- Ishita Surin
International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is commemorated annually on 9th August to raise awareness of the needs of indigenous peoples globally.
By resolution 49/214 of 23 December 1994, the UN General Assembly decided that the Day would be observed on 9 August every year. The date marks the day of the first meeting, in 1982, of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.
There are a plethora of indigenous people spread all across the world. Out of which India hosts around 104 million (that is almost 8.6% of the country’s population).
Many tribals are not Hindus or Muslims as is the case with most Indians. Many are animists that believe in spirits. Some are Christians. Some tribes believe that having their picture taken will shorten their lives.
A yearly round of rituals connected with the agricultural cycle, along with life-cycle rituals for birth, marriage and burial at death, involves petitions to the spirits and offerings that includes the sacrifice of animals, usually birds. Religious leaders are made specialists in medical cures who practice divination and witchcraft. Similar beliefs are common among other tribes of northeast and central India such as the Kharia/Khadia, Munda, and Oraon but Gond and Santal tribes are the most widespread in Odisha.
Kharia/Khadiya:
Khadiya is considered to be the pillar of primitive culture. The Dhavar Commission and the Tribal Commission put Khadia in the category of primitive tribe, but after independence, the government removed the Khadiya from this list. Such tribes and Adivas have become synonymous, but this difference has been done on the basis of their backwardness. There are three sections of Khadiya: - "Mountain Khadiya", "Dhaleki Khadiya" and "Milk Khadiya". These three classes meet at various levels in economic, social and cultural terms. Among them, the mountainous Khadiya is the most backward and the milk cranny is the most advanced. Whatever, milk has become a composite tribal community after getting a sloping rattle.
Munda:
Mundas are the central Indian tribe and recognized as an immigrant tribe in Tripura. Original homeland of Mundas was at Chota Nagpur. Mundas are Proto-Australoid tribe. Mundari is their language, which is belongs to Austro-Asiatic family. Mundas live in mixed villages with other tribes. They enjoy their life during working in Tea garden with community participation, group hunting with bow and arrows of wild animals and birds, group dancing and singing and also enjoying country liquor irrespective of age bar in any ceremony or festival. They also have faith in their traditional deities. In every Munda village there would be three important features (1) SARANA, (2) AKHRA and (3) SASAN. Besides PAHAN (Priest) have an important role in the life of Mundas. Pahan look after all religious rites and rituals, community festival, marriage, treatment by appeasing village deities and funeral rites. Mundas economy is so hazard that they still live on hand to month. They frequently depend on village Mahajan. Even then, lot of changes in their socio-economic life could be observed now a days.
Oraon:
Oraon tribe who call themselves Kurukh, by the name taken from their hero-king Karakh. The Oraon used to live south-west of the river Ganga but are now mainly concentrated in Chhotanagpur in Bihar and the adjoining areas of Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal, Tripura, Maharashtra and Assam. They speak languages such as Kurukh, Sadri and Hindi which are from the Dravidian family of languages. They write using the Devanagari script. In stature they are short or below medium in height. They are mainly settled cultivators and also work as wage labourers and industrial workers. Their staple cereal is rice, supplemented with maize, wheat, Madua and Gondli. Both men and women consume alcohol, and they also prepare rice beer at home. Generally men chew tobacco and women smoke the Hookah. The Oraon have their traditional community council at the village level headed by a Mahto. They have a regional council known as the Parha composed of a number of villages. Their main deity is taken as Dharmes, and they also believe in a host of spirits. A priest is invited to perform their life cycle rituals. An Ojiha or mati is specially called to cure diseases by appeasing evil spirits. Alternate names: Kurukh, Dhanka, Orang, Karusha.
Santhal:
The great fighters during British regime in India and also most fun-loving ones are the people of the third largest tribe of India - Santhal. Music and dance are activities which are loved the most by Santhals.
Gond:
Region: Gondwana Land (between Madhya Pradesh and Odisha)
Chhattisgarh is famous for its cultural beauty and more than one-third of its population is tribal. The most common group in the tribal group is Gonds. Gonds are famous for its artworks, festival celebrations (especially Dusshera), and unorthodox marriage culture.
There are numerous clans within Gond and thus, no two villages of Gond would have a similar culture. They perform agriculture along the hill slopes. The Gond language is primarily a version of Telugu with words from other Dravidian languages. Gonds follow Hinduism and are familiar with numerous astronomical calculations.
Kisan:
Region: Orissa
Kisan is a tribe who are farmers and gatherers. They speak Kurukh language. If you are visiting their village, make sure to buy honey. You can also watch them gather honey with traditional methods. They follow Hinduism,Christianity and celebrate all the major Festivals. You can also find traditional medicine men in the villages.
The beauty of indigenous tribes are their history, stories, music, communication language , connections, dance, food, clothes, festivals, house and more.
Tribal Freedom Fighters
Birsa Munda
Birsa Munda was a tribal hero from the tribal belt of Chotanagpur. Though he died at the age of 25, he is still remembered as a freedom fighter, religious leader and folk hero. He believed in the importance of cultural roots and influenced people to understand the importance of land and the rights that they possess with the land.
He soon realized the intention of the British was to loot their lands and push the people into the deep pit of poverty and bonded labour. He fought against the forceful seizure of land and raised a rebellion against the British and the middlemen. Under his leadership, many protests took place making his vision into a revolution. He was arrested and passed away in prison on June 9, 1900.
Sidhu and Kanhu Murmu
Brothers and tribal freedom fighters Sidhu Murmu and Kanhu Murmu fought with their bows and arrows against the British in the Santhal Revolt of 1855. The revolt was organized against the Zamindars and British who auctioned away large tracts of land belonging to the Santhals, resulting in loss of land and mass exploitation.
The Murmu Bothers led a movement of liberation which turned into a full-fledged war between the Santhals and East India Company’s army. Almost 20,000 Santhals were killed in the rebellion as they stood no chance against the weapons used by the company. Sidhu and Kanhu fought till their last breath and in the end succumbed to their injuries.
Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh
Pride of Sonakhan, Chattisgarh Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh looted trader’s grain stock and distributed them amongst poor after the 1856 famine.
He was then arrested by the British, but managed to escape the prison with the help of other prisoners and reached Sonakhan.
As it was with people across the country, the people of Sonakhan had joined the revolt of 1857 against the British. Veer Narayan Singh formed an army of just 500 men and rose up against the British army, which was led by Deputy Commissioner Smith.
After hours of fighting, Veer Narayan Singh was again arrested and was sentenced to death on charges of sedition.
The sacrifice of Veer Narayan Singh made him a tribal leader and he became the first martyr from Chhattisgarh in the independence struggle of 1857.
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