Mythologies of the Buksa Tribe

 

Bhoksa, also known as Buksa/Bukhasiya, are indigenous peoples living mainly in the Indian states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. They are mostly concentrated in Dehradun and Nainital districts in the foothills of the outer Himalayas. They are also found in the Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh, where they are known as Khas. Both communities have been granted Scheduled Tribe status. The language is spoken in Uttarakhand, mainly in southwestern Nainital district, along a diagonal from Ramnagar to Dineshpur. It is spoken around 130 villages in Kichha and Kashipur tehsils, some in Bijnor and Pauri Garhwal district. As of 2001, the Bhoksa of Uttarakhand were classified as a Scheduled Tribe under the Indian government's reservation program of affirmative action. As Buksa, they are similarly classified in Uttar Pradesh.

The Bhoksa or Buksa are a tribal people who live in the foothills of the Himalayas in north central India. The word Bhoksa comes from the word for mountain goat or an edible root. Most Bhoksa are employed in agriculture. They also raise sheep for meat and wool. Goats provide milk, meat and hides. Bhoksa men have some knowledge of reading and writing whereas most woman not do. Some Bhoksa men work as mountain guides for tourists. The Bhoksa are classified as a Schedules Caste making them eligible for special consideration for pubic jobs and college admissions. The primary language of the Bhoksa is their Buksa language. Most men have some knowledge of Hindi so they can communicate with outsiders. The vast majority of Bhoksa live in the north Indian state of Uttarakhand. A smaller group lives in Uttar Pradesh. The Bhoksa are Hindus heavily influenced by folk religion. Their main god is Shankar, another name for Shiva, the destroyer god. Their patron goddess is Chamunda, a form of Durga, the mother-warrior goddess. They also worship Rama and Krishna, avatars of Vishnu, the preserver god. Unlike most tribal peoples, the Bhoksa pay Brahmins to officiate at their important family ceremonies like births, weddings and funerals. The Bhoksa cremate their dead. They Bhoksa believe in evil spirits and ghosts who they try to placate with offerings of food, incense, flowers and prayers. The main yearly holidays of the Bhoksa people are Holi, the festival of colors, Diwali, the festival of lights and Navratri, the celebration of autumn. There are more Bhoksa men than women. To gain a bride for its son, a family must demonstrate that the young man can support her by owning some land. They must pay a bride price. The Bhoksa marry within their tribe but not within their particular clan. Cousin marriages are forbidden. Unfortunately, alcoholism is a problem among Bhoksa men. A woman can divorce her husband by returning the bride price.

Bhoksa, also known as Buksa/Bukhasiya, are indigenous peoples living mainly in the Indian states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. They are mostly concentrated in Dehradun and Nainital districts in the foothills of the outer Himalayas. ^[3] They are also found in the Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh, where they are known as Khas. Both communities have been granted Scheduled Tribe status. The Bhoksa speak the Buksa language.  The language is spoken in Uttarakhand, mainly in southwestern Nainital district, along a diagonal from Ramnagar to Dineshpur. It is spoken around 130 villages in Kichha and Kashipur tehsils, some in Bijnor and Pauri Garhwal district. As of 2001, the Bhoksa of Uttarakhand were classified as a Scheduled Tribe under the Indian government's reservation program of affirmative action.  As Buksa, they are similarly classified in Uttar Pradesh.

The societal structure of these Buksa tribes is quite traditional. Status of the females in the Buksa tribal community is also not very significant. The infant mortality is quite high and had shown an increasing trend over the years. Bhoksas reside in Tarai and Bhabar areas of Nainital, Pauri Garhwal, Bijnore and Dehradun. They speak in Hindi. They are non-vegetarians. They worship Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu. They celebrate all Hindu festivals and perform rituals. The dead are cremated but when it is an unnatural death the bodies are buried. Bhoksas were a forest dwelling community. Their major occupations are agriculture and animal husbandry. They are also engaged occupations like service, wage labourers and basketry. They are land owners and cultivate their own lands. They have a well organised Panchayat system. They are patrilineal tribes as evident form the rules governing both the inheritants of property and residence after marriage.

Buksa, also known as Buksari and Bhoksa, is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Buksa people in parts of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, India. Within Uttarakhand, most speakers of Buksa are found in several dozen villages in Udham Singh Nagar district in the south-east of state, mainly in the development blocks of Bajpur and Gadarpur. There are also speakers in a number of villages in the Ramnagar area of Nainital district, as well as in the urban centres of Dehradun, Haridwar and Pauri. Buksa has no written literature, but there is an oral tradition of folktales and folk songs. The Buksa tribe, mainly residing in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand, has a deep-rooted connection with forests and mountains. Historically, they have been involved in agriculture and allied activities. The Buksa community celebrates their vibrant culture through an annual fair called ‘Dhurva Mela.’ This fair showcases their distinctive arts, crafts, and culinary traditions.

The term "Bhoksa" is derived from the word for mountain goat or an edible root. Inhabiting in these remote areas for generations, the little-known Bhoksa community finds itself at a crossroads, between age-old tribal customs and the beckoning of mainstream society. However, their transition has been fraught with challenges, leaving them on the margins due to a lack of resources for growth. For this ‘particularly vulnerable tribal group’ (PVTG), there is now a glimmer of hope, as they have received considerable attention under the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan. While part of the Bhoksa population lives in Uttarakhand, a portion of these tribals stayed in Uttar Pradesh, when Uttarakhand was carved out of the state in 2000. The Buksa’s are residents of the Terai region of Uttarakhand and they claim their ancestry from the Rajputs. They have retained their age old traditional ways of living. The culture of the   reflects a typical Hindu society but they also accept the existence of spirits of nature and eat meat. They are mainly spread over 173 villages in Nainital and Dehradun districts. However, the main concentration of Buksa tribe is found in Gadarpur, Ramnagar, Bajpur and Kashipur areas.

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