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In the last decades
the veil has been ripped off the tribal heartland of Orissa.
Anthropologists, sociologists, missionaries, newsmen, government
agencies, ethnic curio seekers, politicians – they have all,
from time to time, tried to penetrate the mystery surrounding the
Adivasis (Original Settlers) of Orissa.
What these seekers after
truth have brought to light is far more fascinating than fiction. No
doubt the tribal population of Orissa is primarily concerned with the
struggle for survival. It is dogged by drought, near famine
conditions, poverty. Yet it has much to teach us. Each tribe is a
completely organized society, bound by a common language, reglion,
cultureal background and tradition, all in all a way of life. The
better we understand ourselves fro these tribes represent an earlier
stage in the development of man.
Of all the states of
India, Orissa has the largest number of tribes, as many as 62.
Altogether they constitute an impressive 23 per cent of the total
population of Orissa. These tribes mainly inhabit the Eastern Ghat
hill range which runs in the north south direction. More than half
their population is concentrated in three districts – Koraput,
Sundergarh and Mayurbhanj.
Tribal economy is
subsistence oriented. It is based on food gathering, hunting and
fishing and thus revolves around forests. Even the larger tribes
like the Santal, Munda, Oraon and Gond, who are settled
agriculturists, often supplement their economy with hunting and
gathering. When farming they make use of a very simple technology
and a simple division of labour, often limited to the immediate
family. They lose out because their holdings are small and
unproductive, lacking in irrigation facilities since the terrain is
hilly and undulating. They also lack funds to buy other inputs and
necessarily fall back upon traditional skills and outdated
implements.
Many tribes, for
instance, the Juang, Bhuiyan, Saora Dharua and Bondo, practise what
is called shifting cultivation, also known as slash and burn. They
select a plot of land, generally on a mountain slope, slash down all
the trees and bushes and burn them to ashes. Spreading the ashes
evenly over the land, they wait for the rains before planting their
crops. Two or three seasons on one plot of land and the soil gets
depleted, so the tribals move on. It is a way of life for them, but
a pernicious practice just the same, bringing poor returns and
degrading the environment in the bargain.
There are cattle breeders
among the tribes, notably the Koya. There are simple artisans too
like the Mohali and Loharas, who practise crafts of basket weaving
and tool making. A sizable part of the tribal population of Orissa
has moved to the mining and industrial belts of the State, notably
the Santals, Munda, Oraon and Ho. This has helped ease the pressure
on small holdings but in the process tribal villages have been
abandoned. Traditional skills, land and other immovable assets have
been lost without always bringing in adequate prosperity via jobs in
mines and factories.
But if tribal economy is
shaky, tribals culture in its pristine state is rich and distinctive
and the Adivasis work hard to preserve it. A tribal village manages
its internal affairs very smoothly through two institutions –
the village council of elders and the youth dormitory.
The core of tribal
culture, the youth dormitory, is the largest hut in the village. It
has only three walls, profusely decorated with symbols representing
animals. The fourth side is open. By night the dormitory is home to
the youth of the village. But before and after a hard day’s
work, people gather here to chat and relax. The council of elders
meets here too, to discuss matters relating to the welfare of the
village. The open space in front of the dormitory is where youths
and maidens dance with abandon every evening, for tribal culture
allows free mixing of the two sexes. Despite their poverty and the
ongoing battle for survival, the tribals of Orissa have retained
their rich and colourful heritage of dance and music. Every tribal
can sing and dance to the sound of pipe and drum and give tune to
impromptu compositions that come to him/her as naturally as
breathing.
The tribals of
Orissa observe a string of festivals. Some are closed affairs,
relating to a birth or death within the family or a daughter
attaining puberty. Others relate to sowing or harvest time and thus
involve the entire community. Mostly a festival is an occasion for a
good swig of mahua liquor, a
game animal roasted on the spit and a night of song and dance and
revelry. But wait, there’s an animal sacrifice too, for the
deities and spirits must be appeased first, particularly the
malevolent ones, so they don’t unleash drought or sickness on
the land. Tribals are superstitious people and the ‘ojha’
(which doctor) occupies a position of honour since he not only
prescribes medicines for the sick but is also believed to exercise
evil spirits.
The supernatural also
figures prominently in tribal folklore which is a body of largely
verbal literary tradition. These simple folk tales are linked to
occasions in everyday life – sowing, harvesting, birth, marriage
and death. Folk tales also teach values dear to the tribal heart.
But many of them offer an explanation for natural phenomenon-day and
night, thunderstorms, animal behaviour. With the tribals living so
close to nature, it couldn’t be otherwise.
Christian missionaries
have done a lot to remove superstition from tribal society, educating
tribals and setting them on the road to economic stability. In the
process they have also converted many to Christianity. The OTDC
(Orissa Tribal Development Programme) is on, seeking to bring the
benefits of development to the area. Much still remains to be done
but development must not override the tribal way of life. It would
be a great pity to lose something rich and meaningful that has come
down to us from antiquity.
SNIPPETS
The Sarora are one of the
most ancient tribes of Crissa mentioned in Hindu myths and classics,
notably the Puranas. Saora men are marathon walkers. They are also
expert climbers and hunters, with a habit of carrying an axe on one
shoulder. Saora village are generally inaccessible, hidden in the
folds of mountains and reached only by negotiating stony, zigzag
paths.
Makers of
picturesque houses, the Santals have an eye for beauty. They are
also deeply concerned with personal hygiene and the cleanliness of
their surroundings. A Santal folk tale says that God placed rice
inside a husk so it would remain clean: Santals adore flowers. They
also collect silk cocoons from ‘asan’
trees in the forest and process them to help make golden hued fabric
called tussar.
The Bondo who have lived
in near isolation among the higher hills are a fiercely independent,
stubborn and aggressive tribe. They still practise the barter
systems, exchanging the produce of their fields for articles of daily
use. An interesting feature of the Bondo marriage is that Bondo
girls prefer to marry younger boys, so they may have someone to earn
for them in their old age.
The Bhumias of Koraput
district have an intriguing custom. Since they wish to avoid paying
the bride price, arranged marriages are not welcome. Instead, a boy
and girl in love are encouraged to elope and the marriage is
solemnized later.
The Gonds, a warrior
caste and conquerors of yesteryears, are spread out all over the hill
tracts of central and south India. Before the Gonds sow a field,
some grain, fowls and pigs are sacrificed to the presiding deity.
Blood from the sacrificed animals is sprinkled on the seeds which are
distributed among the villagers, who in turn sow them in their fields
for luck.
The Oraon are one of the
most progressive tribes. They make use of chemical fertilizers,
pesticides, improves varieties of seed and modern techniques of
agriculture. Economically better off than most of the others, they
are not shackled by debts and can afford a better quality of life –
good approach roads to villages, cycles and even motor bikes for
transport, transistor sets and wrist watches. Their social life is
remarkable in that they accept widow remarriage and permit divorce by
either partner on grounds of adultery, bad temper and, of all things,
laziness!
THE MAKING OF DAY AND
NIGHT
Somewhere in the hoary
past, Sing Bonga (the Supreme Deity) made the world and put man on
it. Then he made the sun and bade it to ride the sky without ever
setting. The sun obeyed Sing Bonga and shone all the time. It was
alone too, without moon and stars for company.
One day Sing Bonga came
down to earth and saw a man sitting by a dug up field. “When
did you dig this field?” asked Sing Bonga. “I dug it
today,” said the man.
“And those other
fields?”
“Today.”
“And when did you
build the hut that you live in?”
“Today, of course,
Work or rest, I do everything today because there is no other time
except today.”
Sing Bonga saw that man’s
life on earth was one perpetual day. This would never do. Man
needed a definite time for work and a definite time for rest or else
he’d wear himself out working all the time.
Sing Bonga promptly sent
for the sun and told him, “Hereafter you will shine for some
time and hide for some time. When you shine, man will know it’s
time to work. When you hide, he’ll know it’s time to
rest.” The sun bowed and began to follow the new pattern.
Some time later Sing
Bonga visited the earth again. “Are you happy now?” he
asked the man. “Very happy,” replied the man, making
obeisance to Sing Bonga. “But I have one problem. When I go
out at night to chase away wild animals from my fields, it’s too
dark to see. I often fall and hurt myself.”
Sing Bonga looked at the
lush forest of ‘sal’ trees surrounding the man’s
fields. The trees would make the night blacker still. Man sure
needed a little light to guide him after dark. And that is why Sing
Bonga made the moon and stars and set them to shine after the sun was
gone from the sky.
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