絵本

forgotten world

「かつて人間と虎は、ともに森に暮らすいきものとして、もっと近しい関係をむすんでいた」

虎は森のなかではもっとも恐ろしい動物だが、ゴンド族の人びとにとっては神話や儀礼に密接にかかわる、かけがいのない仲間だった。恐ろしくも親しみある虎は、多くの恵みを与えながらも、人の力ではままならなず、ときには死をもたらす、自然の化身そのものといえる。ゴンド族の画家ダーヴァットが、虎と人の失われてしまった物語を取り戻すために語り描き綴る。森から虎が消え去ってしまった現代に問いかける一冊。

オフセット上製


There’s a time when tigers and human beings lived close to each other, says Dhavat Singh Uikey, an artist from the Gond tribe in central India. Gond villages were often located close to the forest, where tigers roamed freely.

Familiar yet wild, the tiger played a compelling role in people’s lives – and in their imagination. Ferocious and magnificent, it was revered as much as it was feared. In this book, Dhavat offers us a glimpse into this forgotten world, through a retelling of traditional Gond tales about the tiger, illustrated with richly symbolic art. In the process, he captures not only the mythic and iconic status of the great beast, but also a time, place and relationship that is lost to us.