MYTHOLOGIES OF THE ODISHA (ORISSA) TRIBES
‘You can’t destroy the faith of those people. They believe their god is on the hilltop. Can you tell them, ‘take away your God to another place?’ Are you banishing the God?’
Odisha (English: /əˈdɪsə/, Odia: [oɽiˈsa] (listen)), formerly Orissa (/ɒˈrɪsə, ɔː-, oʊ-/ the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of Scheduled Tribes in India. It neighbours the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal to the north, Chhattisgarh to the west, and Andhra Pradesh to the south. Odisha has a coastline of 485 kilometres (301 mi) along the Bay of Bengal in Indian Ocean. The region is also known as Utkala and is mentioned by this name in India’s national anthem, “Jana Gana Mana“. The language of Odisha is Odia, which is one of the Classical Languages of India. The ancient kingdom of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka (which was again won back from them by King Kharavela) in 261 BCE resulting in the Kalinga War, coincides with the borders of modern-day Odisha. The modern boundaries of Odisha were demarcated by the British Indian government when Orissa Province was established on 1 April 1936, consisting of the Odia-speaking districts of Bihar and Orissa Province. The first of April is celebrated as Utkala Dibasa/Odisha Day. Cuttack was made the capital of the region by Anantavarman Chodaganga in c. 1135, after which the city was used as the capital by many rulers, through the British era until 1948. Thereafter, Bhubaneswar became the capital of Odisha. The economy of Odisha is the 16th-largest state economy in India with ₹5.86 trillion (US$73 billion) in gross domestic product and a per capita GDP of ₹127,383 (US$1,600). Odisha ranks 32nd among Indian states in Human Development Index.
Odisha, formerly called Orissa, state of India. Located in the northeastern part of the country, it is bounded by the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal to the north and northeast, by the Bay of Bengal to the east, and by the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to the south and Chhattisgarh to the west. Before India became independent in 1947, Odisha’s capital was at Cuttack. The present capitol was subsequently built at Bhubaneshwar, in the vicinity of the city’s historic temples in the east-central coastal plains. In late 2011 the state’s name was officially changed from Orissa to Odisha. Area 60,119 square miles (155,707 square km). Pop. (2011) 41,947,358. The tribal peoples are divided into three linguistic groups: the speakers of Munda languages of the Austroasiatic language family, the speakers of various languages of the Dravidian family, and the speakers of Odia (or Oriya), which is an Indo-Aryan language. Historically, the Santhal, Savara, and Juang peoples have been among the most prominent of the Munda speakers, while the Khond, Gond, and Oraon (Kurukh) have been the principal speakers of Dravidian languages. The Bhuiyan speak Odia. By the early 21st century, many of the tribal peoples had adopted Odia as their primary language. Odia is the official language of Odisha and is spoken by most of Odisha’s nontribal population, except in some parts of the northeast, where Bengali is widely spoken.
The tribals are said to be original inhabitants of India. The term “Scheduled Tribes” officially known as “tribals” or “adivasi” refers to specific indigenous peoples that constitute around 24% of the total population. Tribes of Odisha comprise a great diversity with unique and vibrant socio-cultural life. The total number of tribes living in the state of Odisha is much more than other places in India. Out of total 62 tribal communities only 8 Scheduled Tribes are declared as Primitive Tribal Groups by the Government of India. Those tribes are Juang, Bonda Poraja, Lodha, Didayi, Mankidia, Birhor, Kharia and Soura. Odisha, a state known for having diversity and being a major tourist destination. There are 62 indigenous Tribes of Odisha, out of the 645 Scheduled Tribes enlisted in India. These ancient tribal communities are found far from the plains, untouched and unchanged by the civilization for centuries. They are mostly found by the flowing rivers near the forests or on the hills. Being so far from the plain, the rich ethnic diversity has a great influence on the state. While some tribes share similar characteristics, each tribe differs from each other. In various terms, like religious beliefs, lifestyle, cultural traditions, language, folklore, appearance, etc. The major source of livelihood for these tribes are fishing, farming, agriculture, hunting and gathering. The tribes have also adopted to the newest agricultural practices. They are also do cattle breeding. Also, with these changing times some made their way to the industrial belts of the state and mining.
Odisha occupies a distinctive position among the Indian states for having a rich and vivid tribal scenario. The majority of scheduled tribe resides in hilly and forest regions. Their economy is largely sustenance oriented, non-stratified, and non-specialized. Their social system is very simple, so desires and needs are much less. However, the scheduled tribe in Odisha has suffered from social, educational, and economic backwardness due to the unavailability of modernization in most rural areas, they have their own uniqueness and socio-economic environment. The activity of socioeconomic development going on after independence has accelerated a lot. There are 74 vernaculars spoken by 62 scheduled tribes living in Odisha. Their ethos, beliefs, perspective, moral principle, and cultural heritage are ample and diversified. On one hand, there are hunters and food gatherers whereas on the other skilled settled agriculturists and farmers. Thus, the tribal areas of Odisha present very intensely varied socio-economic perspectives.
The protection of 4,599 sacred groves — a place of worship for tribals — has already been taken up. Since religious belief is central to tribal life, indigenous communities have started deliberations on how the State government was out to preserve their belief system. The State government has identified 1,773 tribal culture clubs, creating a platform for tribal youth to harness their skill in music. Besides, 1,001 tribal dance troupes have been provided with dance costumes. Around 3,019 tribal youth clubs have been identified for providing sports kits for the promotion of sports. Apart from this, 828 tribal weekly markets have been developed. As a confidence-building measure, 10,605 tribal delegates have been facilitated for undertaking exposure visits. Another 10,000 natives will soon be sent to different parts of the State and country for interaction with others and to gain experience.
Orissa (Odisha) is home to 62 kind of tribes. Each tribes of orissa possesses its distinct identity in terms of social organization , culture and language. The tribes of Orissa organize their social relationships in certain ways which are distinct from those of another tribes. The Languages of tribes of orissa differs from one another. Except a few tribes of Orissa like Ho, Kondh, Santal and Saora who have in the recent years developed their scripts, all other tribes do not have scripts of their own and thus possess only spoken languages in unwritten form. Each tribe of orissa has its hill dwelling division which is different from plain dwelling or foothill dwelling or plateau dwelling. A majority of tribes of Orissa are divided into exogamous Clans, some have totemic symbols and others have non-totemic. Saoras is one of the tribes of orissa which is reported to have no clan system but a system of descent groups known as Birinda, lineage.Many clans of the tribes of orissa have totemic clans in the form of animals like elephant , monkey, birds, tigers, cobra and flutes etc. The Housing pattern of each tribes of orissa exhibits its uniqueness of identity. The kondh settlement structure is linear , arranged in rows of Houses.The alignment of Kondh villages in relation to the shrine of earth goddess and sun god is same everywhere.The shrines dedicated to the two deities are found centrally located within the settlement placed lineally between two rows of houses. Some orissa tribes like the Munda have scattered settlement structures.
Odisha, formerly known as Orissa, is the ancient Kalinga homeland from which Buddhism spread over India. It borders West Bengal and Jharkhand in the north, Chhattisgarh in the west, Andhra Pradesh in the south, and the Bay of Bengal in the east on India’s eastern coast. Bhubaneswar, the ‘city of temples,’ was the ancient capital of Kalinga and was called after Tri Bhubaneswar, the ‘Lord of Three Worlds.’ Odisha is known for its historical monuments, archaeological sites, traditional arts, sculpture, dance, and music, all of which contribute to the state’s rich cultural history. It is a melting pot of civilizations, including Aryan, Dravidian, and Adivasi. The state has a tumultuous past that includes the integration and synthesis of the finest of Buddhist, Jain, and Hindu traditions, as well as the Mahima Cult. Odisha has been known as Odra, Utkala, Kalinga, Tosala, Tosali, and Kosala in the past. The term “odisha” comes from a tribal society that lived in ancient times in an area named “odra” and worshipped the sun deity.
Odisha is a cultural treasure trove, with ancient monuments, archaeological sites, indigenous arts, sculpture, dance, and music. It is the 8th largest state in terms of land and the 11th largest in terms of people. The state is home to India’s 3rd largest number of Scheduled Tribes. It is bordered on the north by West Bengal and Jharkhand, on the west by Chhattisgarh, on the south by Andhra Pradesh, and on the southwest by Telangana. Along the Bay of Bengal, Odisha has a 485-kilometre (301-mile) coastline. Utkala is another name for the region, which is featured in India’s national song “Jana Gana Mana.” Lets take a deep look in to the culture of Odisha and it’s heritage. Odisha’s early history can be traced back to references in ancient literature such as the Mahabharata, Maha Govinda Sutta, and a few Puranas. Due to marine trade links, the region was also known to other kingdoms in the East Indies region. The land’s first occupants belonged to the Sabara tribe, which had its own culture. When the Aryans arrived in Odisha from the northeast, there was initially hostility between the two civilizations, but over time, reciprocal give and take resulted in cultural integration. Odisha is famous for being the birthplace of King Ashoka, who began to practice and preach Buddhism there.
Tribal population account for 22.85 per cent of Odisha’s total population. This state has the most diverse tribal communities in India. It hosts 62 tribes. In 2018, the state government unveiled a tribal atlas having 60 plates of maps featuring the distributional aspects of the Odisha’s tribal population, ecological settings of the tribal habitats and the tribes’ socio-cultural characteristics like linguistic or dialectical affinity, sex composition and literary levels. With the release of the five volumes of “Encyclopedia of Tribes in Odisha”, Odisha became the first state in India to start an encyclopaedia on tribal communities and document their historic and unique traditions.
A huge population of Dalits in the tribal majority area of Rayagada, the southernmost district of Odisha, do not belong to Odisha at all. About a hundred years ago, the British brought them from Agra, the city that is host to the well-known Taj Mahal, in the present day state of Uttar Pradesh. They were brought with the sole purpose of snitching on the anti-colonial local people (freedom fighters, as they were known in India) and to know what was going on in the forests (particularly if the freedom fighters were conspiring there), since they were almost inaccessible to the outsiders back then. Extremely poor and left even without their traditional jobs, while living on the few pennies thrown by the British, these Dalits were asked to assimilate with the tribal, or adivasi, population. According to local tradition in this part of Odisha, if a poor family approaches a village for help, they are given a place to live, provided ration until they can fend for themselves, and given a little piece of land to start growing their own food. That is why, even now, one would find Dalit settlements right next to Kondh or the Dongria Kondh villages. But the non-tribal communities cannot own the land of tribal people on papers; hence they have no legal rights.
Odisha is the eleventh largest state in India with approximately 42 million people, most of them live in rural areas with only 17 per cent living in urban regions. It has the third largest tribal population in the Country. As per Census 2011, 40 per cent of the population in Odisha are Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes. The state is home to 13 particularly vulnerable tribal groups. Odisha has the highest newborn mortality rate in the country at 32 per 1000 live births (Sample Registration System 2016) with steep urban-rural disparities. Gender inequity, especially in fewer admissions of female new-borns to the special newborn care units, is also a concern. As per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 4, Odisha has the highest stillbirth rate of 13 per 1000 live births in India. The maternal mortality ratio is 180 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. Around 800,000 children remain partially immunized or un-immunized, majority of these in 14 tribal dominated districts.
Comments
Post a Comment