Tribals of India

8/8/2019 Tribals of India

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Bodos - Tribe Of Assam

Bodos are the true ethnic Tribal Community of Assam - the sub branch of the Bodo - Kachari Clan. The Bodos ar

the largest among the Bodo - Kachari Clan. They are also the most progressive. Bodos reside in the Brahamaputra

valley and are considered to be largest ethnic and linguistic group of tribes. The Bodos speak Tibeto - Burmese

language. Nowadays the Bodos have accepted the Devnagari Language. Bodos have a language of their owncalled Deodahi.

Earlier the Bodos were cut off from other parts of the Country due to their geographical area and weatherconditions. This lead to the their lack in education and economy. This was one of the reasons of the arousal of the

Bodoland Movement. The movement took its wings in the late 80's under the leadership ofUpendra NathBrahma who is now regarded as the Father of Bodos. A Bodoland Territorial Council was formed to save theCulture, language and identity of Bodos. It was headed by All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) and an armed

militant group called the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT). Following the movement a settlement was reached

between the Government and the Bodos. A land was given to the Bodos which came to be known as Bodoland.

In 2006, the former BLT members, formed an alliance with Indian National Congress under the leadership of

Hagrama Mohilary and came into power in Dispur District Of Assam. Still in Assam, illegal immigrants occupy

tribal belts.

Occupation :

Tea Plantation

One of the major income sources, the Bodos turn to

working in tea estates. The women working in assam tea

estates are mostly bodos.

Sericulture

Silk rearing, the Bodos take special interest in this

work. Not only it is a source of livelihood, it is also

one of the best means to know about the best qualitysilk.


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The Culture of Bodos

Bodos in their ancient years used to pray their forefathers. Today they have changed significantly - they have

accepted Hinduism as their main religion. They practice a Culture known as Bathouism. The plant Siju is takenfor the worship as a symbol ofBathou Symbol. For the worship, a clean ground near the home or the courtyard o

the home is taken. One pair of Betelnut called Goi betel leaf called pathwi is used as offering. The offering

includes rice, milk and sugar. For the Kherai Puja which also happens to be the most important of all Pujas, an

altar is placed in the rice field. The Bodos do not practice dowry and caste system as per their rules ofBrahmaDharma.

The main work of Bodos is tea plantation, silk worm rearing, weaving, pig and poultry farming. They are alsogood bamboo craftsman. The main festivals of Bodos include Kherai - the colorful function which includes,

drumming, singing and dancing (Bagurumba) to the rythmn of the drums. Garja, Hapsa Hatarnai, Awnkham

Gwrlwi Janai, Bwisagu and Domashi are the other important festivals. The main cuisines of the Bodos includeNarzi, Onla and Oma Bedor.

Gonds - The Gods PeopleGondvana - the Mighty Kingdom in the olden days still stands with the ruins of the Kingdom in itssand. From the 15th century to the 18th century, this region called Gondwana was the home to theGonds. The Gondwana Land gave its name to the present day Africa, South America, Australia,India Sub Continent and Antarctica. The Gonds lost their lives in saving their lands from the thenupcoming tribe called the Banjaras. Most of the Gonds describe themselves as hill people oras Koi or Koitur.

The inheritors of the Dravidian Culture - the Gonds are the simple tribes with a high thinking of non- egaliriatism. Mainly found in Central India the Gonds preach the Gods path and do agriculture astheir main work.

Apart from Madhya Pradesh, Gonds can be found in Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. Theyare the largest Tribe in India, South Asia, and perhaps the world with nine millionpeople (out of which four million resides in India). They speak language related to Telgu andDravidian language. The spoken languages are generalized as Gondi and Hindi. They practiceagriculture growing cereals. Herding cattles is also a part of their livelihood.

Gonds Different Aspects :

Gond Girl

The girl in this photograph looks like any of themodern girls who like traditional dresses. Though notto a large extent but the Gonds have changed

The Home

It looks like any regular house in a smallvillage. The Gonds have begun to live in thewooden houses from quite a time, another


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themselves with the changing times. big change which is visual in the living waysof the Gonds.

The Culture of Gonds

The main diety of the Gonds is the pantheon - a single Templewhich bows to all the Gods and Culture of the World. The Gond

Clan is known as Persa Pen who protects all Clan Members.. Theybelieve in the equality of the human beings without the discriminationof higher and lower society. This transparency can be clearly seen asthey themselves have inclusions of Bhils and Santals in their tribes.

They also worship the most ancient spirits as Gonds speak theunwritten languages related to Dravidians.

Each village of Gonds a Village Guardian and a Village Motherwho are worshipped during all regular festivals. The Spirits both goodand bad are supposed to be inhabit hills, villages, lakes and rivers.Sacrifices are made by the Village Priests - Devari - in most of thefestivals. Most aspects of the Gond life are filled with animal sacrifices.

But then most of the Gonds festivals are related to agriculture.

Most of the Gonds live in a Village with a Headman known as Mahji or Patel. A Village Council is alsthere which divides the Gonds into Castes called Ahir (Cowherds), Agaria (Blacksmith),Dhuli (Drummers) and Pardhan (bard and singers). A Gond Village has typically severalhamlets. Houses made of hatch and mud have a verandah (outer space), living room, kitchen,special room for women, shrine room for Gods and a Guest Room. Gonds welcome visitors withtobacco leaves, fruits or other small gifts.

The Staple Food of Gonds is two millets known as Kodo and Kutki. Vegetables are usually grown inkitchen gardens or collected from forests. Gonds grow tobacco for smoking and make liquor forMahua tree for celebrations.

For the Celebrations, Gonds have Danderi dancers who retell events from Gond Mythology. Dance,songs, cock fighting are the main attractions of any celebration. During the festive time womenwear colored glass bangles and necklaces made of small black beads. Tattooing is also a majorcharm for Gonds.

Marraiges in Gonds are usually self chosen. However, the tribal council approves the matches. Thefather of the groom pays a bride price. The newly weds live with the elders of the family till theymake a house of their own. The same Council also approves the divorces.

Gonds are educated to a pretty decent level. Around 25percent of Gonds in Maharashtra and 15percent Gonds of Madhya Pradesh. However the ratio of boys to girls still remain 1: 5 percent.

Hmar - The Christian Tribe Of India

Hmar also known as Mhar or Mar are the dwellers of the North Eastern Part of India. Hmars can befound in Meghalaya, Mizoram, Cachar, Meghalaya, Chittagong Hill Tracts and Tripura.

Dimasas are supposed to be the aboriginals of the Brahmaputra Valley ascending from theHimalayas with their roots connecting to mainland China.The roots of Hmar find route tothe place called Sinlung. Sinlung is the ancestral home of Zonhnathlak. However the location of


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Sinlung is still a controversy but not the roots of Hmar. Hmars eventually left Sinlung which wasonce a democratic state.

The Hmars belong to the Chin-Kuki-Mizo group of tribes, and are recognised as Scheduled Tribeunder the 6th Scheduled of the Constitution of India. They are medium statured usually 5-5.6 ft inheight, sturdy, dark, haried, brown eyed and are known for their bravery. India Manipur, MizoramAssam, Meghalaya, Tripura have the major chunk of Hmar Tribe People.

The Modern Hmars :

The Dress

The traditional dress of Hmar Tribe is colorful filled withbright and radiant colors. Girls wear short skirts and themen coats and chongas.

The Models

The models have ramped up but these arnot the normal ones. These are the gentlladies of the Hmar Tribe who havechanged themselves drastically with thechanging time.

The Culture of Hmar

Hmars speak Hindi, English and Hmas language in their day to day life.They are primarily Baptist and follow Christianity. They are thecultivators as they make their livelihood from farming. These mediumstatured people beleive in their hands and are known for their bravery.But then with the changing times, one can find pretty educated hmarsworking in various field and making handicrafts. The handicrafts madeby Hmars usually depict scenes of battles, adventure, love, victory andtheir history.

Hmars still believe in their traditional arts including the folk dance andfolk songs which they play during their various festivals.

Munda - Adivasis Of Jharkhand

Mundas are the Adivasis or the Tribals of the Jharkand. They spread over other states like Bihar,West Bengal, Chhatisgarh, and Orissa. Outside India Mundas can be found in Bangladesh. Todaythere are around two million Munda People.


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The Mundas are highly respected tribals from the time of pre - independence of India. BirsaMunda , the Munda who turned into a Prophet and was a freedom fighter in the IndianIndependence Struggle, is the most respected tribal. At a small age of 20 yrs, Birsa Munda wasrevered by his people as God. His active participation in the freedom fight disturbed the Britishersso much that they finally caught him at the young age of 25. He died in suspicious circumstances ithe Jail of Ranchi in 1900. Even today his contribution to the Independence Of India is recognisedwith regard. He has been honoured by the Governent Of India.


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Different Aspects Of Mundas :

Festival of Munda Tribe

Like any other tribes, Mundas also have festivals but here they are awith a difference. Lights, fire games, pomp and show make a bigpart of their festivals.

God Of Jharkhand - BirsaMunda

Birsa Munda, therevolutionary Munda, whofought in the independencefreedom fight of Indiaagainst Britishers, is revered

as God in the State ofJharkhand.

Culture Of Mundas

A one fourth of the Munda population is Christian. Mundas speakMundari language. They have a special dance called as Nupur( an anklet) dance. Wearing Nupur in ankles, the Mundas dance inchorus. For the occupation , in the ancient days they used to be the

woodcutters, cutting down the forests and then selling the wood. Butnow they have taken to fishing and earth cutting.

Orans - The Progressive Tribe

The Orans or Oraons are the most progressive tribes of all the tribes found in India. Theare the ones who are into education and places like Churches. Kartik Oraon, who was the mosteducated Oraon, an Indian Congress leader and former state communication minister of India,Albert Ekka, the Paramveer Chakra awardees (Highest Award For Bravery in India), TheRoman Catholic Archbishop of Ranchi, Cardinal Telesphore Placidus Toppo, are Oraon. People ofthis comunity have shown exceptional makes as compared to people of other tribes.

Orans speak the language called Kurukh which belongs to the Dravidian Family and is related to thPahari language ( language of mountains). Kurukh has a special recognition as it is taught in RanchUniversity.


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The Orans have progressed with the time and have shifted to Indian Metro Cities like Kolkatta,Delhi, Mumbai and other smaller cities like Patna, Buvneshwar, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Allahabad andLucknow.


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The Modern Orans

The Faith

The Oran is a religious tribe. Most of them pray a sacred grooveknown as Sarna Dharma. Rest of them are the followers of theChristian Religion. However both school of thought live underthe same roof called the Orans.

Oran P Smith

Oran P Smith, an Oran of the Oratribe is the President of SouthCarolina Business Community ana Board Member of CostalCarolina University. It clearlyreflects how far the people of the

Progressive Tribe have reached,something which sets them apartfrom other tribes.

The Culture Of Orans

Ornas are basically Sarnas ( a sacred groove) - Sarna Dharma( Dharmesh the God) which they follow and pray. Rest of the 25percent are Christians. Orans who are Christians follow the rules guidedby the Church. But overall the Orans have a variety of folk dance andmusic which are played on various ocassions. Both men and womenparticipate in the dance and other festival on equal basis.

Orans have taken to various professions - these include tea estatemanagment in Assam, West Bengal and Nepal.

Gaddis - The Khanabadosh Tribe

Gaddis are the Tribes of the Himachal Pradesh, residing in the Dauladher Range. The peculiarity of

the Gaddis lie in their Khanabadosh Nature - they are Gypsies in true nature as they travel tthe higher pastures along their flocks in the summer season and so are transhumance in theirtraditional practice.In the earlier years the Ancestors of Gaddis left India during their tough times. Later on with theChauhan Rajputs Brahman Gaddis descended to the place called Chamba in Himachal Pradesh.From those years, Gaddis and their generations have been living in Chamba along with the flocks.Aside from Chamba, they are also found in Kangra district, near Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh .


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Many Face Of Gaddis :

Gaddis Dance

They go round an round in circles as they dance to thetune of music and drums. The hip hop goes on as the beatof the drum increases, till the feet are dead tired.

Gaddis - The Khanabadosh

Better known as Gypsies, the Gaddis isthe nomadic tribe who shifts to upperheights in the summers with theirflocks. It has become a traditionfollowed from generations.

The Culture of Gaddis

Gaddis have a mix of Cultures. Some of them accepted Islam , in fearof Aurang Zeb, other remains Hindus. Its a mix culture, which theGaddis follow, but the most important thing to Gaddis is the 25yards long strand which they tie around their wrist. It is worn byboth men and women as the symbol of the tribe. The strand known asDORA is tied with two coils at a time.

The main work of the Gaddis is the rearing of the sheep and makingwool. They also sell goat meat for a modest lifestyle.

Khasis - The Hynniew trep Tribe

Hynniew Trep , that is how they like to be called - The Khasis Tribe of Meghalaya, a state in theNorth Eastern Part of India. The Khasis inhabit the Khasi Hills proper, and the Syntengs, or Pnars,the Jaintia Hills.These people whose literal meaning is " Seven Huts " in Khasi Language,cover about 50 percent of the population of Meghalaya. Khasis are the descendants of Mon-Khmerspeakers who migrated probably from Yunnan to Meghalaya. They live in the Jaintia Hills in the

state of Meghalaya. West Bengal, Mizoram, Maharashtra, Tripura, TamilNadu, Arunachal Pradesh,Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The sub - divisions of Khasis i.e. the Wars, Khynriams, Pnars and Bhois are not only the territorialgroups but each of them acquired different socio-cultural traits. What sets the Khasis Apart fromother tribes is that in Khasis the descendents are recognised from Mother and not from Father(Matrilineal Society). As per the Khasi Law and tradition the mother inherits the children anproperty and not the father. In addition to this a Khasi Women is at liberty to take divorce fromher husband as per her will. The Khasis have well defined homelands.


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The Modern and the Traditional Khasis :

Khasi Girls

Khasis have adapted to the changing times to a certain extent.They give equal importance to education as can be seen in theform of these school going khasi girls.

Khasi Knups - Bamboo Hats

The traditional bamboo hatsworn by Khasi Men and Womenwhile farming. The bright colors

of the bamboo hats match withthe lush greenery of the farmsgiving them the beauty of a bugrather than a hat.

The Culture Of Khasis

Khasis are the descendants of Mon-Khmer speakers who migratedprobably from Yunnan to Meghalaya, and thus they are of East Asianorigin. Khasis are a mix of Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, Hindu castes.Most of the Khasis follow the Presbyterian religion, Anglican, Catholic,or Ka Niam Tynrai - the original Khasi Culture. They are similar in

appearance to their northern Mon-Khmer relatives, most notably thePalaung and Wa.

Khasis have different prayers and functions as per the clan they follow.In most of the festivals Khasi Men wear the traditional Khasi dresscalled Jymphong ( long dress which is sleevless and has thongs in thefront. The women however have a colorful dress with several plates ofclothing, golden crown with spikes and feathers on it.

Khasis practice shifting cultivation which they call JHUM for their survival. The Kacharis have apeasent based economy. The trend have occupational diversificaiton has also emerged among theKhasis.

Dimasa - Dim - Fisa - The Tribe From Assam

This tribe from the North Eastern India, is a part of the greater Bodo - Kachari group. Dimasas livein the Jatinga Valley in the North Chhachar Hills of Assam.

Dimasas are supposed to be the aboriginals of the Brahmaputra Valley ascending from the


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Himalayas with their roots connection to the Great Hindu Epic Mahabharata. Dimasas have theirseats in the city called Dimapur. Lying on the banks of the river Dhansiri , also known as the BrickCity , was the ruling Capital of Kacharis - the prominent and powerful race of those times. Dimapurgot its name from the Kachari word Di - meaning water, Ma - meaning - big and Pur - meaning City

Apart from Madhya Pradesh, Gonds can be found in Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. Theyare the largest Tribe in India with four million people. They speak language related to Telgu andDravidian language. The spoken languages are generalized as Gondi and Hindi. They practiceagriculture growing cereals. Herding cattles is also a part of their livelihood.

The Dimasa Kacharis are distributed in different regions of Assam and Nagaland. The DimasaKacharis living in North Chachar Hills appear to have retained much of their traditional tribals moreHowever, those ones in the in Nagaon district of Assam, the influence of Assamese Culture is veryapparent. The Dimasas living in Chachar Hills are highly influenced by the Bengali Culture.

Dimasas Way Of Life :

Dimasa Festival

Slow dancing with putting of steps forward and backwardcovering a half circle, dimasas look pretty happy in theirsemi - bright dresses. Slow music with thump of drums, are

a mark of the Dimasa Festival.}

The Home of Dimasa

Its the picture of a typical home ofDimasa. The homes are well groomedthough not very large in size.

Cleanliness is the main objective ofany Dimasa House.

The Culture of Dimasas

The Dimasas beleive that there is a Supreme Deity in the worldcalled the Banglaraja. The Lord Banglaraja has seven sons who tooare worshipped. Out of the seven sons, the eldest Sibrai is the mostrevered one. Apart from these seven deities, spirits of ill- will andgood wills are also worshipped. Sakainjeek - the dreaded femalespirits are the most feared ones. Madai - the invisible spirits are alsothe feared ones. Apart from these the Dimasas believe in Clans. They

have both male and female Clans who have their own titulary deities.

Every year Dimasa Kachari family worships its diety before sowingpaddy. This small festive is known as Madai Khelimba. For the peoplewho die , Dimasas cremate them. The dead person is bathed with freshwater, draped in new bright clothes and placed inside the house for thelast moments. The widow does not tie her hair till the body is crematednear the river side.

An important institution of the village is Hangsao. It is an association of unmarried boys and girls othe village. It is organized for the purpose of working together in cultivation and lasts only for oneyear. Round the year Hangsao s work together till a new group is formed the next year.


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They also have festivals Bushu and Hangsao in which they play instruments ( no songs are sungand dance in traditional forms wearing specific dress and jewellery. The males put on the traditiondresses like richa, rikaosa, paguri rimchau and rimchaoramai to perform the folk dances. Thefemales put on Rigu, rijamfini, rijamfinaberen, rikaucha, rikhra, jingsudu etc. and wear ornamentslike Kaudima, Khadu, Kamautai, Longbar, Panlaubar. Chandraral, Rongbarcha, Enggrasa, JongsamaLigjao, Jingbri.

Bhil - The Archers

Bhils - The Archers, are the tribals of Mewar, descandents of original inhabitants of India. The wordBhil is derived from Bil or Vil meaning Bow. The Bhils used to furnish the needs of Prince s of Mewawith bowmen, supplies or by guarding their families. Some famous names of Bhils are Bhim, BhimSingh Maharana, Bhimisi and Bhindar. All of them have special place in the ancient history of India

Bhils are the tribes of Central India found in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Mahrashtra andTripura. Out of India they are found in Bangladesh. In colonial times they were employed by theRajputs as Shikaris and as Warriors. Today there is a Mewar Bhil Corps - the acclaimed Corps ofMewars. They are supposed to be the best archers and also excellent in geographical knowledge.

They are the third largest tribes in India after Gonds and Santhals.

Colors Of Bhils :

Traditional Dance Of Bhils

The Traditional Dance of Bhilsknown as Ghoomar, involvesgoing round and round at veryhigh speeds without losingbalance. It also involves

keeping upto ten to twelvewater pots on the head andthen moving in circles at highspeeds.

Ploygamy - The WayOf Life

The Bhils have a strongfaith in the ritual calledPolygamy. They are attheir wish to remarry as

many times they wish to.Though polygamy hasbeen a tradition for Bhils,these days some of themrestrain from followingso.

The Culture Of Bhils

In the Olden days the Bhils used to live in hive like huts onisolated hill tops, living there for a few weeks and then


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constructing a new one. But now, they leave the huts only if a major disease breaks out or if thehut is considered inauspicious. Some of them have also begun to live in bricked houses. For thedresses, men wear turbans, waistcoat and a coat whereas the women wear saris ( a five - meterlong cloth draped around the body).

They have different ceremonis for birth, death, marriage and divorce. For the various ceremoniesthey either worship the Lion or the mother nature in the form of wild. The affinity of Bhils to the winature attributes to their generations being here for centuries. They have kept with the tradition.

Bhils follow Polygamy. A women is open to marry a man of her choice even after her marriage.They have a Paternal Family System' system in which the family considers the joint family as thmajor force of life. However in Bhils, the women, sons and daughters are free to lead their ownlives.There is a tradition of adapting children in this society.

Chenchu - Aboriginal Tribe of Central Hills

Chenchus are the Hindu Tribes - the Aboriginal Ones who are found in the Central Hills stations ofAndhra Pradesh.

Chenchus are the Aboriginal Tribe who still consider hunting for their livelihood rather then farmingSelling meat is one of their major activity. Their food consists of gruel made from jowar or maize,and boiled or cooked jungle tubers. They mix tamarind fruit with tamarind. The Caste Hindu whichlives with Chenchus take Chenchus land on rent and pay by giving a portion of their harvest toChenchus. They are the food gathering tribe who mostly speak Telgu.

The Chenchus collect jungle products like roots, fruits, tubers, beedi leaf, mohua flower, honey,gum, tamarind and green leaves and make a mearge income of it by selling these to traders andgovernment cooperatives.

Colors Of Chenchu :

Chenchu - The Craftsman

Self Reliant, the Chenchus havelearned various small arts, likecraftsmanship, to make their livesmore easy. On the other hand,Chenchus prefer to do most of theirthings on their own.

The Revered God - Hanuman

The Chenchus have good faith invarious Gods and Goddesses.

The Lingamayya, a form of LordShiva, a Hindu Deity and theGoddess Maisamma - the Shaktiare the most revered ones. LordHanuman is also the main God.


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The Culture Of Chenchus

The Chenchu Village is known as Penta and consists of a few Huts.The Village elder is the one who takes the major decisions and does theCounciling. The marraige of Chenchus is known as Pelli and takesplace through negotiation among the elders or by the choice of youngcouples.

The Chenchus have a strong faith in the Gods and Godesses. Theyworship their dieties with great devotion. Lord Eshwara among them isknown as Lingamayya, and Shakti as Maisamma orPeddamma.The Gods are prayed with great pomp and show.

Documents

Tribals of India