Five films about ways of life in different parts of the world. Raj Gonds - Reflections in a Peacock Crown
The Raj Gonds were once rich and powerful rulers of a large area of central India. Now they have lost much of their land and their former glory.
The annual festival of Dandari gives them a break from the daily round of work and an opportunity to reflect on their lives. It is a week of rituals, dancing and drama, when the Raj Gonds re-enact the legendary marriage of the God's granddaughter to a Raj Gond hero. A group of young men from each village dress up as the God. They paint themselves with ashes and wear huge head-dresses of peacock feathers. They travel from village to village escorting boys dressed as the bride. Other villagers entertain them performing sketches mocking themselves, their beliefs and the landlords who control their lives. Narrator WILLIAM BOYDE
Anthropologist MICHAEL YORKE
Directors CHRIS CURLING and PETER LOIZOS Photography ROGER DEAKINS Sound KEITH RODGERSON
Film editor TOM SCHWALM
Series producers CHRIS CURLING and MELISSA L-DAVIES. BBC Bristol