Dr. Ramdayal Munda Tribal Welfare Research Institute
डॉ. रामदयाल मुंडा जनजातीय कल्याण शोध संस्थान
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Mal Paharia
The Mal Paharia people are a Dravidian ethnic people of India, mainly living in the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal. They are the original inhabitants of the Rajmahal Hills, known today as the Santal Parganas division of Jharkhand. They are listed as a Scheduled Tribe by the governments of West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand. They speak the Malto language, a Dravidian language, as well as a poorly-documented Indo-Aryan Mal Paharia language.
Karmali
The Karmali is an artisan tribe of Jharkhand. It is composed of blacksmiths. They are mainly concentrated in Ramgarh, Bokaro, Hazaribagh, Giridih and Ranchi district of Jharkhand and sizable population also found in West Bengal and Assam. They speak Khotta language in their home and Hindi language with society. As per 1981 census their population in the state was 38,651. They are considered as Scheduled Tribe in West Bengal and Jharkhand.
Sabar
The Sabar people (also Shabar and Saora) are one of the Adivasi of Munda ethnic group tribe who live mainly in Odisha and West Bengal. During the colonial period, they were classed as one of the 'criminal tribes' under Criminal Tribes Act 1871, and suffer from social stigma and ostracism in modern times.
Also known as Saora, the Sabar tribe finds mention in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, while in some parts of East Singhbhum district mainly in Musabani, they are known as in Kariya. Noted writer and activist Mahasweta Devi is known for working with these forest tribals.
Bathudi
The Bathudi are a community found mainly in the north western part of Odisha. Some Bathudis, however migrated to neighbouring states of Jharkhand and West Bengal. The 2011 census showed their population to be around 220,859. They are classified as a Scheduled Tribe by the Indian government.
Mahali
The Mahli are a community in the Indian states of Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal. Basketry was main occupation of mahlis. Mahli speak Sadri, Mundari and Santali as their mother tongue rather than Mahli. May be Mahli is a threatened language. Also use Bengali, Hindi and Odia. They are included in list of Scheduled Tribe.
Kharia
The Kharia are an Austroasiatic tribal ethnic group from east-central India. They originally speak the Kharia language, which belong to Austroasiatic languages. They are sub-divided into three groups known as the Hill Kharia, Delki Kharia and the Dudh Kharia. Amongst them, the Dudh Kharia is the most educated community.
Kol
The Kol people referred to tribals of Chotanagpur in Eastern Parts of India. The Mundas, Oraons, Hos and Bhumijs were called Kols by British.
It also refers to some tribe and caste of south-east Uttar Pradesh. They are mostly landless and dependent on forest produce to make a living, they are Hindus and are designated a Scheduled Caste under India's system of positive discrimination. The tribe has several exogamous clans, including the Brahmin‚ Barawire, Bhil, Chero, Monasi, Rautia, Rojaboria‚ Rajput and Thakuria. They speak the Baghelkhandi dialect. Around 1 million live in Madhya Pradesh while another 5 lakh live in Uttar Pradesh.
Once spelled "Cole", the swaths of land they inhabited in the 19th-century were called "Colekan".
Banjara
The Banjara (also known as Lambadi, Gour Rajput, Labana) are a historically nomadic trading caste who may have origins in the Mewar region of what is now Rajasthan.
Chik Baraik
Chik Baraik (also Chik, Chikwa, Baraik and Badaik) is a community found in Indian State of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha. They were traditionally Weaver.
Parhaiya
Parhaiya tribe of Bihar state is known for the unique lifestyle and culture. The Parhaiya is one of the scheduled tribes of the state mainly located in districts like Gumala, Palamau, Hazaribagh, Santhal Pargana and Gaya. These Parhaiya tribes do not have separate villages to live in. Rather they share the space with all the other tribes and maintain a cordial relation with all of them.
Binjhia
The Binjhia (also known as Binjhoa, Binjhawar) is an ethnic group found in Odisha and Jharkhand. The 2011 census showed their population to be around 25,835. They are classified as a Scheduled Tribe by the Indian government.
According to some sources the name Binjhia is derived from the word Vindhyas meaning Vindhya Hills. The Binjhias believe that their original home was Kolanagari in the Vindhya valley. From Vindhya hills they moved east-wards to Chhotnagpur, Keonjhar, Sundargarh and Barasombar. Long time ago they called themselves as Vindhyaniwasi. But after settling down at Chhotnagpur, gradually they were called as Binjhia by the local people.
Gorait
The Gorait people practice Hinduism, the ancient religion of India. They worship and serve the gods of the Hindu pantheon. Hindus believe that by performing rituals and good works that they will attain moksha or freedom from the endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth. They visit Hindu temples and offer prayers, food, flowers, and incense to their gods in hopes of gaining protection and benefits. They do not have a personal or familial relationship with their gods like Christians or Jews. There are many forms of Hinduism, each with its own deities and beliefs.
Baiga
The Baiga are an ethnic group found in central India primarily in the state of Madhya Pradesh, and in smaller numbers in the surrounding states of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. The largest number of Baiga is found in Baiga-chuk in Mandla district and Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh. They have sub-castes: Bijhwar, Narotia, Bharotiya, Nahar, Rai maina and Kath maina. The name Baiga means "sorcerer-medicine man".
Kora
The Kora, Khora or Cora were one of the ten indigenous tribes of the Great Andamanese people, originally living on the eastern part of North Andaman Island in the Indian Ocean. The tribe is now extinct, although some of the remaining Great Andamanese on Strait Island claim to have Kora ancestors.
The tribe spoke a distinctive Kora language, closely related to the other Great Andamanese languages. The native name for the language was Aka-Kora, also spelled Aka-Khora or Aka-Cora (Aka- being a prefix for "tongue"); and this name is often used for the tribe itself. They were divided between shore-dwellers (aryoto) and forest-dwellers (eremtaga) subtribes.
Bhumij
Bhumij is a Munda ethnic group of India. They primarily live in the Indian states of West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand, mostly in the old Singhbhum district. Also in states like Bihar and Assam. There is also a sizeable population found in Bangladesh. Bhumijas speak the Bhumij language, an Austroasiatic language, and use Ol Onal script for writing.
Bedia
The Bedia are a community in India. They believe that they originally lived on Mohdi pahar of Hazaribagh district and have descended from the union of Vedbansi prince with a Munda girl. The other view is that a section of the Kudmis were outcastes and came to be known as the Bedia or Wandering Kudmis.
Gond
The Gondi (Gōndi) or Gond or Koitur are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group. They are spread over the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Odisha.
The Gond have formed many kingdoms of historical significance.
Gondwana Kingdom was the ruling kingdom in Gondwana region of India. The Gondwana region includes core region of eastern part of the Vidarbha of Maharashtra, Garha Kingdom the parts of Madhya Pradesh immediately to the north of it, and parts of the west of Chhattisgarh. The wider region extends beyond these, also including parts of northern Telangana, western Odisha and southern Uttar Pradesh.
Kharwar
Kharwar is a community found in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and West Bengal.
The Khar grass is totem of the Kharwar. They don't cut or injure it while growing. Kharwar tribe of present day may be enlarge totem sept which broke off from some larger group and in course of time developed a separate organisation.
Khond
Khonds (also spelt Kondha, Kandha etc.) are an indigenous Adivasi tribal community in India. Traditionally hunter-gatherers, they are divided into the hill-dwelling Khonds and plain-dwelling Khonds for census purposes; All the Khonds identify by their clan and usually hold large tracts of fertile land but still practice hunting, gathering and slash-and-burn agriculture in the forests as a symbol of their connection to and ownership of the forest. Khonds speak the Kui and Kuvi languages and write them in Odia script.
Sauria Paharia
The Sauria Paharia people (also known as Maler Paharia) are a Dravidian ethnic people of Bangladesh and the Indian states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Bihar. They are found mostly in Santhal Parganas region in the Rajmahal Hills.
According to Kurukh traditions, when they were driven out of their home in the Son valley, the main group migrated towards Palamu but a smaller group moved down the Gangetic valley till they reached Rajmahal Hills, where they settled mostly in Damin-i-koh. The language of the Sauria Paharias is closely linked to that of the Oraons.
Birhor
Birhor people (Birhul) are a tribal/Adivasi forest people, traditionally nomadic, living primarily in the Indian state of Jharkhand. They speak the Birhor language, which belongs to the Munda group of languages of the Austroasiatic language family.
Birhor means 'jungle people' - bir means 'jungle', hor means 'men'.
Birjia
Birjia, or Birgia, people are also known as the Bijori. They live mainly in Jharkhand, and some parts of Chhattisgarh. They basically live in the interior of the forests and do not have proper access to the outside world; as a result they lack education and proper medical facilities. Their forest territory is inhabited by a lot of wild animals. The wild animals constantly pose a threat to their crops and their lives.
Asur
Asur people are a very small Austroasiatic ethnic group living primarily in the Indian state of Jharkhand, mostly in the Gumla, Lohardaga, Palamu and Latehar districts. They speak Asur language, which belongs to Munda family of Austro-asiatic languages.
Asurs are traditionally iron-smelters. They were once hunter gatherers, having also involved in shifting agriculture. However, majority of them shifted into agriculture with 91.19 percent enlisted as cultivators in the 2011 census.
Munda
The Munda people are an Austroasiatic speaking ethnic group of India. They predominantly speak the Mundari language as their native language, which belongs to the Munda subgroup of Austroasiatic languages. The Munda are found mainly concentrated in the south and East Chhotanagpur Plateau region of Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal. The Munda also reside in adjacent areas of Madhya Pradesh as well as in portions of Bangladesh, Nepal, and the state of Tripura. They are one of India's largest scheduled tribes. Munda people in Tripura are also known as Mura.
Lohra
Lohra is a community found in Jharkhand. They are traditionally associated with works of iron smelting.
Histrorians have no idea from which period the Lohra are residing in Chotanagpur plateau. There is also no oral or folklore about the origin of Lohra.
The use of iron tool and pottery spread in the Chotanagpur region during 1400 to 800 BCE according to carbon dating of iron slag, sickle and wheel made pottery which was found in Barudih of Singhbhum district. According to carbon dating, Iron celt was dated to 1200 BCE.
Kisan
The Kisan or nagesia are a tribal group found in Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand. They are traditional farmers and a food gathering people. They speak Kisan, a dialect of Kurukh, as well as Odia and Sambalpuri. The tribe mainly lives in northwestern Odisha, in the districts of Sundergarh, Jharsuguda and Sambalpur. Other populations live in Malda district in western West Bengal and Latehar and Gumla districts of western Jharkhand.
Korwa
The Korwa people are a Munda, a Scheduled Tribe ethnic group of India. They live mainly on the border between Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. A small number of Korwa are also found in the Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh.
The Government has implemented several facilities for them, such as roads to their settlements, boys hostels for education, providing agricultural aid, etc. They are a hunter-gatherer community.
The tribe is divided into several subdivisions: the Agaria, Dandh, Dil and Pahadi Korwas.
Oraon
The Kurukh or Oraon, also spelt Uraon, or Dhangar (Kurukh: Karḵẖ and Oṛāōn) are a Dravidian speaking ethnolinguistic group inhabiting Chhotanagpur Plateau and adjoining areas - mainly the Indian states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Chhattisgarh.They predominantly speak Kurukh as their native language, which belongs to the Dravidian language family. In Maharashtra, Oraon people are also known as Dhangad or Dhangar.
Traditionally, Oraons depended on the forest and farms for their ritual practices and livelihoods, but in recent times, they have become mainly settled agriculturalists. Many Oraon migrated to tea gardens of Assam, West Bengal and Bangladesh as well as to countries like Fiji, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Mauritius during British rule, where they were known as Hill Coolies. They are listed as a Scheduled Tribe for the purpose of India's reservation system.
Kanwar
Kanwar or Kawar (meaning "crown prince") is a surname of Rajputana, Nepalese and Indian individuals who are members of the Rajput and Jat caste. Kanwar also refers to a tribal community found in central India and Pakistan, mainly in the state of Chhattisgarh, with significant populations in neighboring parts of India and Pakistan.
Ho
The Ho or Kolha people are an Austroasiatic Munda ethnic group of India. They call themselves the Ho, Hodoko and Horo, which mean 'human' in their own language. Officially, however, they are mentioned in different subgroups like Kolha, Mundari, Munda, Kol and Kolah in Odisha. They are mostly concentrated in the Kolhan region of Jharkhand and Odisha where they constitute around 10.7% and 7.3% of the total Scheduled Tribe population respectively, as of 2011 . With a population of approximately 700,000 in the state in 2001, the Ho are the fourth most numerous Scheduled tribe in Jharkhand after the Santals, Kurukhs, and Mundas. Ho also inhabit adjacent areas in the neighboring states of Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar bringing the total to 806,921 as of 2001. They also live in Bangladesh and Nepal.
Santal
The Santal or Santhal are an Austroasiatic speaking Munda ethnic group in South Asia. Santals are the largest tribe in the Jharkhand and West Bengal state of India in terms of population and are also found in the states of Odisha, Bihar and Assam. They are the largest ethnic minority in northern Bangladesh's Rajshahi Division and Rangpur Division. They have a sizeable population in Nepal. The Santals speak Santali, the most widely spoken Munda languages of Austro-asiatic language family.