, One Song at a Time
https://www.videovolunteers.org/reviving-indigenous-culture/

Back to the cradle of tribal civilization
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/back-to-the-cradle-of-tribal-civilization/articleshow/56709454.cms