ORAON TRIBE
Introduction
The people which we see in the normal day to day life are ones – who speak the same language, wear almost the same clothes and have the same variety of food. So where is the question of Tribes being ALIVE come from? And do they exist. For all those who are in doubt – there are tribes in India. Several of them and covering all the parts of the country..........
Each tribe had its own clan taken from a bird, animal, fish or reptile which was their totem or Do-daim (Ojibwa for Clan). There are some twenty-one totems, the most important being: bear, eagle, hawk, beaver, coyote, turtle, otter, mouse, buffalo. wolf, marten, catfish, crane and loon. Clan membership was generally patrilineal (descended from the Father) - children, for the most part, inherited their totem animal from their fathers. If two people shared the same totem, they could not marry even if they were not blood relatives. It was considered incest.
So here I am presenting a particular and important type of Indian tribe that is Oraons, with whom I had a personal touch and experience of years, when I was living in Madhya Pradesh.
My Experiences
I had great opportunity to live with the Oraons in some of the villages in Madhya Pradesh. I had also three of my own batch mates from Chhatisgarh with me for three years. What is noticeable in their life style is that; they are basically simple people and very social. Often I have enjoyed their Kurukh songs and dances and proudly remember the Christmas evening with Oraon people sing and learning their particular steps of the dance. Their way of dancing show us that their united and cooperative life. Some of the words in Kurukh; I have felt there is a similarity with Malayalam,
Origin
Oran is a Dravidian tribal group, who inhabits areas in the eastern states of India. They are settled mainly in the states of Bihar and Jharkhand. Oran is also known by the name 'Korakh', meaning 'man'. This tribe is believed to be an offshoot of the Proto-Australoid. They speak Kurukh, similar in many ways to the Munda Language.
The Oraon or Kurukh tribe (Kurukh: Oṛāōn and Kuṛuḵẖ), also spelled Uraon, Oran, or Oram, inhabits various states across central and eastern India as well as Bangladesh.
People and Livings
The Kurukh or Oraons are the people best known in many parts of India as tribal of Chota Nagpur. Some consider them a part of Dhangar community which live in western part of the India, specially Maharashtra and Gujarat. However, at present they considered themselves as native of Chotanagpur plateau.
Orans usually live in huts made of earth and bamboo. Bird hunting and fishing are their main occupations. In every village have two village heads namely the Loukik and the Religious. Separate places are identified in every village for social and religious activities.[1]
Religious Beliefs
Many of population are Sarna (following Sarna Dharma, in which Dharmesh is the supreme Almighty. Oraon Christians no longer perform most of the traditional rituals; however, Karma, a festival performed during the rainy season, is still performed in church in a modified form. Sarna worship The Sun as Biri and the Moon as Chando. Chando Biri are the words which been used in the Sarna Puja. They called the earth as Dharti Aayo. Oraon worship nature and believe that the great consciousness or The God is nature itself.
Sarnaism
The Oraon Adivasi followed the 'Sarna' Dharam (Sarna religion) but due to the influence of Hinduism and Christianity some of the groups started following Sarna in Hindu style, others accepted Christianity. Sarna perform religious rituals under the shade of a sacred grove. The Oraons have established several Sarna sects. Some belong to the 'Bishnu Bhagats' and 'Bacchidan Bhagats' of Lord Vishnu while the 'Kamru Bhagats' and 'Tana Bhagats' are devotees of Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga. Oraon believe in nature and its power.
Caste System
The religion of Oraon is based on their belief in nature and its supernatural power. Whereas the bases of Hinduism are four Vedas and four Vernas, The Gotras system of Oraon is based on natural totem systems. Oraon do not follow a rigid caste system. Oraons worship Mahaedeo (a name given for Dharmesh). Oraon believe every thing in nature has its own deity or God.
Social Life
The Oraon like the freedom and liberty in their social life and activities. They never consider any community superior to them or inferior to them. They believe in equality and believe all the community, race or castes or religions are equal and no community or group or caste or religion is superior or inferior to them. The liberty in social life is very vital for an Oraon. Social and human rights are the essence of Oraon society.
Marriage
Christians Oraon often marry other caste and community (Munda, Kharia, and Santal) due to influence of Christianity. However, Sarna Oraon prefers marriage with an Oraon only with full traditional fashion. Oraon society allows widows to remarry. The separation from spouse is allowed if the couple has problems to adjust in their marriage life. Separated woman or man can remarry easily without getting any special permission from society.
Arts and Culture
The Oraon people have a rich and vast range of folk songs, dances and tales, as well as traditional musical instruments. Both men and women participate in dance, which are performed at social events and festivals. Mandar, Nagara and Kartal are the main musical instruments.
Language
Orans speak the language called Kurukh which belongs to the Dravidian Family and is related to the Pahari language (language of mountains). It is closely related to the Sauria Paharia and Kumarbhag Paharia languages (which are sometimes together referred to as the Malto language) but should not be confused with Nepali Kurux. It is spoken by 2,053,000 people from the Oraon and Kisan tribes, having 1,834,000 and 219,000 speakers, respectively.
Literature
The Bible was translated into Kurukh in 2000. Magazines like Nam Kurkhat, Singi Dai, and Jharkhand Dhara publish articles in the language. Kurukh books are being published from Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh (Sarna) and West Bengal. The Govt. of Jharkhand and Chhatisgarh has introduced Kurukh language in schools where Kurukhars or Oraon students are in a majority.[2]
Profession They are also employed as wage labourers under forest department as mahouts. Some of the families are also employed under non-tribes during agricultural seasons and other construction works. A few of the families are engaged in basket making for which they collect raw materials from the forest. Along the margins of innumerable streams and rivulets, profuse growth of reeds provides raw materials for basket weaving and forage for wild life.
The Orans have progressed with the time and have shifted to Indian Metro Cities like Kolkatta, Delhi, Mumbai and other smaller cities like Patna, Buvneshwar, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Allahabad and Lucknow. Orans have taken to various professions - these include tea estate management in Assam, West Bengal and Nepal.[3]
Medication
Another important factor for the tribe is the medicinal system and its close association with the culture. They use traditional medicines for common ailments and use modern medicines in an emergency, but only after seeking consent from “God” through the chieftain or priest (generally both roles are taken by the same person), through a well-defined set of traditional rituals or ‘Pujas’.
Conclusion
Oraons are one of the most popular tribe in the northern India, very simple and social people. Their adoptability to the new circumstances and improving daily life show us that they are most updating people with the urge of development. We Indians must be proud of such past growing tribes.
Bibliography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konkan.
http://www.famous-india.com/tribes/oran.html.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konkan.
[2]
http://www.famous-india.com/tribes/oran.html.
[3] http://www.famous-india.com/tribes/oran.html.
Introduction
The people which we see in the normal day to day life are ones – who speak the same language, wear almost the same clothes and have the same variety of food. So where is the question of Tribes being ALIVE come from? And do they exist. For all those who are in doubt – there are tribes in India. Several of them and covering all the parts of the country..........
Each tribe had its own clan taken from a bird, animal, fish or reptile which was their totem or Do-daim (Ojibwa for Clan). There are some twenty-one totems, the most important being: bear, eagle, hawk, beaver, coyote, turtle, otter, mouse, buffalo. wolf, marten, catfish, crane and loon. Clan membership was generally patrilineal (descended from the Father) - children, for the most part, inherited their totem animal from their fathers. If two people shared the same totem, they could not marry even if they were not blood relatives. It was considered incest.
So here I am presenting a particular and important type of Indian tribe that is Oraons, with whom I had a personal touch and experience of years, when I was living in Madhya Pradesh.
My Experiences
I had great opportunity to live with the Oraons in some of the villages in Madhya Pradesh. I had also three of my own batch mates from Chhatisgarh with me for three years. What is noticeable in their life style is that; they are basically simple people and very social. Often I have enjoyed their Kurukh songs and dances and proudly remember the Christmas evening with Oraon people sing and learning their particular steps of the dance. Their way of dancing show us that their united and cooperative life. Some of the words in Kurukh; I have felt there is a similarity with Malayalam,
Origin
Oran is a Dravidian tribal group, who inhabits areas in the eastern states of India. They are settled mainly in the states of Bihar and Jharkhand. Oran is also known by the name 'Korakh', meaning 'man'. This tribe is believed to be an offshoot of the Proto-Australoid. They speak Kurukh, similar in many ways to the Munda Language.
The Oraon or Kurukh tribe (Kurukh: Oṛāōn and Kuṛuḵẖ), also spelled Uraon, Oran, or Oram, inhabits various states across central and eastern India as well as Bangladesh.
People and Livings
The Kurukh or Oraons are the people best known in many parts of India as tribal of Chota Nagpur. Some consider them a part of Dhangar community which live in western part of the India, specially Maharashtra and Gujarat. However, at present they considered themselves as native of Chotanagpur plateau.
Orans usually live in huts made of earth and bamboo. Bird hunting and fishing are their main occupations. In every village have two village heads namely the Loukik and the Religious. Separate places are identified in every village for social and religious activities.[1]
Religious Beliefs
Many of population are Sarna (following Sarna Dharma, in which Dharmesh is the supreme Almighty. Oraon Christians no longer perform most of the traditional rituals; however, Karma, a festival performed during the rainy season, is still performed in church in a modified form. Sarna worship The Sun as Biri and the Moon as Chando. Chando Biri are the words which been used in the Sarna Puja. They called the earth as Dharti Aayo. Oraon worship nature and believe that the great consciousness or The God is nature itself.
Sarnaism
The Oraon Adivasi followed the 'Sarna' Dharam (Sarna religion) but due to the influence of Hinduism and Christianity some of the groups started following Sarna in Hindu style, others accepted Christianity. Sarna perform religious rituals under the shade of a sacred grove. The Oraons have established several Sarna sects. Some belong to the 'Bishnu Bhagats' and 'Bacchidan Bhagats' of Lord Vishnu while the 'Kamru Bhagats' and 'Tana Bhagats' are devotees of Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga. Oraon believe in nature and its power.
Caste System
The religion of Oraon is based on their belief in nature and its supernatural power. Whereas the bases of Hinduism are four Vedas and four Vernas, The Gotras system of Oraon is based on natural totem systems. Oraon do not follow a rigid caste system. Oraons worship Mahaedeo (a name given for Dharmesh). Oraon believe every thing in nature has its own deity or God.
Social Life
The Oraon like the freedom and liberty in their social life and activities. They never consider any community superior to them or inferior to them. They believe in equality and believe all the community, race or castes or religions are equal and no community or group or caste or religion is superior or inferior to them. The liberty in social life is very vital for an Oraon. Social and human rights are the essence of Oraon society.
Marriage
Christians Oraon often marry other caste and community (Munda, Kharia, and Santal) due to influence of Christianity. However, Sarna Oraon prefers marriage with an Oraon only with full traditional fashion. Oraon society allows widows to remarry. The separation from spouse is allowed if the couple has problems to adjust in their marriage life. Separated woman or man can remarry easily without getting any special permission from society.
Arts and Culture
The Oraon people have a rich and vast range of folk songs, dances and tales, as well as traditional musical instruments. Both men and women participate in dance, which are performed at social events and festivals. Mandar, Nagara and Kartal are the main musical instruments.
Language
Orans speak the language called Kurukh which belongs to the Dravidian Family and is related to the Pahari language (language of mountains). It is closely related to the Sauria Paharia and Kumarbhag Paharia languages (which are sometimes together referred to as the Malto language) but should not be confused with Nepali Kurux. It is spoken by 2,053,000 people from the Oraon and Kisan tribes, having 1,834,000 and 219,000 speakers, respectively.
Literature
The Bible was translated into Kurukh in 2000. Magazines like Nam Kurkhat, Singi Dai, and Jharkhand Dhara publish articles in the language. Kurukh books are being published from Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh (Sarna) and West Bengal. The Govt. of Jharkhand and Chhatisgarh has introduced Kurukh language in schools where Kurukhars or Oraon students are in a majority.[2]
Profession They are also employed as wage labourers under forest department as mahouts. Some of the families are also employed under non-tribes during agricultural seasons and other construction works. A few of the families are engaged in basket making for which they collect raw materials from the forest. Along the margins of innumerable streams and rivulets, profuse growth of reeds provides raw materials for basket weaving and forage for wild life.
The Orans have progressed with the time and have shifted to Indian Metro Cities like Kolkatta, Delhi, Mumbai and other smaller cities like Patna, Buvneshwar, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Allahabad and Lucknow. Orans have taken to various professions - these include tea estate management in Assam, West Bengal and Nepal.[3]
Medication
Another important factor for the tribe is the medicinal system and its close association with the culture. They use traditional medicines for common ailments and use modern medicines in an emergency, but only after seeking consent from “God” through the chieftain or priest (generally both roles are taken by the same person), through a well-defined set of traditional rituals or ‘Pujas’.
Conclusion
Oraons are one of the most popular tribe in the northern India, very simple and social people. Their adoptability to the new circumstances and improving daily life show us that they are most updating people with the urge of development. We Indians must be proud of such past growing tribes.
Bibliography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konkan.
http://www.famous-india.com/tribes/oran.html.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konkan.
[2]
http://www.famous-india.com/tribes/oran.html.
[3] http://www.famous-india.com/tribes/oran.html.
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