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About
Kondha |
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The Kondha are indigenous tribal groups of India. They live in
Odisha, a state in Eastern India. Their highest concentration
is found in the blocks of Kashipur, Rayagada, Bissamcuttack,
Kalyansinghpur and Muniguda.
The Kondha are proficient land dwellers exhibiting greater
adaptability to the forest environment. The Kondhas are
believed to be from the Proto-Australoid ethnic group. Their
native language is Kui, a Dravidian language written with the
Oriya script. However, due to development involvements in
education, medical facilities, irrigation, plantation and so
on, they are forced into the modern way of life in many ways.
Their traditional life style, customary traits of economy
political organization, norms, values and world view have been
significantly changed over a long period. |
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Economy |
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They have a subsistence economy based on foraging, hunting &
gathering but they now mainly depend on a subsistence
agriculture i.e. shifting cultivation or slash and burn
cultivation or Podu. The Dongria Kondh are superb fruit
farmers. Forest fruit trees like jackfruit and mango are also
found in huge numbers, which fulfill the major dietary chunk
of the Dongrias. Besides, the Dongrias practice shifting
cultivation or "Podu Chasa" as it is locally called, as part
of an economic need retaining the most primitive features of
underdevelopment and cultural evolution. The most prominent
feature of the Dongria kondhas is that they have adapted to
horticulture and grow pineapple, oranges, turmeric, ginger and
papaya in plenty. |
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Religious beliefs |
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The Dongria have syncretic beliefs combining animism. Their
pantheon has both the common Hindu gods and their own. The
gods and goddesses are always accredited to various natural
phenomena, trees, animals and objects etc. They have a god or
deity for everything and anything. The Dongrias give highest
significance to the Earth god (Dharani penu), and NIyam penu (Niyamgiri
Hill) who is held to be the creator and sustainer of the
Dongria.
For instance, in a house, there is a deity for back and front
street, kitchen, living room, implements and so on and so
forth. In the Dongria society, breach of any religious conduct
by any member of the society invites the anger of spirits in
the form of lack of rain fall, soaking of streams, destruction
of forest produce, and other natural calamities. |
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Society |
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The Dongria family is often nuclear, although extended
families are found. Female family members are considered
assets because of their contribution inside and outside the
household and women are on equal footing with the male members
in constructing a house to cultivation. Women do all the work
for household ranging from fetching water from the distant
streams, cooking, serving food to each member of the household
to cultivating, harvesting and marketing of produce in the
market. Due to this, the bride price is paid to her parents
when she gets married which is a remarkable feature of the
Dongrias. However, the family is patrilineal and patrilocal.
The Dongrias are great admirer of artistic idealism. Their
personal adornment is distinctive with each male and female
member using hair clips, ear rings neck rings, hand rings made
up of brass, iron and Hyndalium prepared by themselves as well
as purchased from local markets. Body tattooing is practiced
by both sexes.
The Dongrias generally practice polygamy. By custom, marriage
must cross clan boundaries (a form of incest taboo). The clan
or "Puja" is exogamous, which means marriages are made outside
the clan. The form of acquiring mate is often by capture or
force or elopement. However, marriage by negotiation is also
practiced. The Dongrias have a dormitory for teenager girls
and boys which forms a part of their enculturation and
education process. The girls sleep at night in the dormitory (Daa
Sala) and learn social taboos, stories, myths, legends,
riddles, proverbs amidst singing and dancing the whole night,
thus learning the way of the sacred feminine. |
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Habitat |
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One sub-group of kondhas is the Dongria Kondhas. They live in
Rayagada, Koraput and Kalahandi districts. They are mainly
found in the blocks of Kalyansinghpur, Muniguda and
Bissamcuttack. They are called Dongria or dweller of donger
("hill" in Oriya) and settle in higher altitudes due to their
economic demands. The Dongria Kondh call themselves Jharnia
meaning those who live by the Jharana (streams). Hundreds of
persistent streams flow from Niyamgiri hill, and there are
hundreds of Dongria villages by the streams. The Dongria are
believed to be the protectors of these streams, hills and
jungles by the people of the nearby plains. Some kandha tribes
lives in Gajapati district. |
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