Abujhmadia Tribe PDF

ABHUJHMADIA Demographics : The Abujhmadia tribes reside in the Narayanpur, Dantewada, and Abujhmad areas of the Bijapur district. Orchha can be called the gateway to Abujhmad. The total popula on of this tribe as of 2002 was 19401. At present, their popula on has increased to more than 22 thousand. The people and Culture There is no historical record that states the origin of the Abujhmadia tribe. On the basis of legends and folklore, Madiya Gond caste couple ran away from social fear and landed up in an inaccessible area, they got married, and se led there. Because their descendants lived in the Abuzhmad region, they were called Abujhmadiya. Madia Gond, who normally resides in the Abujhmad region, is called Abujhmadiya. The villages of the Abujhmadia tribe live mainly in the foothills or valleys of the hills. Abuzmadia people who were completely dependent on panda agriculture (Shi ing cul va on) lived a nomadic life back in me. The agricultural place for Penda agriculture is called ‘Kaghai’. When trees and shrubs around 'Kaghai' were used, they picked up a new 'Kaghai' and se led their village. Presently, due to the ban on Penda agriculture by the government, permanent villages of the tribes have started se ling. The early economic life of the Abujhmadia tribe was dependent on Shi ing cul va on (penda agriculture), harves ng of wild produce, collec ng kandamul. But now permanent agriculture has replaced penda agriculture. Along with this, they have also learned labor work which helps them get daily wages. The tribes sow Maize, Kosra, Moong, and Urad and seasonal vegetables on the land around their houses. Their involvement in agricultural daily wage is very low. They receive grains in exchange for agricultural wages. Honey, Tendupa a, Kosa, Lac, Gum, Dhawai ﬂowers, Harra, Bahera, etc. are collected from the forest and sold in the market Their houses are made of small hut wood and mud, on which there is a thatch of grass. The house is made of two-three rooms. They build their own houses. No skylight windows are found in the house. The house consists of verandah "agha" (mee ng), "angadi" (rasai), "lonu" (storage room), and enclosure. Only in "Lonu" is the abode of the kul devta. The Abujhmadia women mostly wear silver or fake silver jewelry. Toda on the feet, foot Pa , kardhan on the waist, bangle in the wrists, sudel (Aenthi), sutas in the neck, rupaya mala, chain, and moongamala, khinwa in-ear, jhumka and bala, they also wear fuli on the nose. They love decora ng the hairs with a variety of pins. Men in robes wear lango , lungi or pancha, with a turban on the head. Women wear Lugra from the waist to the knee. Their staple food is rice, madia, kodo, kutki, maize, bhaat, urad, moong, kulathi dal, seasonal vegetables, various types of animals in the carnivore such as padki, peacock, crow, parrot, bakula, rabbit, fox, porcupine, Rooster, and goat meat. They also catch ﬁsh during the rainy season. Mahua alcohol and salﬁ are used as mandatory beverages in all rituals from birth to death. The Abujhhmadiya tribe is an ancestral and patriarchal tribe. This tribe is divided into several dynas es. The dynasty is divided into several gotras, which are called "go ". Their main gotras are Akka, Mandavi, Dhurva, Usendi, Marka, Guntha, Atmi, Lakhmi, Badde, Thonda, etc. The delivery of a pregnant woman of the tribe is done by elderly women or rela ves of the family. Earlier, "Kurma" hut (separate hut) was made for delivery. The baby's placenta is cut with an arrow or knife. For ﬁve days, they make a stew of Chalav-dal for the mother who delivered a baby. They also make a Kaadha (hot brew) of turmeric, dry ginger, peppers, basil leaves, jaggery, ajwain, etc. On the sixth day, Chha is celebrated. The ritual involves bathing the mother and the child, wearing new clothes, and bowing to the God of the house. The naming ceremony of the baby is also done on this day. Family and social friends drink mahua to celebrate the event. Young boys are married in 18–19 years and girls in the age of 16–17 years. The marriage proposal comes from the groom's side. A er ge ng the consent of the bride's father for marriage, the bride's father conﬁrms the marriage and decides the suk (oﬀerings by the bride’s family), which is in the form of grain, len ls, oil, jaggery, and cash. In this tribe, people from the bride’s side come to the village of the bridegroom. The ceremony of marriage is performed by the elders of the caste at the house of the groom. The prac ce of Bether (Sahaplayan), Odiya a (inﬁltra on), and Bangle Dressing (widow re- marriage/abandonment) is also prevalent in this tribe. Abujhmadias bury the deceased. There is no restric on on crema on. In the crematorium, for someone who was important and pres gious among the tribe, a wooden pillar (anal gadhaya) is erected, which is 4 in diameter and about 8 feet high. carved with various visuals of animals-birds and dei es, ghosts, and rites. On the third day, food is served to mark the end of mourning. The tradi onal caste panchayat system is found among the Abujhmadias. On a regional basis, the supreme person is Manjhi (chief), below whom the Patel, the Para Mukhiya, and the Gayta operate. Their main task is to maintain peace, law, etc. in their Maadh (region), to se le conﬂicts, ﬁght, disputes and to make rules related to caste and amend as necessary. Their chief dei es are Budhadeva, Thakur Dev (Tallubhet), Budhimai or Budhi Dokri, Lingopen, house god (Chota pen, Bada pen, Manjhla pen), and Gotranusara as the Kul Devta. The locals worship the Sun, Moon, River, Mountain, Earth, Snake, and Hindu dei es. In the puja, hen, goat, and pig are sacriﬁced. The major fes vals celebrated by the Abujhmarias are Pola, Kakasar, and Pandum. They highly believe in regards to witchcra and ghosts. The knower of Tantra-mantra is called Gayata / Siraha. The men and women of this tribe are very fond of dancing and singing. At various Mela and Madai fes vals, young men and women perform folk dances based on their life and customs along with drums. Kaksar, Gedi dance, and Rilo are the main dances In folk songs, Dadriya, Relogeet, Poojageet, songs of marriage, engagement songs, and the songs of chha hi (baby shower) are sung. They speak the "Madi" dialect, which is a variant of the Gori dialect of the Dravidian language family. In a survey conducted in the year 2002, literacy among the Abuzhmadia tribe was found to be 19.25 percent. Language The Abujhmadia tribes speak the Abujhbadia Gondi dialect. Ta oo (Godana) Abujhmaria women consider (Godana) ta oo a permanent jewel. Ta ooing is normally done on the forehead, near the nose, on the upper part of the palm, chin, etc. KAMAR Demographics : The Kamar tribe is one of the scheduled tribes of India. They live in the forests, valleys, and hills of central India. They have con nued to speak their na ve language: Kamar, despite external inﬂuences. As per the legends, the Kamars are the original inhabitants of the land in which they live, South of the plains of Chha sgarh State. The Kamar tribes are said to be related to their neighbors, the Gond Tribes, who conquered them. The Kamars consider military service their tradi onal occupa on and say that they converted to farming and manual labor jobs through force of circumstances. The Kamar tribes are mainly found in Gariabandh, Chura, Manipur in Gariaband district and Nagri, and Magarlod development blocks of Dhamtari district. Some of their families reside in Mahasamund and Bagbahara development blocks of Mahasamund district as well. The tribe has been given the status of "Special Backward Tribe" by the Government of India. According to the 2011 census, their popula on in the state is 26530, which includes 13070 males and 13460 females. The people and Culture The Kamar tribe traces its origins to Devdongar village of Manipur development block. The tribe's deity "Vaman Dev" is s ll enshrined in the "Vaman Dongri" temple of Devdongar. The houses of the people of the Kamar tribe are made up of grass thatch and mud. There is a door for entering the house, which has a wooden or bamboo door. The thatch is made up of weed or rag, the walls are painted using white clay. The ﬂoor of the house is made using layers of clay, which women plunge with cow dung. Household items mainly include mill, grain storage, bamboo baskets, soup, mats, po ery, cots, pestle bamboo utensil making tools, mulching and weaving clothes, and Farming tools like - ma ock, shovel, sickle, Ax, etc. The people of this tribe used to hunt in past. Hence the arrow-bow and ﬁshing nets are o en found in their homes. The main food of the Kamar tribe is rice or Kodo’s page, Boiled Rice, Belia, Pigeon peas, Green gram, Yellow len ls, Black gram, and seasonal vegetables, wild greens, etc. Pigs, deer, rabbits, rooster, the meat of various kinds of birds, and ﬁsh are eaten. Men prepare and drink wine from Mahua and smoke beedi and chongi. The main occupa on of this tribe is making and selling supa, tokni (basket), jhampi, etc. from bamboo, hun ng of birds and small animals, ﬁshing, collec ng of tubers and wild produce, and tribal agriculture. Their main agricultural produce is Kodo, Paddy, black gram, green gram, Belia, Kulathi, etc. The other aspect of the economic life of this tribe is the collec on of forest produce, in which Mahua, Tendu, Sal beej, Bamboo, Chironji, Gond, Amla, etc. are collected. By selling these, they buy other essen al items like - grains, clothes, etc. Some Kamar people also collect and sell honey and herbs from the forest. The Paharpa ya and Bunderjiwa are the two tribes respec vely in the Kamar tribe. Paharpa ya Kamar people are called mountain dwellers and Bunderjeeva Kamar is living in the plains. Gotras are found in these sub-castes - Jagat, Tekam, Markam, Sodhi, Marai, Chhediha, and Kunjam are their main gotras. The people of a gotra consider themselves children of an ancestor. Marriage is prohibited among boys and girls of the same gotra. These are ancestral habitats but some me a er marriage, the boy starts building a new hut near the father's hut. Everyone gathers in fes vals, social func ons. The men and women clean their teeth daily with datun (a teeth-cleaning twig). Kamar men keep their hair short and women have long hair. With the help of a comb or "kakwa", the hair forms a ponytail or bun. Kamar girls, at the age of 8–10 years, get ta oos made by devar women on their hands, feet, and chin, etc. The women’s jewelry is made up of fake silver, gilt, etc. In jewelry, they wear Aethi on the wrist of the hand, Fulli in the nose, Khinwa in the ear, rupiya mala around the neck, etc. Men wear Pancha (small dho ), bandi, saluka, and women wear lugda, polka. The marriage ceremony takes place under the supervision of elders in the Kamar tribe. In addi on to normal marriages, gurvant and ghar gamai are also prevalent. Paithu (inﬁltra on), Udharia (Sahaplayan) get social acceptance a er social punishment in the tradi onal social panchayat. The widow remarriage is recognized. The widow’s sister-in-law can wear a bangle for her brother-in- law(devar) and bhabhi. Bury the body of the deceased a er death. On the third day, there is Teejanhavan, in which male members of the family shave the beard mustache, and head hair. A er cleaning the house, sprinkle turmeric water at all places and they also apply it on some parts of the body. If due to any reason, they can not give a death feast, then within 1 year the death feast is served according to the ﬁnancial compa bility. The Kamar tribe also has a tradi onal caste panchayat (social panchayat) to maintain social order. All persons of the Kamar tribe are members of that panchayat. The head of this panchayat is called the "Mukhiya". Common caste disputes are se led in the village itself. A regional level caste panchayat is found by combining several villages. When a fes val, fair or collec ve fes val is celebrated, a mee ng of this panchayat is held at that me. In this panchayat, marital disputes, marital or immoral rela ons with other castes, etc. are se led. The chief Goddesses of the Kamar tribe are Kachna, Dhurva, Budhadeva, Thakur Dev, Vaman Dev, Dulha Dev, Badi Mata, Manjhali Mata, Chho Mata, Budhi Mata, Mother Earth, etc. Pogri (Kuldev), Mangarma (village and home soil of ancestors), Gata Duma (ancestor) are also worshiped by the deity. In puja, hens, goats, etc. are also oﬀered. Their major fes vals are Hareli, Pora, Nawakhai, Dussehra, Diwali, Chherchera, Holi. During the fes val, they eat the meat of chicken, goat, etc., and drink alcohol. They also believe in Ghosts and witchcra. The person who knows witchcra and black magic is known as Baiga. The women of this tribe dance to Suva in Diwali. In marriage, both men and women dance. Men dance a lot during Holi and Diwali. According to the 2011 census, the literacy among the Kamar tribe is 47.7 percent. Literacy is 58.8 percent among males and 37.0% among females. Language The tribes speak Kamar (Indic Language) Ta oo (Godan) The women are ta ooed either before or a er marriage, the usual ﬁgures being a peacock on the shoulders, a scorpion on the back of the hand, and dots represen ng ﬂies on the ﬁngers. On their legs and arms, they have circular line pa erns of dots represen ng the ornaments usually worn, and they say that if they are des tute in the other world they will be able to sell these. This indicates that the more civilized of them, at any rate, now believe in future life. They also have circular do ed lines around their knees which they say will help them to climb to heaven. BAIGA Demographics : Baiga is a special backward tribe of Chha sgarh, their popula on in census 2011 was 89744. The people of the Baiga tribe in the state are mainly found in Kawardha and Bilaspur districts. The major popula on resides in Dindori, Mandla, Jabalpur, Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh. The people and Culture As per the legends, In early mes, there was only water and no land around. One ﬁne day, God created the Universe. Followed by which, two asce cs emerged from the depths of the earth. One was Nanga baiga and the other one was Brahmin. The Brahmin was given pen and paper for reading and wri ng, and to the Nanga Baiga, God gave an ax. Right a er, God instructed to cul vate kutki and Kodo (Grain) to the Nanga Baiga. Since then, the Baigas have been prac cing Bewar (swidden agriculture) by cu ng down trees in forests. The Baiga Adivasis are the forest-dwelling indigenous tribal community of Central India. According to the local mythology of the area, they are o en considered the original inhabitants of Earth. Being Iden ﬁed as a Dravidian tribe(Primi ve), the Baiga tribe are also known for their tradi onally minimalis c lifestyle. Baigas lived in in macy with the elements of nature in past, and even at present, their everyday lives and livelihoods con nue to be closely connected with their forest ecologies. Erstwhile nomadic hunter-gatherers, who prac ced shi ing agriculture, the Baigas are also known to be extremely skilled with the medicinal and healing prac ces using the various species of plants and trees which are found in the forests of central India. In fact, it is also said that the word ‘Baiga’ has originated from the Hindi word Vaidya (which means the healer or doctor in general terms). The Baiga tribe have con nued to possess a keen knowledge of their surroundings and biodiversity of their region which they pass on through oral tradi ons from one genera on to the next. The oral histories of the tribal communi es of central India, throw light on the minimalism and simplicity of the Baiga tribe. The Baiga tribe is fancied for being una ached to material possessions, which are less in number in the ﬁrst place. In the past, the Gond tribes would occupy the agricultural land owned by Baiga by lling their land using a plow(tool). As the Baigas were against the lling of land, once the plow had been used in a piece of their land, they would abandon that par cular patch and move elsewhere into the forests as a ritual. Even when the Baiga Chak region was established under the inﬂuence of the colonial Bri sh, the Gond tribe were called to live in the regions originally inhabited by the Baiga tribe, to spread prac ces of se led agriculture. As a result, the Baigas had been pushed away to rocky, unfer le, and unproduc ve patches of land. The people of the Baiga tribe live in inaccessible places of hilly and forest areas along with Gonds, and Bhumia. Their houses are made up of clay, on which there is a thatch of grass or thatch. They Paint the walls with white or yellow soil. The ﬂoor of their house is ﬁlled with cow dung and mud. Their household elements include a house of clay, a pestle "pestle", "bahna", a grain grinder "janta", bamboo baskets, soup, kitchen utensils, aluminum, few brass utensils,dhu , instruments include drums, drums, nets, Clothes, arrows, bow, tangia, ﬁshing lamina, etc. The present Baiga households con nue to be provisioned with basic items such as earthen pots and vessels for cooking and storage, leaves used as plates, and dry gourds for drinking vessels. Over me, pots, pans, and other utensils of steel, aluminum, and brass have also become common among Baiga households. The staple food of the Baiga people consists of grains such as Kodo, kutki, paddy, jowar, wheat, corn, and masoor. The Pej (beverage) is an important element in the food of the tribe. It is prepared by coarsely crushing grains such as wheat, or corn and then boiling them in water. To this prepara on, cold water is further added to maintain its liquid state and to make it ﬁt to drink. The Pej is considered to be extremely healthy and nutri ous and is consumed in large quan es by the Baiga people, par cularly in seasons when they have to engage in strenuous agricultural work. The meals are further supplemented by a variety bhaajis (leafy vegetables), roots collected from the surrounding forests, and mushrooms, Addi onally, The mahua liquor (alcoholic) is consumed regularly in Baiga households and is an extremely important element in all fes vi es and celebra ons and is considered auspicious. Tradi onally, Baigas dressed sparsely and their orthodox prac ce was to wear as li le as possible. It is believed that the Nanga Baiga (the ﬁrst Baiga man) was gi ed a piece of cloth which was nine hands (cubits) in length by God, but he returned all of it and kept a hand and a half piece of it which was needed. Some elder members of the tribe believe that the present poverty in the Baigas can be traced to their wearing of clothes and shoes. Ou its such as Short dho s above the knees and sleeveless waistcoats are worn by many Baiga men, though in recent mes trousers, T-shirts and shirts are also commonly worn by the younger genera ons. The Baiga men tradi onally kept long hair ed into beau ful knots, a prac ce which can be seen disappearing with the passage of me. The tradi onal ou it of the Baiga women is called lugra(Cloth), which is a long strip of pink-colored cloth and is ed around the waist with a secured knot, is carried across the breasts, and tucked in at the shoulder to secure the loose end. The skirt gets formed around is short and doesn't reach the knees. Recently, sarees have become a preferred choice among Baiga women. The Baiga girls and women carry necklaces and ornaments made of colorful beads and coins, silver and aluminum bracelets, and armlets, which are made within the community and bangles too. A local market that is organized in the village weekly is an important event in the lives of the Baiga people and, women in par cular elaborately dress up to visit the market and sell their products such as grains, fruits, vegetables, and other seasonally collected forest produce such as chaar, amla, honey, sal seeds, roots, dried mahua ﬂowers, and dried ﬁsh are brought to be sold in the market by the women. Addi onally, the Baigas also sell goats and poultry such as chicken, kadaknath (Black chicken) which they rear in their households. The money received from their sale is then used to acquire necessi es such as salt, spices, clothes, and other items of necessity that they cannot get from the forests. Baiga men also make bamboo mats and baskets with ﬁnesse skills which they sell in the weekly markets. Singing and dancing are not only popular pas mes but also hold a ritual and cultural signiﬁcance in the lives of the Baiga people. Their Fes vals, such as madai mela (fairs), rites and rituals, weddings, and birth and death ceremonies are all incomplete without singing and dancing. Among the several dance forms of the Baiga tribe, the Karma dance is the most popular one. The Baigas are considered to be the inventors of the folk Karma dance (karma naacha) which is one of the most popular dance forms of Chha sgarh. The Dadaria is another important form of folk song and dance which uses poe c expressions of the Baigas. The singing and dancing among the Baigas are o en accompanied by rhythmic drumming on the instrument mandar. The Baigas share an in mate and sustainable rela onship with the forests and the wildlife. They are avid woodcu ers and extremely skillful at using the ax, including its use for hun ng wild animals. They are skilled hunters and could hunt small animals such as deer, hares, and peacocks with a single throw of their axes. Even larger animals such as panthers are known to have been killed with one single skillful blow by the expert hunter of the tribes. with the passage of me, as bans on hun ng were implemented and there was an overall decrease in the number of prey animals, the hun ng prac ces of the Baigas also disappeared. However, they con nue their skillful prac ce of catching ﬁshes by damming streams. The Baigas are also astute at ﬁnding medicinal herbs, roots, fruits, and other consumable vegeta on from the forests, through which their cultural and material needs are met on a daily basis. The people of the Baiga tribe ﬁrst used to cut the forest and burnt it and cul vated it in ashes. Which was called "Bevar" farming. Presently, sustainable farming is done on the hillside. In this, Kodo, maize, Madia, Sathi Paddy, Black Gram, Yellow len ls, Jhurga, etc. are sown. Wild root vegetables, Tendu Leaf, Pickle, Lacquer, Gum, Honey, Bhilava, Tikhur, Bichandi, etc. are collected and sold. Previously, deer, rabbits, and wild pigs were hunted, now hun ng is banned. In the rainy season, they catch ﬁsh for their own use with kumani, fork, net, etc. Women also make bamboo baskets and sell baskets. The Baiga tribe is found to have many endogamous tribes. Their major sub-castes are - Binjhwar, Bharato a, Naro a (Nahar), Rambhaina, Katbhaina, Dudhbhaina, Kodwan (Kundi), Gondabhaina, Kurka Baiga, Savat Baiga, etc. The tribes are divided into various extraterrestrials "go " (gotra). Their main gotras are Marawi, Dhurve, Markam, Para , Tekam, Netam etc. Fauna, animals, birds, trees, creepers, etc. are the totems of their gotras. These tribes are ancestral, patriarchal, and ancestral local. That is, the girls go to the bride's father's house a er marriage. Their children are called their father's descendants. Children are believed to be the gi of God. Pregnant women do all the ﬁnancial and family work ll the me of delivery. The delivery is done by the local "Sunmai" (midwife) and elderly women of the family. They make laddus of dry ginger, peepal, ajwain, jaggery, etc., and feed them. The sixth day is celebrated and a er bathing the newborn child, they bow to the deity. Paint the house with paint. Rela ves drink alcohol. The marriage age is considered to be 14–18 years for boys and 13–16 years for girls. The marriage proposal is from the groom's side. son and daughters of maternal uncle and aunt (father's sister) get married to each other. The bridegroom is given some amount of rice, len ls, turmeric, oil, jaggery, and cash in the form of an "expenditure" (bride) by The bride. The marriage ceremony takes place under the supervision of the elders. Lamsena (Seva Marriage), Chori Vivah, Paithu Vivah (bribery), Guravat (exchange) have social acceptance. Remarriage (Khadoni) is also prevalent. Bury the deceased when he dies. On the third day, the cleaning of the house is done. Men cut beard-mustache. Dashakaram is performed on the 10th day, in which the soul of the deceased is worshiped and the rela ves oﬀer a death feast. The tradi onal caste panchayat is found in these. In this panchayat, there are oﬃcials like Mukaddam, Diwan, Samrath, and peon. Paithu, Chori Vivah, divorce, marital disputes, immoral rela ons, etc. are se led in this panchayat in the tradi onal manner by taking social meals or ﬁnes. The major dei es of these are Budha Deva, Thakur Dev, Narayana Deva, Bhimsen, Ghanshyam Deo, Dhar Mata, Thakurine Mai, Khairmai, Ratmai, Baghdev, Budhimai, Dulhadev, etc. In puja, they oﬀer cock, goat, and pig. Some mes, people perform puja only with coconut, kharek, and alcohol. Their major fes vals are Hareli, Pola, Nawakhai, Dussehra, Kali Chadash, Diwali, Karama Puja, Holi, etc. they believe in black magic, witchcra , ghost, etc. "Bhumaka" priest of their deity. Prominent folk dances include Vilma Nach in Nach Vivah, and Dance in Dussehra Chherat,Karma on Karma Puja, Main folk songs are Karama Geet, Dadaria, Sua Geet, Marriage Song, Mata Seva, Phag, etc. The main musical instruments among them are Mandar, Dhol, Timki, Nagara, Kinnari, Tiski, etc. In the 2011 census, literacy among this tribe was 40.6 percent. Literacy was 50.4 percent among males and 30.8% among females. Language The Baigas interact with outsiders in Hindi and they also have picked up a few local languages. Among themselves, they talk in a language that is called ‘Baigani’. It takes its style from Cha sgarhi and Gondi languages. Mostly the tribesmen from the Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh(Central India) have adopted it as a language. Ta oo (Godna) The Baiga women sport permanent ta oos(Godna) on their bodies which form a dis nct characteris c of their cultural iden ty. At the age of ﬁve, a young girl gets ta ooed on her forehead, and by the me she gets married, she gets ta oos all over her body. Ta oos(Godna) hold a special signiﬁcance for the Baiga women. They are considered to enhance the beauty of the women of the tribe and are o en perceived as a subs tute to ornaments in their Adivasi(tribal) culture. Baiga Women like being ta ooed not only because it increases their a rac veness, but also because of their permanence. Ge ng elaborately ta ooed is culturally appreciated and Baiga women take pride in their ta oos. The ta oos on the bodies of Baiga women are created by women of their own community, known as the Godnaharin(the one who makes godna) and males members are not allowed to witness the process. The ta oo ink is prepared using locally procured items such as Ram la oil and sal tree gum(glue). BIRHOR Demographics : The Birhor tribes are a special backward tribe of Chha sgarh state. Most of their popula on in the country resides in the adjoining state of Jharkhand. The 2011 census has shown their popula on to be 3104. Of these, 1526 were male and 1578 female. The term "Birhor" is derived from the words Bir meaning Jungle and hor meaning man thus it means the man living in Jungle or people of Jungle. Forest ecology has modeled their way of life (Pfeﬀer G., Behera D. K.)The Birhors belong to the Mundani group of tribes and are concentrated in central and eastern India. They are mainly distributed in, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, and Chha sgarh states of India. In Orissa, they are found mainly in the districts of Sambalpur, Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Sundergarh, and Mayurbhanj. In Chha sgarh state, they are mainly distributed in Jashpur, Surguja, Raigarh, Bilaspur, and Korba districts. In the Raigarh district, they are known by the name Birhul, while in Bilaspur, they are known as Manjhi. In Bilaspur, they are found in six villages i.e. Khemarpara, Umaria Dadar village, Koilaripara village, belgahna, Devra, semaria, of Kota block. In Korba, they are mainly distributed in Kodar, Sirpur, Dhumarkachar, Tonganala, and Makhanpur, etc. The people and Culture According to the legends, There is no historical evidence regarding the origin of the Birhor tribe. They are considered tribes of the Kolarian group. According to the prevailing legends recited by several locals, a group of seven brothers was dropped on the ground by Lord Surya, who came to this country from Khairagarh (Kaimur hill). Out of which, Four brothers went towards east and three brothers stayed on the hills of Raigarh and Jashpur. One day, the three brothers went out to ﬁght with the king of the country, and one of the brothers got his headcloth stuck on the tree, considering it an unfortunate sign, he went straight into the forest and started cu ng down the shrubs of the forest. The remaining two brothers went to war with the king and won the ba le. While he was coming back, he saw his brother cu ng "Chop" (bush) inside the forest and called him "Bir-hor",( Birhor: a man of the forest). He happily accepted the tle and con nued to live in the forest. His children also started to be called Birhor. In Mundari language, the term "Bir" translates to forest or shrub and "Hor" means human. Bir-hor together can signify a man of the jungle or someone who cuts the bushes. Birhor, is a par cularly vulnerable tribal group (primi ve tribal group) of Chha sgarh State, is known to be forest dwellers with nomadic hun ng-gathering economies. Urbaniza on and industrializa on have led to large-scale deforesta on that in turn had its eﬀect on their en re culture and society. Their exposure to mainstream culture through various governmental programs for tribal development and modern educa on system etc., their language and dis nc ve socio-culture structure has shown hasty changes. The Birhor tribes are away from prac cing any form of agriculture and are dependent upon the collec on of forest products for their living. They are mostly food collectors and hunters. In past, they usually hunted wild animals like monkeys, fowl, pigs, etc. In these regions, they are locally known as Mankria, Mankidi, or Mankar-khia Kol because of their habit of ea ng monkeys together. In the Oriya (Odisha) dialect, mankar means monkeys, and khia means the habit of ea ng wild animals but due to strict forest laws and policy, they stopped hun ng wild animals(Adhikari,1995). They collect forest produce like Mahua, Tendu pa a (leaf), Tendu phal, Chironji(char), etc. Besides this, they also collect bamboo wood, ﬁrewood, and some other woods and leaves for making their huts. Some of them also collect medicinal plants, fruits, bark, leaves, etc. as they serve as Baiga or medicine men for the villagers. They also domes cated animals like cows, goats, hens, etc. for economic use. In almost each of the Birhor houses, these animals are domes cated. They domes cate cows for milk produc on, for selling and ge ng the huge prices they domes cate chicken & goat. For the safety of the house, they domes cate dogs and for keeping away snakes, they domes cate cats. They are not purely nomadic hunter-gatherers. Besides this, they also do agriculture and also work as laborers in nearby factories and urban areas. Some of the Birhors are agriculturalists. They only grow rice in their ﬁelds once a year i.e. rainy season. Besides this, they grow some pulses & corn, etc. Rice is the main staple food for them. They eat only rice. Besides this, they also eat some sag, beans, mahua, etc. They are also fond of chicken, the meat of goat, monkey, pig, etc. Their primary job is to hunt, collect wild and root vegetables and wild produce. They sell Mohline bark rope and a bowl of bamboo pieces. Sathi, paddy, maize, kodo, black gram, etc. are also sown in the land around the house. If their food items (paddy-rice) are exhausted, they dig Nakaua Kanda, Det Kanda, Pithas Kanda, or Laga Kanda from the forest. Eat it a er roas ng or boiling it. They make and sell dholak from the wood of trees called Saleha and Pote, shells of bees, etc. They also catch ﬁsh during the rainy season. Earlier wild animals also used to hunt deer, rabbit, fox, jackal, monkey, and birds. Hun ng and Root vegetables were the hallmarks of their primi ve economy. The nomadic Bihors were called Uthalu, who roamed the hills for hun ng and Root vegetables, making temporary habitats. Those who make a permanent hut and live near the village are called Jaghish Birhor. Many extroverted tribes are found in this tribe. Their main gotras are Sonial, Go a, Bandar Go ya, Baghel, Bari, Kachhua, Chhator, Sonwani, and Murihar, etc. It is considered auspicious to have children. Son or daughter is considered to be the gi of God. There is no special ritual in pregnancy. Pregnant women do all the ﬁnancial and family work. During delivery, they keep the maternity in a separate hut. Kuseru Dai, who belongs to their caste, helps in delivery. For a month, maternity and newborn children live in the same hut. The sixth day is celebrated, in which the maternity and the newborn are bathed and worshiped the sun in the morning. The rela ves are called for the feast. The age for marriage is generally considered to be 16 to 18 for boys and 14 to 16 years for girls. The marriage proposal comes from the groom's side. Once the marriage is ﬁnalized, the groom's father gives the girl's father Some Rice, Len ls, Two head liquor, one cloth (Lugda) for the girl, and one cloth (Maisari) for her mother. The marriage ceremony is performed by Dhedha (priest) of the Birhor caste. Apart from this, marriage is also considered to Dhuku, Udharia, Golat (exchange) system. Widow and a married woman are allowed to wear bangle (remarriage) with another person. They bury the deceased when someone dies. The male members in the family shave their beards, heads, and take bath. Earlier, they used to break old kudias and make new ones. And a er one month, they oﬀer a death feast to rela ves. The tradi onal caste panchayat is found in this society. The head of the caste panchayat is called the "Maalik". In this panchayat, dhuku marriage, cohabita on, remarriage of the maiden to the ﬁrst husband, and remarrying "souk", immoral rela ons, etc. are judged in the tradi onal way. The principal deity of the Birhor tribe is Sun (Surya). Apart from this, Budhi Mai, Mary Mai, ancestor mountains, trees, etc. are also worshiped. In worship, they oﬀer liquor and sacriﬁces of rooster, goat, pig, etc. Their major fes vals are Nawakhani, Dussehra, Sirhul, Karama, Sohrai, and Phagua. They believe in ghosts, black magic, etc. People from other local tribes consider the Birhor caste to specialize in sorcery. The people of the Birhor tribe dance like Karama, Fagua, Bihav dance, etc. Folk songs mainly are Karma songs, Fagua songs, marriage songs. The major instruments played by them are mandar, dhol, dhaﬂi, mki, etc. Literacy among the Birhor tribe was 39.0 percent in the 2011 census. Literacy among men was 49.6 percent and literacy among women was 28.7 percent. Language They speak Mundari language of Austro – Asia c family which is also known as Birhori or Parchi or Parsi in the local terms. Birhor has their own language known as Birhori, which belongs to the Austro-Asia c family. They also call it Parsi or Parchi. They speak to their community members and family in Birhori. But to other members of the village & outsiders, they speak Chha sgarhi & Hindi. They have a percep on that the younger genera on will not speak in Birhori. Because of the modern educa on system, urbaniza on & moderniza on, etc. which will lead to the ex nc on of the Birhori dialect or language in the coming days or near future. The Birhori dialect has speciﬁc terms yet few chha sgarhi words have been incorporated in the language. PAHADI KORWA Demographics : In Chha sgarh, The Pahari Korwa special backward tribes reside in Jashpur, Surguja, Balrampur, and Korba districts. Pahadi Korwa According to the survey conducted in years 2005-06, the total popula on of the Pahadi Korwa tribe was 34122. At present, the popula on of Korwas has increased to more than 40 thousand. Historical evidence regarding the origin of the Pahari Korwa tribe is not available. The people and Culture Hill Korwa, a sub-group of the Korwa tribe, was iden ﬁed as PVTGs during the ﬁ h ﬁve-year plan based on their pre-agriculture technology, low literacy, and stagnant popula on. According to the Anthropological descrip on of the family, they belong to the Austro-Asia c family. They are medium to short in height have dark brown or black skin in physical appearances. Generally, most of the Hill Korwas had nuclear families. The Hill Korwas are divided into ﬁve diﬀerent totemis c endogamous clans, such as Edigwar, Ginnur, Hansadwar, Samar, and Renla. The religion of the Hill-Korwa tribe is conﬁned to the ancestral worship of a few Gods and Dei es. The name of their most important Gods are Sigri Dev, Gauria Dev, Mahadev, and Parva ; and the Kul Devi (Cheif deity) is Mata Khudia Rani. The Khuriarani Cave, popularly known as the Khuria Rani ki Gufa is one of the places of historical importance in the Jashpur town of North Cha sgarh. It is located at a distance of 17 km from Bagicha Village, the village is named bagicha (garden) because of its scenic views. Near the entrance of the khudiarani cave, a huge stone is placed and a hole of depth one meter is seen behind the stone. Hundred years ago the gate was said to be opened but was closed automa cally. A er entering the hole one has to walk a distance of about 130 meters and it is completely dark with water ﬂowing from above. The deity Khudia Rani is believed to have lived in the Cave for very long. The inhabitants of this cave area of Khudiarani are called Korwa Janja. The clans of Korwas have a common strand that binds them together, which is their faith in Deity Khuria Rani. The goddess is believed to possess protec ve powers. Oﬀerings to the deity include a goat, coconut, red hen, milk, vermillion, and a lighted lamp. Based on the legends, The Korwas trace their origins to Lord Ram and Godess Sita. During their exile, Ram-Sita and Lakshman were passing by a paddy ﬁeld, and to protect the crop from being destroyed by animals and birds, a mannequin eﬃgy, with a bow and arrow and placed in the rams of the paddy ﬁeld. Meanwhile, Sita Ji was curious and asked lord Rama to give life to that eﬃgy. Rama made the eﬃgy a man. This eﬃgy is said to be the ancestor of the Korwa tribe. According to another belief, Lord Shankar created the universe. And, with the idea of bringing humans in the world, he made two humans from the Kala and Bala of Ratanpur state. The name of a human-made out of the soil of Kala Parvat is named Kila and the name of a human-made out of the soil of the Bala Mountain was called Ghuma. Simultaneously, Shankar Ji constructed two female idols named Siddhi and Buddhhi. Kaila married Siddhi,and had three children, the ﬁrst son was named Kol, the second son was named Korwa and the third son was Kodaku. Korwa also had two sons. One son went into the mountain and cut down the forests and started cul va ng dahiya, and was called Hill Korwa. The second child cleared the forest and started permanent farming using a plow, and was called Dihari Korwa. The Pahari Korwa tribe mainly live in the mountainous regions. The walls of the house are made of wood and bamboo, on which there is a thatch. Present Day, their houses are made of clay, on which thatch is of local le. The ﬂoor of the house is made up of clay, which is coated with mud and cow dung once in 8-10 days. The house usually consists of one room or two rooms. The Household items include few cooking utensils, arrow-bows, axes, some bamboo baskets, etc. The Korwas are divided into two subgroups. A group that hunts, collects forest produce and do dahiya farming. Hunters and forest dwellers spent their lives wandering from one mountain to another, they are called Pahari Korwa. The second group, who developed something more than the pahari Korwa, started permanent agriculture and started building permanent houses in the villages. They are called Dihari Korwa because of their permanent residence in "Dih" (village). Gotrihar, Hasda, Aidme, Farma, Samurahla, Gonu, Banda, Idinwar, Sonwani, Bhudivar, Birbani, etc. gotra are found in Pahari Korwa tribe. Men and women bathe once or twice a week. Women and men have long hair, Tie the hair backward. Women are now combing hair by applying gulli or peanut oil. Women wear gilat ornaments such as Aenthi in hand, wood, or gilat ornaments in ear and nose. The man usually puts a langot under the waist or wears a Pancha, the upper part of the body is open. Some people are now wearing bundy. Women wear Lugra, Their staple food is Kodo, Kutki, Godali Paige, some mes rice and wild root vegetables, seasonal greens, and vegetables. In the non-vegetarian meal, they eat all kinds of birds, hens, ﬁsh, crab, goat, deer, pig, etc. They prepare and drink alcoholic beverages from Mahua. The economic life of this tribe was mainly based on Wild produce compila on hun ng. Currently, By permanent residence has started cul va on of Kodo-Kutki, Godali, Paddy, Maize, Black gram, Green pulse, Kulathi, etc. Due to non-irrigated and rocky land, the produc on is very low, those who have less agricultural land have started to work in the ﬁelds of other tribes. Kandamul, Bhaji, Mahua, Char, Gum, Tendupa a, Honey, Amla, etc. are collected in the wild. Gum, Tendupa a, Char, Honey, Amla are sold in local markets. Men and children hunt birds with arrows and bows. Men and women also catch ﬁsh, crab, a snail from small river rivulet during the rainy season and other seasons, and eat it themselves. Pregnant women of this tribe do all economic and family work ll the day of delivery. For delivery, they make a separate hut made of leaves, which is called "Kumba". The delivery is done in this hut with the help of the local midwife called "Dongin". The child's umbilical cord is cut with an arrow or knife and is buried in the hut. They feed the mother rice mixed with turmeric. Kulathi, Anthimudi, the root of Chind, Sarai bark, dry ginger, and jaggery are also oﬀered. On the sixth day, chha hi is celebrated, a er bathing the newborn child and mother they bow to the sun, the earth, and the goddess. They oﬀer Liquor made from Mahua to friends. The marriage age is 16–20 years for boys and 15–18 years for girls. Marriage is proposed from the groom's side. In marriage, grains, len ls, oil, jaggery, and few rupees are given as "suk" to the bride's father. Engagement, Souk Badhouni, Marriage, and Gowna, are the four stages of marriage. The ritual of Gowna occurs a er 2-3 years of marriage. The head of the caste performs the task of Fera. These include "Guravat" (exchange), "lamsena" (service marriage), "paithu" (inﬁltra on), "udharia" (Elopement), etc. Widow remarriage, The remarriage of brother-in-law and sister-in-law is also valid. The Korwas bury the deceased when they die. On the 10th day, the dei es and ancestors are bathed and worshiped, and food is served. Later they, Destroy the hut in which the death took place and live in a new hut. The Korwas have the tradi onal caste panchayat. The head of the caste panchayat is called the "Mukhiya". In this panchayat, there are oﬃcials like Patel, Pradhan, and Bhat. The head of a caste panchayat formed by joining several villages is called Toladar. In this panchayat, ma ers of vadhumoolya, marriage, divorce, and immoral rela onships with other caste are se led. The worship of caste deity is also done by caste panchayat. Their main dei es are Thakurdev, Khuriarani, Sheetalamata, Dulhadeva, etc. Apart from this, snakes, gers, trees, mountains, sun, moon, earth, river, etc. are also considered as dei es. On the occasion of worship, they sacriﬁce the chicken and oﬀer liquor. Their major fes vals are Dussehra, Nawakhani, Diwali, Holi, etc. They also believe in witchcra , black magic, and ghosts. Among them, the person who knows the mantra or magic is called Devar Baiga. chha sgarh The people of this tribe dance Karama, Bihava, Parghni, Rahas etc. Karama songs, Bihav songs, Phags, etc. are prominent in folk songs. It has its own speciﬁc dialect, which is called "Korwa dialect". The Korwa tribe is mainly divided into two subgroups. A group that hunt, collect forest produce, and do dahiya farming. Hunters and forest dwellers used to live wandering from one mountain to another, they are called Pahari Korwa. In the survey conducted in the year 2005-06, literacy among the Pahari Korwa tribe was found to be 22.02 percent. Currently, it has increased more than before. Language They are a branch of the Kolarian tribe and speak Mundari language. According to an anthropological descrip on of the family, they belong to the Austro-Asia c family.

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