Kandha Tribe of Odisha

Kandha Tribe of Odisha

Identity:

In Odisha, the Kandha is numerically the most populous tribe. In this regard it is a major tribe of the state as well as the country. Though their population is unevenly spread throughout the State, their main concentration is in south Odisha. Geographically, their stronghold lies in the central region (Boudh & Kandhamal districts), Rayagada region (Rayagada district) and south-western part (erstwhile Kasipur and Mahulpatna areas) of Eastern Ghats Region.

         The word ‘Kandha’is derived from the Telugu word Konda which means a small hill as well as the hill men. Originally they were hill dwellers. Kandha is the name the non-tribal people have given them and in course of time, the tribesmen have accepted the name. But they identify themselves as ‘Kui loku’ “Kui enju” or “Kuinga” because they speak ‘Kui’ or ‘Kuvi’ language belonging to Dravidian linguistic group. ‘Kui’ and ‘Kuvi’ are two regional linguistic variations. While ‘Kuvi’ is spoken by a majority of the Kandha of undivided Koraput, Kalahandi and Bolangir districts, ‘Kui’, is spoken by the Kandha of Phulbani district. Kuvi appears to have original structural composition while Kui, an acculturated and transformed form of Kuvi language.

source: google

On the basis of the socio-cultural characteristics, the Kandha may be divided into several sections such as; Desia Kandha, Dongria Kandha, Kutia Kandha, Sitha Kandha, Buda Kandha, Pengo Kandha, Malua Kandha, etc. Among the several sections of the Kandha communities, two sub-sections such as Kutia Kandha and Dongria Kandha have been identified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PTGs).

       The name of Kutia Kandha refers to their house floor which is about 2ft. below the level of the village road and this low lying floor of the house is known as ‘Kutti.’ Accordingly, they are named as Kutti-dwellers or Kutia Kandha. They mostly inhabit the Tumudibandha Block of Kandhamal district and Lanjigarh Block of Kalahandi district of Odisha. The word ‘Dongria’ in Kuvi language means ‘Hill’. As Dongria Kandhas inhabit the high altitude hilly terrain of Odisha, they are popularly called as Dongria Kandha. They are mostly found in Bissamkattack and Muniguda blocks of Rayagada district of Odisha. Other sub-groups of the Kandha tribe like Sitha Kandha, Buda Kandha, Desia Kandha and Malua Kandha live in Koraput, Kandhamal and Bolangir districts of Odisha. The Sitha Kandhas (Sitaranga) are basket makers. The Malua Kandhas are well-known for their patterns of living in groups in hilly areas for which they are called so. On the other hand the Desia Kandhas are found in ‘desh’ or plains area for which they are called Desia Kandha. We also find a group 6 of Kandha people who incorrectly pronounce the word ‘Bengo’ (frog) as ‘Pengo’ and relish the flesh of frogs. They are locally known as “Pengo Kandha.”

Population and Concentration:

According to 2001 census the total population of Kandha tribe is 13, 95, 643, (male 6 88 402 & female 7 07 241) which is numerically highest among all the 62 tribes of Odisha. The Kandhas comprise 17.13% of the total tribal population of Odisha. Their sex ratio is 1027 per 1000 males and their literacy rate is 31.87 per cent (13.89 % for male and 17.98% for female). The Decadal population growth rate among the Kandha during the period from 1991 to 2001 is 22.38 percent.

source: google

Dress and Ornaments:

The dress pattern of the Kandha is very simple. The women of the community used to wear two pieces of clothes (sinda), one around the waist up to the knees and another for the upper portion of the body. But now they prefer to wear one piece saree which is available in the local market. They prefer to adorn themselves with various types of ornaments like coloured bead necklace (sursuria mali), silver bangle (bala), neckband (gogla), nose flower (naka putuki), hairpin (pujupaka), ear ring ( kichedka) etc. Traditionally Kandha women are very fond of making different tattoo (tikanguhpa) designs on the face. Now-a-days tattooing (tikanguhpa) is not preferred by the women of younger generation. The Kandha men wear dhoti (loin cloth) and ganji (banyan). On special occasions, a headgear is also worn. A coloured turban is worn by the groom during his marriage ceremony.

SETTLEMENT AND HOUSING:

Generally the Kandha villages are surrounded by mountains (saru).Their house settlement pattern is scattered throughout with large patches of land (keta) adjoining the homesteads. They grow vegetables, turmeric (singa), jackfruit (ponosi) tree, date palm (tadi) tree, sag-palm (mada) tree in those patches of land. The mango (maha) groves as well as mahua (irpi) trees are found at the village borders. In the village there are a number of footpaths crossing each other. Generally a village consists of a number of hamlets, which are locally known as sahi or pada. The Kandhas cremate their dead body in the cremation ground (tunenji) which is situated in groves adjoining the village. In every village there is an altar for the Earth Goddess (Darni penu) located at the side of the village.

HOUSE:

The Kandha houses are identical with regard to design and building materials used for construction. Their houses face almost every direction. Generally a new house (edu) is constructed in the month of February (Mag), March (Paagan), April (Baisaak) and May (Jeset). Before selecting a place for construction of a new house, the male elders of the household go to the proposed site at night (nadangi). They carry with them some rice (pranga), mahua liquor (irpi kalu) and few cups made of siali leaves (paeri aaka). At the site, they keep those leaf cups (chaukuni) containing a few grains of rice. In each cup they pour the liquor on the rice and offer it to their ancestors (pideri penu). After the ritual is over, they themselves enjoy the surplus liquor (kalu) and return home. Next morning (beea diesi) they again visit the same site to verify whether the grains are in order and intact or not. If not found intact there is presence of some evil spirits (doi pideri). Hence, the place is considered inauspicious and unsuitable for house construction. If the grains are found to be intact, then it is considered to be an auspicious place by the ancestors. They sacrifice hen (kaju) at that place to mother goddess (darni penu) and build the house (edu). The construction of a Kandha house (edu) is very simple. The walls of the house are made of planks of sal trees (jargi mrahanui) covered with mud and trellis made of bamboo splits and its roof is thatched with wild grass. The house is of very low height, not exceeding 10ft. and its entrance is at a height of about 4ft. from the ground level. A typical house consists of one or two rooms with a separate kitchen room (baja edu) and a cowshed (goheli) at its backside. A narrow verandah (pinduli) is found in the front as well as at the backside of the house. In each house paddy husking pedals (dhinki) is installed on the verandah (pinduli). The front verandah is always kept clean and used as a meeting place where leisure hours are spent for recreational activities. They stock and store fire wood (erpa beska) and forest products on the backside of the house. Each house has two doors (dara) one at the front side and another at the backside. The front door is made-up of wood with different carved designs and the back door is made-up of bamboo (mani pata). Inside the house one room is used as kitchen (baja edu) and storage of household utensils (muta mand) and the other room which is comparatively large is used as living room (dopa edu). In this portion one or two mortar holes for husking grains are embedded on the ground. On one side of the living room a large wooden shelve is built for keeping household objects and the grain bin (duli) is kept on the wooden platform (dadi). Their wall (kudu) is coloured with red soil and verandah is polished by smooth stone. Their agricultural and household implements such as plough (nangeli), yoke (jueli), spade (rapa), leveler (patasingh/kurli), sickle (kele), winnowing fan (sesi), measuring pot (tambi), gourd (laka) etc. are kept inside their house along with their hunting weapons such as bow (wilu), arrow (ambu), axe (tangi) spear (garka), gum stick (sindu nala) etc. and fishing implements. The Kandha also keep different Dhokra (linga/darba) objects. Currently, under the impact of modernization and development, the Kandha houses are constructed by bricks, cement and concrete under the Indira Awas Yojana.

SOCIAL LIFE :

Family is the smallest social unit in Kandha society. Nuclear family is common and joint family is rarely found. The members of the partilineage help their head of family during birth, marriage and death rituals etc. They use surname like Kanhar, Mallick, Pradhan, Majhi etc. As soon as a boy gets married, he builds a new house of his own and lives there separately from his parents. In their society the Kandha people call daughter-in-laws by name of (clan) mutha. There are fifty muthas in Kandha society namely Saiti, Paba, Jurapi, Bongodi, Baka, Bidu, Teriki, Damsing, Pira etc. As per the rule of exogamy, a man cannot marry within his clan or mutha, because members of a mutha consider themselves as brothers and sisters. The Kandha lineage is exogamous and marriage within the lineage group is strictly forbidden. It comprises a number of blood related families living in different hamlets or in a group of villages. They trace their decent from common ancestors and occupy a distinct territory belonging to their mutha.

Later Post Completed..............................