Juang
Encyclopedia
Juang a jungle tribe of Orissa
, India
. They are found in only two of the tributary states, Dhenkanal
and Keonjhar, most of them in the latter. They are estimated to amount in all to about 10,000. Their language
belongs to the Munda family
. They have no traditions which connect them with any other race, and they repudiate all connexion with the Hos
or the Santals
, declaring themselves the aborigines. They say the headquarters of the tribe is the Gonasika. They do not till the land, but live on the game they kill or on snakes and vermin. They were initially Hunters and Gatherers and cultivate a few crops.They were forced out of their traditional ways after the British declared their forests as reserves. The only thing they were good at was basket making which was in demand in nearby caste villages. The juangs would exchange their baskets for salt, oil ,food, money from the village traders. With increased contact with the Hindu villages they took up worship of Hindu Goddess Lakshmi. were Slowly absorbed into the Hindu Caste system as a Basket making caste. Their huts measure about 6 ft. by 8 ft., with very low doorways. The interior is divided into two compartments. In the first of these the father and all the females of a family huddle together; the second is used as a store-room. The boys have a separate hut at the entrance to the village, which serves as a guest-house and general assembly place where the musical instruments of the village are kept. Physically they are small and weak-looking, of a reddish-brown colour, with flat faces, broad noses with wide nostrils, large mouths and thick lips, the hair coarse and frizzly. The women until recently wore nothing but girdles of leaves, the men, a diminutive bandage of cloth. The Juangs declare that the river goddess, emerging for the first time from the Gonasika rock, surprised a party of naked Juangs dancing, and ordered them to wear leaves, with the threat that they should die if they ever gave up the custom. The Juangs' weapons are the bow and arrow and a primitive sling
made entirely of cord. Their religion is a vague belief in forest spirits. They offer fowls to the sun when in trouble and to the earth for a bountiful harvest. Polygamy
is rare. They burn their dead and throw the ashes into any running stream. The most sacred oaths a Juang can take are those on an ant-hill or a tiger-skin.
They were initially Hunter-gatherer
and cultivate a few crops.They were forced out of their traditional way of life after the British declared their forests as reserves. The Juangs were forced to look for an alternative way of sustainance.They were proficient in basket making, which was in demand in nearby caste villages. The juangs would exchange their baskets for salt, oil ,food, money from the village traders. With increased contact with the Hindu villages they took up worship of Hindu Goddess Lakshmi. were Slowly absorbed into the Hindu Caste system as a Basket making caste.
See E. W. Dalton, Descriptive Ethnology of Bengal (1872).
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. They are found in only two of the tributary states, Dhenkanal
Dhenkanal (princely state)
Dhenkanal is now Dhenkanal district, which is situated in Orissa State, India, with Dhenkanal town as its district headquarters. This article describes the history of the princely state.-16th century:In the year 1529 A.D...
and Keonjhar, most of them in the latter. They are estimated to amount in all to about 10,000. Their language
Juang language
The Juang language is a language spoken primarily by the Juang people of eastern India.- Classification :The Juang language belongs to the Munda language family, the whole of which is classified as a branch of the greater Austro-Asiatic language family. Among the Munda languages, Juang is...
belongs to the Munda family
Munda languages
-Anderson :Gregory Anderson's 1999 proposal is as follows. Individual languages are highlighted in italics.*North Munda **Korku**Kherwarian***Santhali***Mundari*South Munda **Kharia–Juang***Juang***Kharia...
. They have no traditions which connect them with any other race, and they repudiate all connexion with the Hos
Ho people
The Ho people are a tribe of people belonging to the Indian state of Jharkhand.They are the fourth most numerous scheduled tribe Jharkhand after Santals, Oraons, and Mundas, and constitute around 10.5 percent of the total population in the state, numbering 7,087,068 in the 2001 census...
or the Santals
Santals
The Santhal , are the largest tribal community in India, who live mainly in the states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, and Assam. There is also a significant Santal minority in neighboring Bangladesh, and a small population in Nepal....
, declaring themselves the aborigines. They say the headquarters of the tribe is the Gonasika. They do not till the land, but live on the game they kill or on snakes and vermin. They were initially Hunters and Gatherers and cultivate a few crops.They were forced out of their traditional ways after the British declared their forests as reserves. The only thing they were good at was basket making which was in demand in nearby caste villages. The juangs would exchange their baskets for salt, oil ,food, money from the village traders. With increased contact with the Hindu villages they took up worship of Hindu Goddess Lakshmi. were Slowly absorbed into the Hindu Caste system as a Basket making caste. Their huts measure about 6 ft. by 8 ft., with very low doorways. The interior is divided into two compartments. In the first of these the father and all the females of a family huddle together; the second is used as a store-room. The boys have a separate hut at the entrance to the village, which serves as a guest-house and general assembly place where the musical instruments of the village are kept. Physically they are small and weak-looking, of a reddish-brown colour, with flat faces, broad noses with wide nostrils, large mouths and thick lips, the hair coarse and frizzly. The women until recently wore nothing but girdles of leaves, the men, a diminutive bandage of cloth. The Juangs declare that the river goddess, emerging for the first time from the Gonasika rock, surprised a party of naked Juangs dancing, and ordered them to wear leaves, with the threat that they should die if they ever gave up the custom. The Juangs' weapons are the bow and arrow and a primitive sling
Sling (weapon)
A sling is a projectile weapon typically used to throw a blunt projectile such as a stone or lead "sling-bullet". It is also known as the shepherd's sling....
made entirely of cord. Their religion is a vague belief in forest spirits. They offer fowls to the sun when in trouble and to the earth for a bountiful harvest. Polygamy
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
is rare. They burn their dead and throw the ashes into any running stream. The most sacred oaths a Juang can take are those on an ant-hill or a tiger-skin.
Transition from Tribe to Caste
They were initially Hunter-gatherer
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
and cultivate a few crops.They were forced out of their traditional way of life after the British declared their forests as reserves. The Juangs were forced to look for an alternative way of sustainance.They were proficient in basket making, which was in demand in nearby caste villages. The juangs would exchange their baskets for salt, oil ,food, money from the village traders. With increased contact with the Hindu villages they took up worship of Hindu Goddess Lakshmi. were Slowly absorbed into the Hindu Caste system as a Basket making caste.
See E. W. Dalton, Descriptive Ethnology of Bengal (1872).