A Review on Role of Tribal Leaders in Resistance Movement of Odisha During Colonial Period

Arch & Anthropol Open Acc Archaeology Copyright ©& Pradeep Anthropology: Kumar Panda CRIMSON PUBLISHERS C Wings to the Research Open Access ISSN: 2577-1949 Review Article A Review on Role of Tribal Leaders in Resistance Movement of Odisha during Colonial Period Pradeep Kumar Panda* Doctoral Scholar (Economics), School of Social Sciences, India *Corresponding author: Pradeep Kumar Panda, Doctoral Scholar (Economics), School of Social Sciences, IGNOU, New Delhi, India Submission: July 04, 2018; Published: October 31, 2018 Abstract Tribal resistance in the anticolonial movement in Odisha is accentuated as offensive by the Britishers, it is perhaps shocking as that label perpetuated throughout the anti-colonial India. This is intended to examine the history of Tribal resistance in Britishers reign and shifts to focusing on their resistance in the contemporary India in relation to globalization, also concerning questions of identity and nation, power politics in criminalizing Thakhedars, Christian missionaries, and other exploiters. For many centuries, tribals were isolated, scattered in forests. Each tribe has established its ownthem, socio narratives cultural of diversity.forgotten Theyhistory were of past distinguished and present. from Tribals this nation. have resisted They launched the Britisher’s movements authority against and theirlocal poweroppressors confiscators in their likerespective the Zamindars, regions. Their agitations against the outsiders could be called anti-colonial. They revolted against them because of their exploitation in the form of encroachment on their land, eviction from their land, annulment of the traditional legal and social rights and customs, against enhancement of rent, for transfer of land to the tiller, abolition of feudal and semi-feudal form of ownership. On the whole, these movements had social and religious overtone. But they were directed against the issues related to their existence. Tribal Resistance Movement was an integral part of Freedom movement of Odisha. In this historic struggle, the heroic role played by some distinguished tribal leaders like Laxman Naik (Koraput), Birsa Munda and Veer Surendra Sai (Sambalpur).The objective of this paper is to highlight the role of tribal leaders of Odisha in the Freedom Movement against the British Imperialism. Nothing could be more inspiring and edifying than saga of heroic struggle an uprising against the foreign rulers and in that sense could be constructed to be the precursor of the national liberation movement which took a and sacrifice of galaxy of these tribal personalities. The most dominant characteristic of the tribal resistance movement was that it was essentially the compulsions or motivations behind this resistance movement; itis immaterial if the tribal revolutionaries had no formal education and training in stagingdefinite armedshape andrebellions gathered and momentum had no common under leadershipthe inspiring to guideleadership and spur of Mahatma them to Gandhiaction. Thenearly unmistakable one century fact later. remains It is immaterial that they ascould to what no longer were meekly submit to the intervention of the foreign rulers in their habitat, age old customs, rituals and cultural moors. Keywords: Tribes; Movement; Odisha; Colonial period; British raj; Independence; Struggle Introduction annulment of the traditional legal and social rights and customs, Tribal resistance in the anti-colonial movement in Odisha is against enhancement of rent, for transfer of land to the tiller, accentuated as offensive by the Britishers, it is perhaps shocking abolition of feudal and semi-feudal form of ownership. On the as that label perpetuated throughout the anti-colonial India. whole, these movements had social and religious overtone. But they This is intended to examine the history of Tribal resistance in were directed against the issues related to their existence. Tribal Britishers reign and shifts to focusing on their resistance in the Resistance Movement was an integral part of Freedom movement contemporary India in relation to globalization, also concerning of Odisha. In this historic struggle, the heroic role played by some questions of identity and nation, power politics in criminalizing distinguished tribal leaders like Laxman Naik, Birsa Munda and them, narratives of forgotten history of past and present. Tribals Veer Surendra Sai. The objective of this paper is to highlight the role of tribal leaders of Odisha in the Freedom Movement against the like the Zamindars, Thakhedars, Christian missionaries, and other have resisted the Britisher’s authority and local power confiscators British Imperialism [3]. exploiters. For many centuries, tribals were isolated, scattered in forests. Each tribe has established its own socio cultural diversity. The most dominant characteristic of the tribal resistance They were distinguished from this nation [1,2]. They launched movement was that it was essentially an uprising against the foreign movements against their oppressors in their respective regions. rulers and in that sense could be constructed to be the precursor of Their agitations against the outsiders could be called anti-colonial. They revolted against them because of their exploitation in the gathered momentum under the inspiring leadership of Mahatma the national liberation movement which took a definite shape and form of encroachment on their land, eviction from their land, Gandhi nearly one century later. It is immaterial as to what were the Volume - 3 Issue 1 Copyright © All rights are reserved by Pradeep Kumar Panda. 430 Arch & Anthropol Open Acc Copyright © Pradeep Kumar Panda compulsions or motivations behind this resistance movement; it is the pressure of the British Imperialism. This tribal hero was not immaterial if the tribal revolutionaries had no formal education and well educated, yet fully aware about the national movement. He training in staging armed rebellions and had no common leadership was crying dyeing for the freedom of this country. He became to guide and spur them to action. The unmistakable fact remains more active, when Gandhi’s message reached Koraput [12-15]. He that they could no longer meekly submit to the intervention of the became an active member of the congress in enrolling as Fouranna foreign rulers in their habitat, age old customs, rituals and cultural orcharanna member of the Indian National Congress. He played a moors [4]. Some of the tribal uprisings were directed against the key role to popularize congress programme in Koraput. The people mal-administration of the numerous feudal chiefs, the so-called of Koraput and its surrounding areas like Malkanagiri, Tentulipada, Rajas, Maharajas who held ownership of large estates and lived on accepted him as the real hero and devoted themselves for the cause a policy of extortion and coercion. They acted as the stooges of the of national Freedom. He promoted Khadi and made people aware of imperial power and all their action and conduct were directed at the congress plan of action. He took the charge of President of the cementing the foundations of the foreign rule. Congress Primary Committee at Mathili in Koraput in 1942 [16]. He managed to mobilize the tribal people for various development Tribal resistance movement was an integral part of Freedom works like constructing roads, building bridges and establishing movement of Odisha. In this historic movement the heroic role schools. He asked the villagers not to pay the taxes. During the played by some distinguished tribal leaders like Laxman Naik Quit India Movement 1942, he was nominated to represent Mathili. of Koraput, Ratan Naik of Keonjhar, Dora Bisoyee and Chakra He also offered individual Satyagraha with other seven friends in Bisoyee of Ghumsur and Veer Surendra Sai of Sambalpur. There 1941 in Mathili Police Station area. He used non-violence as a main are few important aspects of the tribal resistance movement which weapon against colonial power. The tribal people called him Gandhi deserve mention. One is that the tribals have their own social, of Malkanagiri. The Bonda tribes of this region were violent and cultural and religious identity, their own taboos, make beliefs belligerent and seized Mathili Police Station under the leadership and peculiar compulsion of life style and therefore, any attempt of him. The angry demonstrators raised patriotic slogans [17,18]. of the administration of an alien rule to make an inroad into the The police lathi charged on the innocent tribal people of this area tribal society by way of reformatory and correctional changes, and as Laxman Nayak was their leader he was involved in a murder however laudable, is bound to be resisted by the tribals with all case of a Forest guard Gantta Ramayya. He along with his sons and their individual and collective might [5-7]. This is what precisely Congress workers were sent to Koraput Jail. His trial was taken by happened to the Khonds of Ganjam during the period 1836-1861 who rose against what they considered to be a foreign incursion court. He sentenced him to death under Section 302 of I.P.C10. He the Additional Sessions Judge V. Ramnathan of Koraput session into some of their age old rites like offering human sacrifice on on March 29, 1943, by 5.30a.m. He gallantly marched towards the make belief that such offering caused redness of turmeric, female was then sent to Berhampur Jail for execution. At the break of dawn turmeric fields to propitiate the goddess of mother earth, with the gallows. In this way, this

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