The Madia Gond are a primitive tribe inhabiting the Dandakaranya forests in the Central Eastern part of Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra. A phenomenal race, the tribes have been in existence for centuries. However, this gentle race was completely cut-off from civilization, knowing no clothing, education or health care until Lok Biradari Prakalp was established. The tribes are skilled craftsmen and hunters. Their language- Madia is one of the many Indian tribal languages with no script and limited set of words. In spite of being inhabitants of Maharashtra, the madia language has no connection to Marathi or Hindi. They do not follow any of India's major religions, but continue worshipping their local deities and forces of nature. The Madia culture is unique amongst our Indian traditions and cultures, infrastructure development and exposure to the outside world, the tribes have begun to adopt the customs and ways of people living in other more developed regions. The tribe is known for their unique preparation of a mixture of live ants and salt that they eat. Being very closely associated with nature these tribes eat "anything that moves" ranging from squirrels to snakes and crocodiles. They even brew their own liquor. Their existence is completely dependent on the forests they live in. Post-Independence, the forest officials have routinely exploited these tribes, denying them any rights and claims to their own forest land. However, with a greater number of Madia Gond tribes being educated at the school, their strength and resistance towards such injustice is increasing day-by-day.
