The Dahanu Chapter INTACH, in 2015, undertook a study to document the Intangible cultural heritage of the tribal people of Warli in order to identify the exact nature of the linkages between the tribal cultures with the surrounding environment. Under the supervision of the chapter convenor Phiroza Tafti, the project unfolded with rich research inputs by Pallavi Ganju.
The Warli are a tribe spread over Bombay, Nashik and Palghar Districts of Maharashtra and the Dangs and Valsad districts of Gujarat. The project explored different cultural aspects of the Warli community of the Palghar district in Maharashtra with the three-fold objectives being to identify the different aspects of the traditional knowledge of the Warli people, to map the folklores, dance forms and art of the community and to assess the rapidly disappearing traditional knowledge in the community and the mode of transmission of the knowledge from one generation to the ne Through interaction with artists and other members of the community, the project explored the habitation, dress, food, marriage rituals and natural resources of the community, besides their traditional dances like Shimga, Ranodi, Usalya, Ogalia, etc., Music and Musical instruments, religion including gods like Waghya dev, Narandev, Hirva, Himay and so on, beliefs like Sanvari, Cheda and ceremonies like Zoli, Kaj and so on; folklore like Mahadev and Ganga Gouri, Crab and his wife and so on; songs and typical visual arts depicting nature, women, children, animal and other motifs.