The Tribals of Chotanagpur

 

People of the Munda Tribe

NK SINGH

Among the five million Adivasis living in the inaccessible forests and hills of Chotanagpur with their peculiar culture, modes of living and standard of living far below the normal, some of the important tribes are Santhal, Munda, Ho, Oraon, Kharia and Bithor.

Although in tribal community work is shared by men and women alike, the women have to labour much. In every sense of the word, they lead a very hard life -- earning two square meals by physical labour. 

But there is one virtue in them that they smile even when they sweat. Right from the beginning, girls prove their usefulness at home by looking after younger brothers and sisters when both father and mother go out in search of food.

Education is practically absent among the Adivasis. Hence the girls have to lend a helping hand to their mothers in the kitchen or in fetching water from a distant spring or well. They spend their leisure gathering roots, tubes, leaves etc. from forests.

Dress and fashion

The Aboriginals are even today habituated to keep the body mostly uncovered. Their perfectly formed bodies sometimes of a rich golden-brown colour are a delight to see.

Even today, the most primitive among the tribals have no sense of embarrassment about themselves. Men and women both stay naked, waist upwards. 

Women often dress in ancient Indian fashion which may be seen in the paintings of Ajanta and the carvings of a thousand temples.

The first dress in aboriginal India was made of leaves and even today some of the tribal community wear them. 

Santhal women wear a small cloth, one part of which covers the upper part of their body. They are not in the habit of wearing blouses or any type of kurta.

The Oraon women wrap a small piece of cloth around their waist and rarely cover the upper part of their bodies. 

Hair, usually, is the Adivasi woman's masterpiece. It is remarkable what a lot she can do with it, even without the use of mirrors. 

Some of the tribes, such as the Oraons, decorate their bodies with old-fashioned ornaments while others decorate themselves with flowers and creepers. 

The Munda girls greatly appreciate jewellery and deck themselves in earrings, necklets, bracelets and anklets of brass, lac or coloured glass. 

The poorer Munda woman wears a peculiar ornament in the ear, called tar-sakom, which consists of a roll of palm-leaf, dyed red and set off with tinsel and lac. 

"Dancing," says Havelock Ellis, "is the most moving, the most beautiful of arts, because it is no mere translation or abstraction from life, it is life itself." 

And as dance and songs are the only diversions which poor Adivasis can enjoy without any expense, they are very fond of it. 

Both males and females sing and dance together. It plays a very important role in their cultural behaviour.

Rice bear or Haria is also of great importance for the Adivasis, especially for the Mundas. 

The Oraons, the Mundas, the Hos and the Santhals drink it as frequently as drinking water. It is important on all occasions and for all activities, and it plays a dominant role in their culture. 

Women also are in no way behind so far as drinking is concerned.

Love and Marriage

Sex is one of the major factors concerning marriage. Hence 'sex education' is very necessary and helpful for a happy married life. 

While our Indian educationists are still thinking in terms of introducing sex education, the Aboriginals have been implementing it for a long time. 

For instance, a peculiar feature of the Oraon villages is the dhumkurias or youth dormitory an interesting survival which is still found in the older villages where unmarried boys and girls retire at night to sleep. 

These dormitories, it is said, serve as sex education cum training centres and occupy an important place in tribal life and character. 

With the increasing influence of Christianity and modem civilisation, however, these institutions are gradually falling into disuse.

In marriage, only the physical aspect of the bride and groom is considered. 

It is often said that a bride who does not know the art of climbing a tree cannot get married in 

Adivasi society. If she is somehow married, when her 'disqualification' is revealed she is divorced by the husband. 

Among Oraons, the system of both polygamy and polyandry is in practice.

In a usual marriage (love marriages are exceptions), when the groom is found and the parents of the respective parties agree to have the marriage solemnised, the boy and the girl are allowed to meet at a fixed place and to have their own choice. 

If they approve of the proposal, arrangements are made for the marriage ceremony. Some quantity of parched rice is exchanged between the two families to confirm the proposal. 

In some of the tribes, it is the bride's party which gave dowry while in others it is the groom's party.

On a fixed date when the Barat arrives at the bride's home, there begins a dance very famous among Santhals in which at first only the groom's party participate. 

Then women of the girl's side began their dances, which are much exuberance and outbursts of anarchy and movements of limbs. After this, the principle marriage ceremony starts along with drinking Haria in a huge quantity.

Status

An explanation in terms of economic pursuits, seeking an answer for the status of women concerning the part they play in the economic life of society, was attempted by an anthropologist, Hobhouse. 

He concluded that in nearly 87.5 per cent of the pastoral tribes and 73 per cent of the agricultural tribes the status of women was negative, i.e., their position was found to be a depressed one. 

However, in some of the Chotanagpur tribes, like the Oraons, the status of married women is quite high. They believe that only women should sow seeds in the fields as they are considered to be very auspicious.

LINK 

June 4,1972