Kharia
Encyclopedia
The Kharia are a tribal
(adivasi
) people living in Jharkhand
and Orissa
states, India
. In the late 20th century, the population
of Kharia people were around 300,000.
The Kharia comprise three tribes, the Dudh Kharia, Dhelki Kharia, and Hill Kharia. The first two speak who speak an Austro-Asiatic language
, Kharia
, but the Hill Kharia have switched to an Indo-Aryan language, Kharia Thar
. There has not been any language development efforts made for Kharia Tar.
The Hill Kharia live in different states of India. In Orissa, the Hill Kharia are mainly found in Jashipur and Karanjia Blocks of Mayurbhanj district. A few villages are also found in Morada block. In Jharkhand, they are concentrated in East Singhbhum, Gumla, Simdega districts. Though widely found in this district, Musabani, Dumaria and Chakulia Blocks are the blocks where they live in large numbers. And in West Bengal, they are in West Midnapur, Bankura and Purulia districts. The majority are in Purulia.
The Hill Kharia are also called Pahari (meaning “Hill”) Kharia, Savara/Sabar, Kheria, Erenga, or Pahar. Outsiders call them Kharia but they call themselves as Sabar. They are called “Pahari (Hill) Kharia” because they live in the midst of forest and depend upon forest produces.
There are several gotras (clans) among the Hill Kharia such as Golgo, Bhunia, Sandi, Gidi, Dehuri, Pichria, Nago, Tolong, Suya, Dhar, Tesa, Kotal, Kharmoi, Digar, Laha, Saddar, Sikari, Rai, Khan, Dolai, Sal, Alkosi and Khiladi. Golgo seems to be dominant one because in every village that clan is spelt out first whenever their clans were asked.
Tribe
A tribe, viewed historically or developmentally, consists of a social group existing before the development of, or outside of, states.Many anthropologists use the term tribal society to refer to societies organized largely on the basis of kinship, especially corporate descent groups .Some theorists...
(adivasi
Adivasi
Adivasi is an umbrella term for a heterogeneous set of ethnic and tribal groups claimed to be the aboriginal population of India. They comprise a substantial indigenous minority of the population of India...
) people living in Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
and Orissa
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...
states, 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...
. In the late 20th century, the population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of Kharia people were around 300,000.
The Kharia comprise three tribes, the Dudh Kharia, Dhelki Kharia, and Hill Kharia. The first two speak who speak an Austro-Asiatic language
Austro-Asiatic languages
The Austro-Asiatic languages, in recent classifications synonymous with Mon–Khmer, are a large language family of Southeast Asia, also scattered throughout India and Bangladesh. The name Austro-Asiatic comes from the Latin words for "south" and "Asia", hence "South Asia"...
, Kharia
Kharia language
The Kharia language is an Austro-Asiatic language that is primarily spoken by indigenous Kharia people of eastern India.-Classification:Kharia belongs to the Kharia–Juang branch of the Munda language family...
, but the Hill Kharia have switched to an Indo-Aryan language, Kharia Thar
Kharia Thar language
Kharia Thar is an Indic language spoken by the Hill Kharia culture of India....
. There has not been any language development efforts made for Kharia Tar.
The Hill Kharia live in different states of India. In Orissa, the Hill Kharia are mainly found in Jashipur and Karanjia Blocks of Mayurbhanj district. A few villages are also found in Morada block. In Jharkhand, they are concentrated in East Singhbhum, Gumla, Simdega districts. Though widely found in this district, Musabani, Dumaria and Chakulia Blocks are the blocks where they live in large numbers. And in West Bengal, they are in West Midnapur, Bankura and Purulia districts. The majority are in Purulia.
The Hill Kharia are also called Pahari (meaning “Hill”) Kharia, Savara/Sabar, Kheria, Erenga, or Pahar. Outsiders call them Kharia but they call themselves as Sabar. They are called “Pahari (Hill) Kharia” because they live in the midst of forest and depend upon forest produces.
There are several gotras (clans) among the Hill Kharia such as Golgo, Bhunia, Sandi, Gidi, Dehuri, Pichria, Nago, Tolong, Suya, Dhar, Tesa, Kotal, Kharmoi, Digar, Laha, Saddar, Sikari, Rai, Khan, Dolai, Sal, Alkosi and Khiladi. Golgo seems to be dominant one because in every village that clan is spelt out first whenever their clans were asked.
External links
- For more information
- First Kharia Online Magazine
- Patricia Donegan & David Stampe’s Online Kharia Dictionary
Further reading
- Mukhopadhyay, C. (1998). Kharia: the victim of social stigma. Calcutta: K.P. Bagchi & Co. ISBN 817074203X
- Dash, J. (1998). Human ecology of foragers: a study of the Kharia (Savara), Ujia (Savara), and Birhor in Similipāl hills. New Delhi: Commonwealth. ISBN 8171695515
- Sinha, A. P. (1989). Religious life in tribal India: a case-study of Dudh Kharia. New Delhi: Classical Pub. Co. ISBN 8170540798
- Sinha, D. (1984). The hill Kharia of Purulia: a study on the impact of poverty on a hunting and gathering tribe. Calcutta: Anthropological Survey of India, Govt. of India.
- Banerjee, G. C. (1982). Introduction to the Khariā language. New Delhi: Bahri Publications.
- Doongdoong, A. (1981). The Kherias of Chotanagpur: a source book. [Ranchi]: Doongdoong.
- Vidyarthi, L. P., & Upadhyay, V. S. (1980). The Kharia, then and now: a comparative study of Hill, Dhelki, and Dudh Kharia of the central-eastern region of India. New Delhi: Concept.
- Biligiri, H. S. (1965). Kharia; phonology, grammar and vocabulary. Poona: [Deccan College Postgraduate and Research Institute].