IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID –19

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA: With Special Reference to COVID - 19 I

HISTORY OF EPIDEMICS occurrence. It is a sudden, severe AND PANDEMICS IN widespread outbreak of a disease pre- INDIA existing in the community.

India, being a third-world country, has Pandemics, on the other hand, refer to encountered a variety of epidemics the worldwide spread of diseases. and pandemics through time. Several These are the global health problems accounts of influenza, cholera, that need to be addressed and treated dengue, smallpox and several others viciously along with proper measures have been recorded throughout to avoid transmission to other history; while we have been able to countries. There have been a eradicate some; many diseases still significant number of pandemics continue to pose a threat to the throughout history and in many community. It is not uncommon for instances; their control had been sudden and rapid outbreaks to occur difficult because of the lack of a in India and many articles direct the proper, working global surveillance cause for this in such developing system3 . As far as India is concerned, countries being malnutrition, lack of there have been only two major, sanitation and lack of a proper public significant pandemics throughout health system (Rice et.al, 20001 , John, history. While cholera had been et.al 2). Epidemics is an unusual predominant throughout the 19th occurrence in a community or region century with increasing death tolls of disease, specific health related every year, the influenza pandemic behaviour or other health-related came later on in the early 20th events clearly in excess of expected century4 5. The influenza pandemic

1 Rice AL, Sacco L, Hyder A, Black RE. 2000. Malnutrition as an underlying cause of childhood deaths associated with infectious diseases in developing countries. Bulletin of the World Health organization. 2000; 78:1207-21. 2 John TJ, Dandona L, Sharma VP, Kakkar M. 2011. Continuing challenge of infectious diseases in India. The Lancet. 2011;15; 377(9761):252-69. 3 Hughes JM, Wilson ME, Pike BL, Saylors KE, Fair JN, LeBreton M, Tamoufe U, Djoko CF, Rimoin AW, Wolfe ND. The origin and prevention of pandemics. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2010 Jun15; 50(12):1636-40 4 Ramamurthy T, Sharma NC. Cholera outbreaks in India. In Cholera Outbreaks 2014 (pp. 49- 85). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg 5 Mills, Ian D. “The 1918-1919 influenza pandemic-the Indian experience.” The Indian Economic & Social History Review23.1 (1986):1-40.

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 3 was short but devastating and after a started in 1976 with Ebola, which long time, quite recently, came yet ravaged West Africa and killed 13,500 another flu pandemic by the H1N1 people; the Nipah virus of 1998 with strain6 a 78% fatality; and then the Coronaviruses of the last 20 years: th Before the 20 century, the plague SARS of 2002, which spread to 29 caused by rats was the recurring countries with 774 deaths; MERS in pandemic (there had been other 2012 that spread to 28 countries pandemics though like cholera and resulting in 858 deaths; and of course small pox). There had been three big COVID-19, the pandemic that has plague pandemics, the last being in the devastated the world more than th late 19 century. And rats were seen anyone in this world today. The as responsible for the plague and they coronaviruses are also contagious had spread it by travelling on ships. viruses causing respiratory diseases Two small articles by Sujit Mahapatra like the flu. In fact, the Centers for on 20th April7 and 25th April8 provides Disease Control and Prevention a glimpse of the history of Pandemics (CDC) of the US estimates, three and the carriers all over the world. quarters of new or emerging diseases In the last 100 years, flu became the that infect humans originate in new plague. Although the first animals. influenza epidemic is recorded in the Scientists discovered the bat origins of th 16 century, the flu became pandemic certain viruses after the outbreak of from the time of the 1889-90 flu, now SARS or Severe Acute Respiratory called the Russian flu. The Spanish Flu Syndrome in 2003. It was discovered of 1918-19 was the most damaging as that bats contain hundreds of other it infected a third of the entire coronaviruses, a group of related population of the world with more viruses causing respiratory ailments people dying from it than from World ranging from harmless ones like the War 1. Then followed the Asian Flu common cold to MERS that had a of 1957-58, the Hong Kong Flu of 1968- fatality rate of 34%. As they grow, 69 and, more recently, the Swine Flu (COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus or of 2009-10, which ended up infecting a new strain of the virus), the different more than a billion people and killing strains infect bats, which seem to be a few lakhs. co-evolving with the viruses. Hence, In the last 50 years, there has been bats have powerful immune systems another interesting pattern: and do not fall sick. But when these pandemics originating in bats. It viruses jump from them to other

6 Mishra B. 2015 resurgence of influenza a (H1N1) 09: Smouldering pandemic in India?. Journal of global infectious diseases. 2015;7(2):56 7 https://odishabytes.com/pandemics-in-history-shipping-the-virus/ 8 https://odishabytes.com/pandemics-in-history-2-rats-and-the-plague/

4 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 species such as a civet or a pangolin The 21st century pandemics such as or a human, the result can be deadly, SARS and MERS unlike the plague as we see now. were not spread by rats or rat flea, and air travel played a significant role in It seems, Ships have always played a the transport of infectious diseases. At significant role in pandemics in the same time, COVID-19 has brought history. After all, as many of us now the attention back to ships as they know, the word ‘quarantine’, was first accounted for the first horror story of used in the 14th century for ships that the epidemic outside China. were made to wait for 40 days outside Venice before passengers were 1.1 THE 19th CENTURY allowed to disembark. This is because PANDEMICS the bubonic plague, which had wiped First Cholera Pandemic (1817) out about a third of Europe and a much of Asia, was supposed to have This is considered to be the first major a 37-day period from infection to epidemic of the 19th century in British- death. Hence, it was assumed that colonized India and was described as anyone healthy after 40 days was safe probably the most terrifying of all9. It from infecting others. is believed that the year 1817 had brought a very heavy rainfall leading Ships have historically been seen as to flooding which could have been the the transporters of pandemics, when cause for such a rapid spread10. While diseases travel across geographies as the Europeans living in India then and they have been used for international the elite were not seriously affected, trade. The voyages of Christopher the slum dwellers and people in rural Columbus and others led to poverty were hit the worst11. This was decimation of entire indigenous probably due to the differences in populations in the Americas with the living conditions, personal hygiene spread of small pox, measles and the and practices. plague, which were foreign to the natives. This story continued till the Second Cholera Pandemic (1829) 20th century with most pandemics. That is because the ships carried the The second outbreak started around rats that carried the plague. Therefore, 1826 from Bengal and spread through elaborate protocols were followed the rivers to various parts of northern earlier to ensure that ships were rid of India. After affecting the United rats. Provinces (UP), its impact was huge

9 Arnold, David. 1986. ‘Cholera and colonialism in British India’ Past & Present. 113:118- 151. 10 Collins, A. E. “The geography of cholera.” Cholera and the Ecology of Vibrio cholerae. Springer, Dordrecht, 1996. 255-294. 11 Pollitzer R, Swaroop S, Burrows W. History of the disease. Cholera. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.1959:11-50.

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 5 on areas around Punjab and Delhi but agreed that it was from Mecca that the most significant is its pandemic infection spread to several countries16 spread to countries like China12 13. 17 . The Kumbh Mela at Hardwar in Cholera spread far and wide, all along April 1867 has been considered to be the trade routes from China affecting responsible for the epidemic spread several cities and villages alike. In each of cholera in northern India18. The place, it lasted for a few weeks and Madras Presidency in 1877 was the killed hundreds of people every day14. worst hit and the cholera epidemic was responsible for about 10% of the Third Cholera Pandemic (1852) annual mortality then19.

The third cholera pandemic started Fifth Cholera Pandemic (1881) around 1852 and lasted till the late 1860s. It is significant in history The fifth cholera pandemic was because of its spread to countries that considerably less fatal as compared to were until then not affected. Though the previous four. It was during this India was not its major area of pandemic (1881-1869) that Robert impact, in the later phase of Koch proved that cholera was pandemic, small spurts of cases were transmitted through the fecal-oral noted in Bengal. It spread to several route, after studying the outbreaks in other countries like Persia, Arabia and Calcutta and Egypt20. then to Russia due to the worldwide Bombay Plague Epidemic (1896) spread of serotype of Vibrio which was initially endemic to India. This plague began in September 1896 Fourth Cholera Pandemic (1863) in colonial Bombay creating a lot of social and political frenzy. The rapid This began around 1863. While some growth of commerce in Bombay led to suggest that the major cholera an increase in population and thereby epidemic in 1865 was brought to overcrowding. The anti-plague Mecca by the Haj pilgrims from India, campaign was started to battle this others disagree stating that it was a epidemic and it was based on the just a recrudescence15. However, it is belief that the focus of the infections

12 Pollitzer, Robert. ‘Cholera studies:1. History of the disease ’. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 10.3 (1954):421. 13 Barua, Dhiman. “History of cholera.” Cholera. Springer, Boston, MA, 1992.1-36 14 Macnamara, Nottidge Charles. A history of Asiatic cholera. MacMillan,1876 15 Omar W. The Mecca Pilgrimage: Its Epidemiological Significance and Control. Postgraduate medical journal. 1952;28(319):269. 16 Bryceson, AD. Cholera, the flickering flame. (1977):363-365 17 Lacey, Stephen W. Cholera: calamitous past, ominous future. Clinical Infectious Diseases 20.5 (1995):1409-1419 18 Arnold, David.”Cholera and colonialism in British India.”Past & Present 113(1986):118- 151 19 Whitcombe E, Famine mortality. Economic and Political Weekly (1993):1169-1179. 20 Howard-Jones, Norman. Robert Koch and the cholera vibrio: a centenary. British medical journal (Clinical research ed.)288.6414 (1984):379

6 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 was from the slums. The plague killed around the world, India considered thousands and many people were to be the foci24. The second wave of forced out of the city. the attack began in Bombay in 1918 and spread to other parts of northern Sixth Cholera Pandemic (1899) India and Sri Lanka from where it 25 The sixth cholera pandemic began spread worldwide . Improvement in around 1899 and major outbreaks the virulence and velocity of the virus were noted in Bombay, Calcutta, and strain and the monsoon bringing Madras 21. While the infection humidity are considered to be the key throughout the 20th century was factors in increasing the severity and 26 caused by O1 serotype of Vibrio spread . cholera and confined mostly through Polio Epidemic (1970-1990) the Asian subcontinent, the sixth India was the worst affected by polio cholera pandemic brought about among the developing countries until surprising challenges. The sixth the late 1990s. The incidence of polio cholera pandemic lasted for about 25 in India was very high in both urban years (1899-1973)22. and rural states and the most affected 1.2 THE 20th CENTURY was the state of Uttar Pradesh27. But PANDEMICS with improvement in surveillance, the desired results were achieved and Influenza Pandemic (1918) India was declared polio-free status in This is also known as the Spanish Flu January 2011 and emphasis has been of 1918-19. This has been known to laid on maintaining the guard to have caused around 20- 50 million prevent resurgence28. deaths worldwide and is considered Small Pox Epidemic (1974) most devastating23 . This was caused by the H1N1 strain of Influenza and It is known as one of the worst small was severe. The first episode of the pox epidemics of the 20th century. disease began in early 1918 and later India contributed to about 85% of in autumn, it began to spread all this epidemic worldwide. This

21 Ramamurthy T, Sharma NC. Cholera outbreaks in India. In Cholera Outbreaks 2014 (pp. 49- 85). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg 22 Kaper JB, Morris JG, Levine MM. Cholera. Clinical microbiology reviews. 1995 1;8(1):48-86 23 Colwell, Rita R. “Global climate and infectious disease: the cholera paradigm.” Science 274.5295 (1996):2025-2031. 24 Johnson NPAS, Mueller J. Updating the accounts: global mortality of the 1918-1920" Spanish” influenza pandemic. Bull Hist Med. 2002; 76:105–115 25 Chandra S, Kassens-Noor E. The evolution of pandemic influenza: evidence from India, 1918– 19. BMC infectious diseases. 2014; 14(1):510 26 Johnson NPAS, Mueller J. Updating the accounts: global mortality of the 1918-1920" Spanish” influenza pandemic. Bull Hist Med. 2002; 76:105– 115 27 John, T. Jacob, and Vipin M. Vashishtha. Eradicating poliomyelitis: India’s journey from hyperendemic to polio-free status. The Indian journal of medical research 137.5 (2013): 881 28 Patterson K D, Pyle G F. The geography and mortality of the 1918 influenza pandemic. Bull Hist Med. 1991; 65:4–21.

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 7 epidemic broke out in three different 1.3 THE 21st CENTURY villages of West Bengal, Bihar and PANDEMICS Odisha but it was impossible to Plague of Northern India (2002) establish a connection between them and hence it was treated as three The Plague of Northern India broke different epidemics. The disease was out in Shimla district of Himachal introduced into different areas by Pradesh in February 2002. It was a different sources. While over 15,000 small and less serious epidemic. Also, people died in this epidemic, as soon as the plague was detected, thousands of the survived but most immediate measures were taken like ended up with disfigurement and fumigation, evacuation, and blindness29 30. Small pox was the first chemoprophylaxis that lead to further disease to be combated globally and control of the epidemic33. was declared eradicated by WHO in Dengue Epidemic (2003) 198031. Surat Plague Epidemic (1994) In 2003 during September, there occurred an outbreak of Dengue Fever Plague cases in Surat were first in Delhi. It reached its peak around reported in Sept 1994 and which it October-November and lasted until spread to other cities in India. Fewer early December. The mortality rate than 1,200 people were found positive was around 3%. It became a major and it lasted for less than two weeks outbreak in India in spite of the but it is considered important due to widespread preventive measures its high fatality and created worldwide taken to control Dengue Fever34. repercussions. It is said to have been initially difficult for doctors to SARS Epidemic (2003) diagnose it but when they did, all SARS (severe acute respiratory necessary precautions are taken to syndrome), is considered as the first 32 contain its spread [37]. serious infectious disease outbreak of the twenty-first century. It initially

29 John TJ. Understanding the scientific basis of preventing polio by immunization. Pioneering contributions from India. Proc Indian Natl Sci Acad.2003; B69:393–422 30 The control and eradication of smallpox in South Asia, Internet Archive, 2018, Available from: https://web.archive.org/web/20081019023043/ http://www.smallpoxhistory.ucl.ac.uk 31 Greenough P. Intimidation, coercion and resistance in the final stages of the South Asian small pox eradication campaign, 1973–1975. Social science & medicine.19951;41(5):633- 45 32 Fenner F. Global eradication of small pox. Reviews of infectious diseases.19821;4(5):916- 30 31 Greenough P. Intimidation, coercion and resistance in the final stages of the South Asian small pox eradication campaign, 1973–1975. Social science & medicine.19951;41(5):633- 45 32 Fenner F. Global eradication of small pox. Reviews of infectious diseases.19821;4(5):916- 30 33 Dutt, Ashok K., Rais Akhtar, and Melinda McVeigh. Surat plague of 1994 re- examined. Southeast Asian journal of tropical medicine and public health 37. 4(2006):755 34 Gupta, Manohar Lal, and Anuradha Sharma. Pneumonic plague, northern India, 2002. Emerging Infectious Diseases13.4 (2007):664.

8 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 started in the Guandong province of for mosquito control and several China in 2003 and spread quickly to awareness campaigns were initiated about 30 countries across Asia, by the television and print media39. Americas and Europe and accounted Dengue Outbreak (2006) for a total of 8,439 cases and 812 deaths, within 7 to 8 months35 36. The outbreak began in early September of 2006 and the first case Meningococcal Meningitis was reported from Delhi. By the end Epidemic (2005) of September, it began to spread to In early 2005, a sudden surge had been other states like Rajasthan, Kerala, noted in meningococcaemia and Gujarat, Chandigarh and Uttar 40 meningococcal meningitis cases in Pradesh . The ministry of health set India. Cases were reported from Delhi up a control room to monitor the and the surrounding states of Uttar outbreak and provide technical Pradesh and Maharashtra. Case assistance that led to the efficient management, early detection through management of the disease. surveillance was aimed at prevention Gujarat Jaundice epidemic (2009) 37 of spread . Modasa town in Gujarat witnessed the Chikungunya Outbreak (2006) outbreak of hepatitis B in 200941 This is of significance because almost all Around 3.4 million cases of outbreaks of viral hepatitis in India Chikungunya were reported in were considered to be due to hepatitis Ahmedabad 2006. In December, there E which is feco-orally transmitted [50]. occurred another epidemic in South It was a long-lasting epidemic and India where the states of Andhra control was achieved by mass public Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu awareness and health actions. were affected. The volatile nature of this epidemic was attributed to the H1N1 Flu Pandemic (2009) herd immunity to the then isolated The H1N1 Flu pandemic began in May genotype38.Major efforts were taken 2009 and spread globally by July 2009.

35 Singh N P, Jhamb R, Agarwal S K, Gaiha M, Dewan R, Daga M K, Chakravarti A, Kumar S. The 2003 outbreak of dengue fever in Delhi, India. Headache. 2005 1; 114:61 36 Dikid,T.Emerging & re-emerging infections in India : An overview .The Indian journal of medical research 138.1 (2013): 19 37 Manchanda V, Gupta S, Bhalla P. Meningococcal disease: History, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, antimicrobial susceptibility and prevention. Indian J Med Microbiol 2006;24:7-19 38 Mavalankar D, Shastri P, Bandyopadhyay T, Parmar J, Ramani KV. Increased mortality rate associated with chikungunya epidemic, Ahmedabad, India. Emerging infectious diseases. 2008;14(3):412 39 Kaur P, Ponniah M, Murhekar M V, et al. Chikungunya outbreak, South India, 2006. Emerg Infect Dis. 2008;14(10):1623–1625.doi:10.3201/ eid1410.07056 40 Mavalankar, Dileep, PriyaShastri and Parvathy Raman.”Chikungunya epidemic in India: a major public-health disaster.” The Lancet infectious diseases 7.5 (2007):306-307 41 Nationwide data on outbreak, The Hindu”. Chennai, India. 9 October 2006.Archived.

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 9 By August 2010, it was declared most plausible reasons are considered pandemic. Three strains of influenza to be low temperature, decreasing host viruses were circulating then. immunity and failure of vaccination campaign after 201045. According to Odisha Jaundice Epidemic (2014) the NCDC data in India, Rajasthan, The outbreak began in November Maharashtra, and Gujarat were the 2014 in Kantalbai, a remote village in worst affected states in India during Odisha. This led to a district level this pandemic. investigation and it was confirmed to Nipah Outbreak (2018) be jaundice caused by the Hepatitis E virus42. This 2014 Odisha Jaundice The virus was first noted in the late epidemic was one of the many 1990s in Singapore and Malaysia. The outbreaks in Odisha and the most natural host for this disease is the fruit common cause being HEV43. This is bat and transmission is from direct transmitted enterically and has person to person contact [60]. This affected several people, especially of Nipah virus outbreak began in May the low socioeconomic category. 2018 in Kozhikode District, Kerala. Surveillance for clean water and This is the first Nipah virus outbreak sanitation was proposed as the control reported in Kerala and the third measure44. known to have occurred in India, with the most recent previous outbreak Indian Swine Flu Outbreak (2015) being in 200746. Spread of awareness It refers to the outbreak of the 2009 about this infection, isolation of the H1N1 flu pandemic in India which infected and post-outbreak was still present as of March 2015. This surveillance led to the control of this outbreak in 2015 is considered as a outbreak. resurgence of the infection and the

42 Dangi T, Jain B, Singh AK, Mohan M, Dwivedi M, Singh JV, et al. Influenza virus genotypes circulating in and around Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, during post pandemic period, August 2010-September 2012. Indian J Med Res. 2014; 139:418–26 43 Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP). National Center for Disease Control, DGHS, MOH & FW, Government of India. Disease Outbreak Reported and Responded by States. 2012. http://www.idsp.nic.in 44 Kelly R. India Weekly Outbreak Reports 2013. Emerging Disease and Other Health Threats Winnter Park, Florida: Flutrakers.com, Inc. 2015 https://flutrackers.com/forum/ forum/india/ india-emerging-diseases-and-other-health- threats/158406-india-weekly-outbreakreports-2014 45 Paul, Sourabh, et al. “Investigation of jaundice outbreak in a rural area of Odisha, India: Lessons learned and the way forward.” Community Acquired Infection 2.4 (2015):131 46 NCDC, Ministry of Health (2019), H1N1 Swine Flu- number of cases and deaths from 2012- 2019 Data. Available from: https://ncdc.gov.in/showfile. php?lid=280

10 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 Odisha and the current case of II managing Covid 19. An Indian Council of Historical HISTORY OF EPIDEMICS Research Scholar – Susanta Barik IN TRIBAL ODISHA provided an appealing review of the There is hardly adequate accessible epidemic management during the comprehensive literature to Colonial and pre-Colonial times. The understand the history of epidemics, review has also cited cases of certain their impact, prevention and tribal communities in Odisha in eradication in the context of tribal connection with epidemic occurrence Odisha. There are, however, sporadic and its management in tribal areas of literature indicating how the tribal the state. Following are excerpts from people perceive sickness and his article - Disease and Medicine in epidemics as manifestation of the the Colonial Odisha during 19th wrath and anger of malevolent deities Century or spirits. The diseases and epidemics The British began to face health were then, and have been now, problem as the climate of Odisha was addressed through many religious different from other parts of British and magico-religious practices based India. At the initial stages the British on the speculations of the priests, tried their best to save from various shamans, magico-religious healers epidemic diseases. During late 19th and such others who are believed to century the British took measures to be capable of making direct prevent different kinds of diseases like connection between the members of Smallpox, Cholera, Malaria, the community and the gods, Diarrhoea, and Kalazar. Smallpox had goddesses, ancestral spirits, natural endangered the lives of the native influences, etc. There is also some people as well as the Europeans. Many sporadic literature on the treatment among the Europeans either died or practices, ethno-medicine and drug left the state because of the epidemic administration in case of certain diseases. However, the British settled common and uncommon diseases, but down in every nook and corner of the indications on comprehensive state and began to look after the sick healthcare system to prevent, fight and people. They were also given detailed abate an epidemic by the tribal information about flora and fauna and communities of Odisha are hardly cultural practices of the new territory. found in the accessible and available They gradually began to redefine the literature. Therefore, in this attempt, things which they saw in terms of their it has been tried to exhaustively use own territory and perception. Their the available resources to develop a work encompassed not only the historical connection between understanding and possible conquest epidemic management in tribal of new disease but also extension of

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 11 western cultural values to the rest of It is also a fact that introduction of the world (Pati, 200147, Barik, 201548). modern medicine and implementation of vaccination policy in Odisha by During Pre-Colonial period these Europeans was a challenge for them. epidemic diseases were there but their The people in Odisha were not ready treatment was very much localised. to accept it as they were preoccupied The people were lacking with their traditional superstitious communication as well as modern beliefs. It was in the late 19th century medical facilities. Generally, people Pasteur Koch and other made were using the traditional medicine. advances in bacteriology and installed Besides, there were native medical confidence among British medical practitioners Kaviraj or Vaidyas who men in India that epidemic disease preferred to practise medicine could be prevented by western according to the rules laid down in the scientific knowledge. It was during Hindu religious books (Shastras)49 . It this period Kalazar first appeared in also appears that in most part of the the Kutia tribes in 1869. Odisha had tribal Odisha the people used plants, already become a hunting ground for herbs, different body parts of birds deadly epidemic diseases like Cholera, and animals as medicine for curing Smallpox and Malaria fever. Smallpox diseases. was a devastating misfortune. It was Another interesting aspect was that a highly contagious viral disease. It there has been an age-old belief among killed severely large numbers and the tribes that some sickness, disease, seriously maimed survivors through wounds and accidents are caused by sever scarring of the skin with the evil spirit of the jungle and to get pockmarks, blindness and infertility. cure from it, the malevolent spirit has During 19th century Smallpox was to be propitiated. Following this belief, one of the main epidemic diseases in the people offers some meat, rice beer, Odisha. Mortality rate with this fowl or bird etc.to the spirit and this is disease was very high and it mainly said to cure the person. Such a belief affected the poor section of society. in malevolent spirit is common not Another dreaded epidemic disease only among the tribal people of the was defined as ³malaria´. It was world but also most of the rural areas essentially an economic disease of the world. But at the same time the sapping the vigour and physique of belief in the evil spirit and ghost the community. It lowers one’s vitality continues side by side (Pati, 2001, p.15) thereby preparing the ground for other

47 Pati Biswamoy, 2001. Situating Social History, Orissa (1800-1997), Orient Longman, New Delhi, p.14 48 Barik, S, 2015 Disease and Medicine in the Colonial Odisha during 19th Century, Odisha Review, September 2015, p. 25-27 49 Iris Bruijn, 2009. Ships Surgeons of the Dutch East India Company: Commerce and the Progress of Medicine in the Eighteenth Century (Amsterdam University Press), p-55

12 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 disease like Tuberculosis etc. It is of Kala-zar, since its etymology was pointed out that Malaria fever and to unknown prior to 1903, the western a greater extent Cholera became a medical science had failed to prevent highly political disease which the disease. The indigenous practices threatened the slender basis of the had hegemonic challenge to deal with critical point of intervention between the western medicine in Odisha. In colonial state and indigenous society. some cases, the Kalazar disease was Throughout the colonial rule, Cholera successfully treated by traditional leaked across all the preventive doctors. Through the process of hurdles and caused epidemic havoc colonization of Odisha modern all over Odisha. As the British were medicine compelled the indigenous unable to control the diseases, they practitioners to rethink about their frequently resorted to blame the own system. Institutionally the natural obstacles and opium eating process was revived by the western habit of the native for the spread of the scholars. However, the greatest disease (Tahir, 2013, p.3). Although obstacle for the survival and spread of the western medical discourse answer indigenous medicine was strong to Malaria was quinine. This method dislike on their knowledge to the was applied in Odisha and quinine Kaviraj and Vaidyas to pass on their was sold through the agency of post knowledge to the upcoming offices. However, this was totally generations (Tahir, 2013. P-4). inadequate to curb the menace of Another scholar in history, Samuel Malaria. It had little impact on the Limma50 provided an interesting indigenous system of Malaria reading on probing Small pox and treatment. In the indigenous treatment Cholera in Mayurbhanj district during for the fever, capsicum, borak, mace 1905 to 1960. The scholar has made an and papal ground mixed together with effort to explore the public health lime juice and of which one rate scenario of the people and probing weight (about two gram) was given how the colonial public health system three times a day with juice of green functioning in the specific disease and ginger. A similar preparation, but particular region, e.g. smallpox51 and mixed with goat urine was also cholera52 in the context of a tribal prescribed in cases of fever. In the case

50 Limma, S. 2015. People and Public Health: Probing Smallpox and Cholera in Mayurbhanj of Odisha, 1905-60, Odisha Review, October 2015. P. 60-65 51 The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variolavera, derived from varius (³spotted´) or varus (³pimple´). The last naturally occurring case of smallpox (Variola minor) was diagnosed on 26 October 1977 52 Cholera is an infection of the intestine by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. This may result in sunken eyes, cold skin, decreased skin elasticity, and wrinkling of the hands and feet. The dehydration may result in the skin turning bluish. Symptoms start two hours to five days after exposure

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 13 region like Mayurbhanj of Odisha. made her presence known through Mayurbhanj was a princely state eruptions and to thwart her was to before merging with the Indian state incur her displeasure. She was of Odisha in 1948, it was situated on therefore pacified by cooling offerings. the south of the then Chhotnagpur To counter smallpox, inoculation had region, on the south-west of Bengal long been in use in India (Ramanna, and north of Odisha Province. The p. 126). north-west region is covered by Smallpox epidemics were customarily Similipal mountain area. Majority of treated as major events in South Asia, the people of this region belong to receiving the attention of the ruling Santhal tribal community, the people elites, government agencies, medical of this community is living both in the practitioners, civilian commentators hill and plain areas. and ordinary people. The disease Sitala or Sital Puja during the months evoked widespread fear, and it is of April-May is a tribal ritual in important not to ignore this fact. northern Odisha that is conducted to British officials in colonial India were secure overall well-being of the aware that smallpox could transcend communities from dreaded diseases racial and geographical barriers, even and epidemics. The small pox was a if they were often unsure about why known epidemic of the past and its this was so55. treatment means appropriate actions Cholera known as mainly a water- to cool down (sitala) the anger and borne disease, originated in India. It wrath of the malevolent spirit who was one of the most frequent inflicted the disease. The Ayurvedic epidemics in eastern India. In India, texts also provide evidences to the the occurrence of cholera was processes and practices related to sitala attributed to the wrath of the cholera as a treatment to cure fever during deity for violation of Hindu religion small pox. The term sitala had been by slaughtering cattle for feeding used in Bhavaprakasha in connection British troops camped in a sacred with the cold treatment for the fever grove56. The modern history of cholera that accompanied smallpox53. The begins from 1817 when it first attracted goddess Sitala Devi54, it was believed,

53 Ramanna, M. Western Medicine and Public Health in Colonial Bombay: 1845-1895, Orient Longman Private Limited, New Delhi, p.125-126 54 Arnold, D. Colonizing the Body: State Medicine and Epidemic Disease in Nineteenth Century India, University of California Press, Berkley, p.125 55 Bhattacharya, S., Harrison, M., Worboys, M. 2005. Fractured States: Smallpox, Public Health and Vaccination Policy in British India 1800-1947, Orient Longman Private Limited, New Delhi, p.1 56 Ray, K., 1998. History of Public Health: Colonial Bengal 1921-1947, KB Bagchi & Company, Calcutta, 1998, pp. 61, 62.

14 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 attention by its fearful ravages in epidemic could be controlled by Jessore57 and soon ran its pandemic extensive vaccination and course within two years over the prophylactic measures. During the whole world. The report 1920 on the spread of epidemic when the Colonial nature of this disease, prepared by Dr government faced problems of James Jameson in compliance with the outreach to cure the patients, it orders of the Indian Government, indirectly encouraged application of proved that cases of the so-called local medicines – Ayurveda and folk cholera morbus had been known to medicine prescribed by the Kaviraj and end fatally (Ray, 1998, p. 62). tribal folk-healers. The recompilation of data presented in the paper has been Both the two diseases smallpox and cited here to understand the gravity cholera were significant because the of the situation in Mayurbhanj during people unusually and unknowingly the visit of the two epidemics. The data suffered in large numbers. The indicates that the Small Pox had colonialists partially succeeded to attained its peak in 1934-35 while the check the fatal diseases, then the free Cholera attained peak in 1908-09 with India government also applied the corresponding highest deaths in the same policy which is prevalent till said years. now. The paper presents accounts on the The author argues that ‘during the results of simultaneous occurrence of period under study both in the two epidemics - Small pox and colonial and post-colonial period, the Cholera in Mayurbhanj district. Based health scenario remained same like on archival official data the paper uneven advance both under the finds three major periods when the colonialists and post-colonial times Small pox outbreak happened in even in the two five-year plan periods. Mayurbhanj i.e. during 1904-05 to It is really no doubt that vast number 1919-20; during 1925-26 to 1934-35, of lives could be saved due to the and during 1955-56 to 1960-61. British medical or health care policy. Similarly, the outbreak of Cholera in But the health scenario had not two major periods i.e during 1904-05 changed phenomenally over the to 1910-11, and during 1995-96 to 1960- period and also even after 1947’. 61. The last naturally occurring case A similar study on Anthrax outbreak of smallpox (Variola minor) was in Koraput region has been published diagnosed on 26 October 1977. The by Nayak et.al.58 in their article on ‘A

57 Jessore is a district in the southwestern region of Bangladesh. It is bordered by India to the west, Khulna District and Satkhira District to the south, Magura and Narail to the east, and Jhenaidah District to the north. 58 Nayak, P., Sodha, S.V., Laserson, K.F. et al. A cutaneous Anthrax outbreak in Koraput District of Odisha-India 2015. BMC Public Health 19, 470 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019- 6787-0

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 15 Source: Samuel Limma, 2015 cutaneous Anthrax outbreak in disposal practice in affected sub- Koraput District of Odisha-India districts likely contributed to the 2015’. The study reported on a outbreak and to the ongoing risk in the cutaneous anthrax outbreak mostly community. among males in a tribal community of The study states that ‘Anthrax Koraput district, Odisha. This continues to be enzootic in under- community has a history of recurrent developed areas of the world lacking anthrax outbreaks that occur adequate preventive measures. Rapid seasonally, from April to June. diagnosis, isolation, treatment with Investigation by the authors antimicrobials and other adjuvant demonstrated clustering of human therapies among human anthrax cases cases in areas of animal deaths with and measures against transmission are human illness strongly associated essential to minimize disease with eating and handling the carcasses progression and to help control of ill cattle, low vaccination coverage outbreaks quickly and effectively. of livestock and inadequate carcass

16 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 With 1% prevalence of culture According to the study, in previous positivity among outbreak household outbreaks, delayed reporting of ill cattle, Koraput district has endemic persons and poor community livestock anthrax and inadequate awareness about the illness were vaccination coverage; these factors important risk factors for continued likely contribute to continuous transmission of infection. transmission of anthrax in this region’. Furthermore, unreported livestock deaths and seasonal variation of Further, socio-cultural practices such anthrax transmission in the district as slaughtering of sick animals, eating may also contribute to the persistence or handling meat from infected of outbreaks. Lack of anthrax culture animals, and dumping of dead capacity or other diagnostic methods carcasses in the open have contributed in the district laboratory limits to anthrax transmission in outbreaks detection of anthrax in animal, human reported from Africa and Southeast and environmental samples. There is Asian countries. Scavenging carcass need to strengthen the laboratory meat for consumption is culturally surveillance system at the district level acceptable to some of the local tribes both for animal and human health, in Koraput district and is associated and the building of a more reliable with anthrax transmission. Low socio- sample transportation and economic status and poor education communication system. The lag-phase of the tribal community combined between reporting of the outbreak and with poor public health infrastructure the specimen sample collection often creates a synergy of risk factors that leads to delayed diagnosis and are conducive for zoonotic confirmation of the outbreak. transmission of anthrax to the human population. Increasing the tribal The study also provides insights for community’s awareness about risk management of the outbreak of factors for illness may help avert epidemic. After outbreak detection, future outbreaks. As part of the enhanced skills in field epidemiology response to this outbreak, health are necessary for rapid response and education camps were organized to thorough investigation. India is sensitize the community on behavioral actively working toward improving change for anthrax prevention. All the epidemiologic capacity quantitatively villagers were educated through and qualitatively. In 2012, the India simple health messages from the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) community health workers such as programme was launched by India’s “not to handle the sick animal without National Centre for Disease Control, protection,” “safe disposal of dead Delhi in collaboration with the United animal with disinfection,” “not to States Centers for Disease Control and consume raw meat,” “cook it well Prevention. This 2-year intensive before eating,” etc. training in field epidemiology aims to increase the number of public health

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 17 professionals with specialized skills to of the view that seasonality of anthrax investigate outbreaks with analytical outbreak is a complex phenomenon. epidemiology. This outbreak Several studies have hypothesized investigation was led by an EIS officer that seasonality, climate conditions and demonstrates the benefit of and/or human activities are applying these skills in India to better associated with anthrax outbreaks, but understand active public health there is minimal evidence about their problems and guide evidence-based association. However, outbreak interventions. patterns vary from region to region based on the diverse predisposing The authors provide to understand that environmental conditions existing in the epidemiology of anthrax involves the area. The majority of the anthrax human, animal, and environmental outbreaks in India are reported health. The One Health approach between the months from September integrates and synergizes these multiple to January (post-monsoon). In disciplines toward disease control and contrast, the investigation of historical prevention strategies of zoonotic anthrax cases in Koraput showed a diseases such as anthrax. The authors predominance of cases occurring from used this outbreak investigation as an April to June (pre-monsoon). Anthrax opportunity to strengthen the inter- is a re-emerging disease of public sectoral coordination between the health importance in India. Livestock human and animal health departments vaccination, surveillance for early case in the district. After the outbreak was detection, and education among the identified among human cases, the community regarding animal to animal health department was engaged human transmission and carcass to trace the tracks and hides of infected disposal is crucial for prevention, animals, treat infected animals, and detection, and control of outbreaks. immediately destroy dead carcasses. The vaccination strategy of animals While surveillance for human cases was should expand to larger geographic ongoing, the dispatching and areas with more comprehensive goals transaction of livestock from the area to vaccinate more livestock and was stopped. Such coordination variety of livestock. between animal and human health departments, as is promoted under the I.G.K. Menon, the then Deputy Global Health Security Agenda, will Director of Pasteur Institute at facilitate early case detection, control, Coonoor in India reported the Asian and prevention of zoonotic disease influenza pandemic59 during 1957-58. outbreaks in the future, the authors According to him, Asian influenza opined. appears to have reached India via Madras in May 1957. The main Adding to the above, the authors are

59 Menon, I. G. K. 1959. The 1957 Pandemic of Influenza in India. Bull. World Health Organization. 20, 199-224

18 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 pandemic wave swept through the showing temperatures above 103°F subcontinent within the next 12 (39.4°C). The steamer was placed in weeks; cases occurring thereafter quarantine at sea and was boarded by represent the permanent infiltration of a medical team which examined all on the new virus into the population. board and gave the necessary Between 19 May 1957 and 8 February treatment. A laboratory team from 1958 there were reported 4,451,758 Coonoor collected throat washings cases, with 1098 deaths. The author from the patients. These specimens has discussed the attack-rates by age- were collected on 16 and 17 May and group, by occupational group, by State sent to Coonoor with adequate and in closed communities such as safeguards for preservation and safety schools. The disease, in India as in transit. The first isolation of the elsewhere, seems generally to have virus from the cases from the steamer run a mild course, although nausea was made on 22 May. The strain was and vomiting and symptoms related sent to the World Influenza Centre in to the nervous system were relatively London and identified there as A/ frequently seen. Asia/57 virus. The paper provides a short history of Four of the nurses who boarded the the migration of the pandemic from steamer on 16 May came down with Singapur to India. The first intimation fever on 18 May, i.e., 48 hours after that the influenza outbreak in South- exposure to infection. If this is taken East Asian countries such as Japan and as the first date of the epidemic in Malaya were about to spread to India India, it can be stated that the was received at the Government of pandemic was noticed in North China India Influenza Centre at Coonoor on in January, Shanghai in February, 11 May 1957. It was decided to keep a Canton in March, Hong Kong in April, special watch on the arrival of infected Singapore early in May and Madras cases at Calcutta and Madras and to in mid-May, or the 20th week of the isolate the virus from such cases. year. Within six weeks from 18 May it Information was received on 15 May had spread all over India. In each area, that the S.S. Rajula, which had left the pattern was one of sweeping Singapore on 9 May with 1622 spread through the most crowded passengers and about 200 crew capital and other cities, followed by a members, had been directed to relatively slow spread across villages proceed to Madras instead of to its first and other towns. port of call in India, Negapatam, in The maximum spread of the epidemic view of an outbreak of influenza on appeared to take place in the 23rd board affecting 254 persons in seven week (2-8 June). In the same period, days. On the ship’s arrival at Madras along with other cities in the Southern on the morning of 16 May it was found and Northern States, Sambalpur in that there were 44 active cases of Odisha was worst affected. The main influenza on board, four of them

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 19 wave of influenza would thus appear deaths that occurred in different parts to have swept across the country of India along with some statistics of within a period of 12 weeks ending on the 1918 Pandemic. From the figures 10 August 1957. presented, a recompilation of data in the context of Odisha could be done The author has provided some as presented hereunder. statistics of the Pandemic attacks and

Situation of Odisha during 1957 Influenza Pandemic

Situation of Odisha during 1918 Pandemic (Spanish Flu - H1N1 Virus)

Swetha and others60 are of the view ‘as III far as India is concerned, there have been only two major, significant pandemics throughout history. While TRIBAL CULTURE OF cholera had been predominant ODISHA throughout the 19th century with Odisha is home to many different increasing death tolls every year, the tribes at different stages of influenza pandemic came later on in development. Officially they have the early 20th century’. The authors been enlisted as Scheduled Tribes. have chronicled the various epidemics However, there are many other and pandemics in India in a historical communities who have been perspective.

60 Swetha, G., Anantha Eashwar V.M., Gopalakrishnan, S. 2019. Epidemics and Pandemics in India throughout History: A Review Article in Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development, August, Vol. 10, No. 8. P. 1503-1509

20 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 advocating in favour of their inclusion 3.1 Cultural variations among in the list of Scheduled Tribes. Each tribes of Odisha tribe possesses its distinct identity in All the tribes in Odisha exhibits their terms of social organization, culture uniqueness in identity through many and language. The tribes in Odisha are cultural chaacteristics that are sort of territorially bounded units. In different from each other. One of such their life style, beliefs, values and characteristics is the settlement worldview each tribe differs distinctly pattern. The Dravidian tribes such as from the other. Similarly, many tribes Kondh have linear housing pattern in speak their own language and some a settlement, arranged in rows of tribes have their own scripts, for houses. The different sections of example, Ho, Kondh, Santal and Kondhs such as Dongaria Kondh, Saora. The script of the Santals have Kutia Kondh, Malia Kondh, Penga th already been included in the 8 Kondh do have a linear pattern. The schedule of the constitution. alignment and orientation of any The tribal people in Odisha have their Kondh village in relation to the shrine dwellings on hills and plains or of Earth Goddess (Dharni) and Sun foothills, in linearly fashioned or God is almost same everywhere. The scattered habitations. The dualism in shrines dedicated to the two deities are habitation is important for an centrally located within the settlement understanding of social, cultural and placed linearly between two rows of linguistic variations. Similarly, houses. All the sections of Kondhs geographic location, physiographic follow one basic model although they condition of living, degree of isolation exhibit variations to a certain degree. and exposure to the outer world and Excepting the Kondhs, most other mainstream society are other factors tribes exhibit scattered settlement important for understanding variation pattern where the houses are found among the different ethnic groups or spread out and keep distance from scheduled tribes. each other. For example, the Munda speaking tribes have scattered There are individual tribes having settlement structures. Each Munda ethno-cultural variations. In other speaking tribe maintains its own words, there are ethnic groups who structural arrangements. The have many sub-groups with distinct variations noticed among them could variations among the sub-groups. For be due to cross cultural influences, example, the tribe Kondh has sub- convergence and divergence. The tribes such as Kutia Kondh, Dongaria architectural plans of house Kondh, Malia Kondh, Penga Kondh, construction are also different from etc. and the tribe Saora has sub-tribes tribe to tribe. Tribes like Bonda, such as Lanjia Saora, Arsi Saora, Dongaria Kondh, Juang, Gadaba, Shudha Saora. Taking the sub-groups Koya, Lanjia Saora, Santal etc. exhibit together, the Kondh and the Saora are their distinctiveness in clothing, found as numerous in the state.

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 21 adornments, hair style. From the very Mahali, Mankidi, Mankirdia, Mirdha, look of a man’s wear or woman’s wear Munda, Munda Lohara, Mundari, one could know which tribe he or she Parenga, Santhal, Saora/Savar/ belongs to. Nevertheless, each tribe Saura/Sahara and Shabar Lodha. The has its own peculiarities. list of Munda dialect spoken by the The tribes of Odisha pursue their tribes are Birhor (Mankidia), Gata subsistence economy in a variety of (Didayi), Gorum (Parenga), Gutob ways by means of small-scale (Gadaba), Ho (Ho, Kolha), Juang, technologies which vary from tribe to Kharia (Kharia, Mirdha), Koda, Mahili tribe. While some subsists on shifting (Mahali), Mundari (Munda), Remo cultivation or slope agriculture, some (Bonda), Santali and Sora (Lanjia others depend on settled rice Saora, Juari, Arsi), Korwa, Bhumija. cultivation and pastoralism and a few other maintain a nomadic or semi- Fourteen scheduled tribes such as nomadic life style, who mostly subsist Chenchu, Dal, Dharua, Gandia, Gond, on food gathering. Significant Jatapu, Kandha Gauda, Kondh, Kisan, variations are noticed in each mode of Konda Dora, Koya, Madia, Oraon and subsistence. For example, the practice Paroja are Dravidian speakers. The of shifting cultivation by Juang differs Dravidian dialect spoken by the tribes from that of the Lanjia Saora and are: Parji (Dharua), Koya, Kui (Kondh, Dongaria Kondh. The practice of Kutia Kondh), Kuvi (Dongaria Kondh, settled rice cultivation and pastoralism Konda Dora, Jatapu), Ollari (section of of Gadaba differs from that of Koya. Gadaba), Kurukh/Oraon (Oraon), In their tools and technologies there are significant variations too. Gondi (Gond), Madia, Pengu (Penga However, most of the tribes in Odisha Kondh) and Kisan. depend on a substantial degree upon As many as twenty-two scheduled forest collections and tree products. tribes are Odia speakers. They include The women in tribal societies hold the Bagata, Baiga, Banjara/Banjari, key to their economy. Bathudi, Bhottada/Dhotada, Bhuiya/ The sixty-two scheduled tribes Bhuiyan, Bhumia, Bhunjia, Binjhia, inhabiting Odisha can be broadly Ghara, Holva, Kawar, Kharwar, Koli/ classified into three ethno-linguistic Malhar, Kotia, Kulis, Matya, groups, such as, Munda (Austro- Omanatya, Pentia, Rajuar, Sounti and Asiatic), Dravidian and Odia (Indo- Tharua. Aryan). Twenty-six of the said scheduled tribes are Munda speakers. The tribal communities differ from The STs included are Bhumij, Birhor, each other in respect of certain socio- Bondo Paroja, Desua Bhumija, Didayi, cultural practices, religious beliefs, Gadaba, Ho, Juang, Kharia, Kol, Kol- values and mores. In many cases Lohara, Kolha, Kora, Korua, Lodha, cultural affinities do exist in processes

22 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 and practices but their interpretations calendar of rituals and festivals falls make the difference. Their worldview at phases of agricultural operations, and philosophy of life in a given socio- forest collections, and other work ecological complex also differs in activities. If one tries to build a many respects. The tribal communities categorization of the rituals and who are in transition between festivals in consideration to the tradition and modernity and reside in subsistence related work activities relatively mainstream localities differ and other economic pursuits then it significantly with the tribal would appear like - rituals and communities who live in remote festivals before starting agricultural pockets. These differences are marked activities, during the intermittent most in the context of maintaining the harvests, final harvest and post- traditional socio-cultural practices. It harvest. By and large, major rituals is, however, commonly seen that the and festivals falls during these stages traditional religious beliefs and of agriculture that showcase the practices continue to be there with all religious beliefs and practices, their the tribes. The tribal communities who theology and eschatology. The life- have accepted other religion are cycle rituals may come up any time. different in this consideration. Within Over the years, there have been many the same community, the older changes in the religious beliefs and generation have been following their practices of the tribal communities. traditional beliefs and practices while Certain rituals and festivals of the the younger generation have been great traditions (Hindu religious following dictates of the other religion practices) have been adopted by the they have accepted. The religion is an tribal communities and have been important aspect of tribal culture and incorporated in their ritual calendar. is deeply related to their worldview The ritual calendar of the tribal and philosophy of life. communities has been presented hereunder for an understanding of To understand the tribal religious the seasonality, typology and beliefs and practices the various important practices involved in their rituals and festivals provide the best socio-cultural processes. It provides opportunity. The tribal religious a reference to examine what rituals rituals and festivals are season and festivals have been affected specific and very much linked to their during the official restrictions due to subsistence setting. Since, almost all COVID-19. tribal communities subsist on land and forest-based livelihoods, their

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 23 3.2 Ritual calendar of tribes of Odisha

Tribe Ritual/ Festival Timing Description Bagata Dussera Sept-Oct Worshipping of fishing basket and trident Baiga Chaita Navami Mar-Apr Perform shaill dance wearing wooden mask Banjara Guru Navami Sept-Oct Worship performed by Brahmin priest Dussera Sept-Oct Dehuri/Guru perform worship, sacrifice goat, cocks Bathudi Raja June Festival without worships Pujari worships earth goddess and sacrifices goat, sheep Chaita Parab Mar-Apr and fowls for soil fertility and bumper harvest. Bhottada Amba Nuakhia Apr-May Pujari offers worship and sacrifices to earth goddess Nuakhia Aug-Sept New eating of rice Dussera Sept-Oct Worships and sacrifices conducted Disari sacrifices goat during fertility rites. Young girls Bhumia Balijatra Mar-Apr dance and trance as a medium for the sprit called Debata. Village deity Budhi Thakurani worshipped. Dhulla Puja Apr-May For well-being of village Naya/ Dehuri performs the ritual for prosperity of the Bhumij Karama Aug-Sept village Bandna Parab Oct-Nov New eating ritual Maghaparab March Dongar Debata is worshipped with fowl, goat sacrifice Mahulbhaja Parab/ First eating of Mahula flowers. Village deity, forest deity Mar-Apr Chaita Parab worshipped with sacrifices Ancestor worship for welfare of the children by keeping Haral Parab Jul-Aug unboiled rice and milk at their feet Binjhal Jhankar worships Karamasani deity for good fortune. Karama Aug-Sept Badakarama is observed in every three years in which un- boiled rice, milk, sweets and liquor are offered Puspuni/ Madhen Village deity is worshipped with rice, pulses and animal Dec-Jan Parab sacrifice Kalo worships the village deity, Gramsiri and sacrifices Binjhia Karama Aug-Sept cocks and goats before the deity Dehuri conducts rituals. Fowls are sacrificed. Supreme Maka Parab/ Magha Jan-Feb deity Sing Bonga (Sun God) and the village deity (Dasauli) Parab Mankirdia are worshipped at Zaheera. Hero Jan-Feb Dancing and merry making Baha/ Chaita Parab Mar-Apr Ritual for first fruit of Mahua and ceremonial hunting Fowls are sacrificed, wine is offered before the deity for Vimsen Puja Mar-Apr bumper Mahua flowering Mati Puja Sept-Oct Buck, fowls and pig are sacrificed for bumper crop Chuktia Pujari (priest), Kataria (sacrifice executant) and Chhataria Bhunjia (umbrella holder) worship Goddess Suna Dei. Bucks and Dussera Oct-Nov parrots are sacrificed for good agriculture and prosperity of villagers Dharani Puja Nov-Dec Buck sacrificed for preventing illness of all kinds Mati Jatra/ Earth Worship. Brahmin worships under a Tulsi plant in May-Jun Penchhada Puja the middle of village Dal Asadhakhai Jun-Jul Communal worship in village and then at forest Bhoi/ Jani/ Bisal sacrifice fowls before home deities of all Puspuni Nov-Dec households Palasi (village priest) sacrifices fowls, goats, pigs etc. Lendipanda Jan-Feb before Birbu (Earth) goddess at the beginning of Dharua agricultural cycle. First eating of Mahua Ghia Panda Apr-May Annual hunting ceremony Ritual with buffalo sacrifice for well-being of people, Meria Mar-Apr fertility of soil, health and happiness of villagers Bihan Puja Mar-Apr Ritual for sowing seeds Dongaria

24 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 Bihan Puja Mar-Apr Ritual for sowing seeds Dongaria Ghantaparab Apr-May For fulfilment of wants Kondh Mandiarani Jul-Aug For good harvest of Ragi Dhan Nuakhia Aug-Sep First rice offering to village deity Pidika Sep-Oct Bumper crop of castor seeds Punapadi Oct-Nov First eating of red gram, small millets and jawar Chait Parab Mar-Apr No work. Merry making. Ceremonial hunting ritual Disari sacrifices fowls before Thakurani – village deity Bandapana Parab Jul Gadaba represented by a stone slab at Hundi (shrine) Dussera Sep-Oct Disari performs worship to Thakurani Pus Parab Dec Devaril (village priest) and Katora (clan priest) sacrifice pig and fowls in the rituals like worship of Akipen (village god) and Auwal (mother goddess) during first eating of Gond Chaita Parab Mar-Apr new crops and for successful germination of seeds before sowing new millets. Blood of the sacrificed animal is sprinkled over the seeds and the charmed seeds offered to gods are sown in the fields for good harvesting. Ancestor worship. Take holy dip in the hill streams. Makar Sankranti Jan Gather around fire and eat cake. Hill Kharia Worship the village deity and Bhandar Thakurani with Bhandar Puja Jan-Feb sacrifice of goats and fowls for good honey collection. Make community feast, perform songs and change dance. Supreme deity Sing Bonga and village deity Dasauli worshipped at Jaheera by Dehuri. Along with this, other Ho Maghe Jan-Feb festivals of the year like Baha, Damurai, Heru, Jamnama, Kolon, Batauli are also performed in similar manner. All festivals are associated with agricultural operations. Chaitra Parab Mar-Apr Pujari worships during new mango eating ceremony Holva Amus Aug-Sep New rice eating ceremony Disari officiates in social functions and Jani worships the Pongal/ Pondugu Jan village deity. Jatapu Worship with sacrifice of fowls, pigs and goats is offered Bhagudi Mar-Apr to Jahar – supreme deity and Jakeri goddess. Dharam Devata (Sun God), Basumata (mother earth) and Amba Nua Mar-Apr Gramsiri (village deity) are worshipped Juang Dhan Nua Aug-Sep The gods and goddesses are worshipped Nagam or Dehuri sacrifices a pig and sprinkles its blood Pus Punei Dec-Jan over the grains for good germination Worship double edged sword (Jhagna Khanda) and Kawar Dussera Oct-Nov swords of strife Bihanbuna Apr-May First sowing of seeds Gamha Jul-Aug Installation of Kendu twigs in crop fields Kisan Nuakhai Aug-Sep Eating new rice Dussera Sep-Oct Worshipping village deities Pius Punei Dec-Jan Ancestor worship with dance and merry-making Magha Pudi, Jan-Feb Post harvesting ritual, eating new rice Jamnam, Makar Jan Ancestor worship Kol Baparaba Mar-Apr Eating new mango, jackfruit Phulbanguni May-Jun Use of sal flowers Asadhi Jun-Jul Ritual for agriculture Gamha Jul-Aug Ritual for cattle health Deities offered with sacrifice of animals and birds through Makara Jan rituals at village shrine Kol Lohar Nuakhai Aug-Sep Ancestor worship, eating new rice and community feast Well-being of people, dancing, drinking and enjoying Karama Sep-Oct special foods Makara Jan-Feb Ancestor worship Konda Dussera Sep-Oct Sacrifice of animals and birds at village shrine Dora Dhan Nuakhia Oct-Nov Eating new rice Dussera Sep-Oct Sacrifice of goats, sheep and fowls at village shrine

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 25 Dussera Sep-Oct Sacrifice of goats, sheep and fowls at village shrine Kora Pus Punei Dec-Jan Post-harvest ritual Bhimpandu Jan-Feb Worshipping of rain god and seeds consecration Mango eating festival. Worship earth goddess and offering Bijapandu Apr-May Koya sacrifice of fowls, pigs and eggs Kurumpandu Aug-Sep Ritual for first eating of minor millets Dussera Sep-Oct New eating of rice Karu Biha Dakina Feb-Mar Buffalo sacrifice to Dharani Penu (Meria) Kutia Chait Parab Mar-Apr Ceremonial hunting Kondh Taka Kalu Jul-Aug Ritual at swidden for bumper crop Post-harvest ritual at village shrine, merry making Puni Kalu Dec-Jan enjoying Katul drink Udan abdur Mar-Apr Ritual before village deity for mango new-eating Lanjia Tankuna Abdur Jun-Jul Storing mango kernel Saora Osana abdur Jul-Aug New eating of minor millet Rogan abdur Nov-Dec New eating of red gram Sital Puja/ Sacrifice of animals and birds to village deity. Annual Apr-May Nateunhanri ancestor worship Manas Puja May-Jun Seed sowing ritual Lodha Jathel Jul-Aug Ritual to protect cattle from diseases Ashtami Puja Sep-Oct Offering sacrifice to gods and goddesses at village shrine Bandana Puja Oct-Nov Rice new eating ritual Ritual for harvesting and using new fruits, leaves, wild Maa-mane Jan-Feb grass for thatching and collection of wood Mahali Baha Feb-Mar Naya worships the village Pirha for welfare of the village Sharai Oct-Nov Naya sacrifices fowl at village outskirts Malhar Makar Jan-Feb Ancestral worship Karama Sep-Oct Well-being of people, dancing, enjoying feast Munda Sarhul Oct-Nov Reaping of paddy by magico-religious head Amnua Mar-Apr New eating of mango Omanatya Akhi Muthi Apr-May Pujari offers ritual for sowing seeds Pus Purnima Dec-Jan Post-harvest ritual Fagu Feb-Mar Naega offers sacrifice before village deities Chaita Parab Mar-Apr Merry making Oraon Sarhul Apr-May Ritual for using sal flowers Bisu shikar Aug-Sep Ceremonial annual hunting Karama Aug-Sep Ritual before village shrine Worship Nangasery and offer goat and fowl sacrifice Chaita Parab Mar-Apr before proceeding for annual hunting Parenga Bandapana Jul-Aug New eating of pumpkin leaves Puspunei Dec-Jan Offering sacrifice to cattle god Chaita Parab Mar-Apr Annual ceremonial hunting Bihanthapa Apr-May Seed sowing ceremony Paroja Asadhi Parab Jun-Jul Ritual to protect cattle from diseases Langaldhua Jul-Aug Ritual for consecration of agricultural implements Bhadparab Aug-Sep Eating of new rice Ambanua Mar-Apr Mango new eating Pentia Eating of new rice. Disari sacrifices a goat before village Nuakhia Aug-Sep shrine Makar Jan Ancestor worship and community feast Rajuar Karam Aug-Sep Ritual before village shrine Nuakhia Aug-Sep Eating of new rice Magha-sim Jan-Feb Dancing and merry making Baha Mar-Apr Ritual for first eating of Mahua and ceremonial hunting Erok-sim May-Jun Seed sowing ritual Santal Hariham-sim Jul-Aug Ritual at the time of sprouting of seeds Iri-guldi-sim Aug-Sep Offering minor millets to deities Saharai Nov Cattle worship Jantal Dec-Jan New eating of rice

26 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 Makara Jan Ancestor worship and sacrifice of fowls Raja June Ritual before village deity, dance and merry making Saunti Gamha Jul-Aug Installation of Kendu twigs in crop fields Nuakhia Dec-Jan Rice new eating Tharua Makara Jan Ancestor worship and eating of special food Randia Gamha Jul-Aug Ritual for cattle and enjoy special food Source: P.K. Nayak: Social, Cultural and Linguistic Variations in Tribal Odisha, in Tribes of Odisha, SCSTRTI publication

The annual cycle of rituals of the tribes Bathudi, Bhumij, Mirdha, and Odia is in tune with the cycle of economic Juangs) observance of daily, weekly activities, and surrounded socio- and monthly rites is almost nil. Most economic interests and well-being of of the rituals of the tribes are seasonal the tribal communities. A ritual is and annual. prescribed order for performing a As most of the tribes of Odisha, concatenation of rites, and a rite is a practice agriculture in some form or traditional performance to which the other, and as rest others have a conventional symbolic meaning is vital stake in agriculture, sowing, attached by those who believe in it. planting, first fruit eating and harvest The rituals are commonly but not rites are common amongst them. Their always ceremonial in nature. A ritual common cyclic rites revolve round the brings human beings pragmatic problems of ensuring a interrelationships with gods, ancestral stable economic condition, spirits, and other supernatural entities. recuperation of the declining fertility Rituals, indeed, make overt religion of soil, protection of crops from and er-enact the interrelationships damage, human and livestock welfare, between cosmographical, safety against predatory animals and supernatural and social worlds. venomous reptiles and to insure a Fixed and recurrent group rites which good yield of annual and perennial have nearly equal significance for all crops. or most members of the social group The annual cycle of rituals commence in which they are performed range right from the initiation of agricultural from familial ceremonies to those operation, for instance, among the which apply to whole societies. The Juang, Bhuiyan, Kondh, Saora, time of observance of these rites is Gadaba, Jharia, Didayi, Koya and correlated with the rhythmic cyclical Bonda who practice slope agriculture changes in nature. Indeed many of the annual cycle begins with the first these rites follow the annual cycle of clearing of hill slopes during the seasons vis-à-vis the positions of the Hindu month of Chaitra (March- sun and the moon in the zodiac during April) and among others, it starts with a calendar year. Among the tribes of the first fruit eating ceremony of Odisha, excepting those that are mango in the month of Baisakh (April- Hinduized (Example: Raj Gonds, May). All the rituals centering Rajkuli Bhuiyans, Desia Kondh,

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 27 agricultural operation, first fruit The tribal festivals and rituals, eating, human, livestock and crop excepting the life cycle rituals are welfare are observed by the members specific to seasons and work activities. of a village on a common date which The festivals and rituals, with is fixed by the village headman in reference to their ritual calendar may consultation with the village priest. be categorized under three main seasons – Summer, Rainy and Winter. Thus, the ideological system of all the The summer starts with the month of tribes surrounds supernaturalism. Chaitra (March – April) when the The pantheon, in ost cases, consists tribals get ready to start their of the Sun God, the Mother Earth and agricultural production activities. The lower hierarchy of Gods. Besides, rituals conducted during this period there are village tutelaries, nature are commonly known as Chaita Parab spirits, presiding deities and ancestral or Benta Parab and different tribal spirits who are also propitiated and communities celebrate their rituals offered sacrifices. Gods and spirits and festivals having different names are classified into benevolent and during Chaitra (Mar-Apr) to Jyestha malevolent categories. A peculiarity (May-June). In the rainy season many of the tribal mode of worship is the festivals and rituals are conducted by offering of blood of an animal or a the tribes of Odisha. Most of such bird, because such proitiations and rituals are related to the stages of observance of rites are explicitly agricultural operations. While most of directed towards happiness and such rituals are conducted in the security in this world, abundance of months of June-July, e.g. Asadhi Puja crops, livestock, plants and of most tribes, Mandiarani of Kondhs, progenies. Sickness is not natural to certain elaborate rituals and festivals a tribal, it is considered as an outcome like Karam in northern Odisha, of the machination of some evil spirits Nuakhai in western Odisha are or indignation of ancestral spirits or conducted during August-September. gods. Sometimes, sickness is also The Dussera, Kali Puja comes with the considered as the consequence of maturing of crops and the harvest certain lapses on the part of an festivals starts from then to end with individual or group. Therefore, the Pus Punei in the winter season. riddance must be sought through Almost all the tribe in Odisha conduct propitiation and observance of harvest festivals in one way or the rituals. other.

28 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 Parab the agricultural activities take IV start in full pace. This year, by the advent of Covid in Odisha the tribal people had completed many post- IMPACT OF COVID-19 harvest rituals that come between ON TRIBAL RITUALS January to March and were preparing AND FESTIVALS for grand celebration of Chaita Parab. Suddenly, the restrictions on group The present description is based on activities as a covid preventive observations and peer notes on the measure came as a bolt in the blue to impact of the covid 19 on the rituals the tribal communities. Before, they and the festivals conducted by the could understand anything about tribal communities during the lock Covid properly, they only understood down phases and the early unlocking that the government restrictions may times, more particularly, during the not allow them to celebrate the Chaita month of April to July of 2020. The Parab in fun fare as they used to do in following narrations provide to earlier years. The Chaita Parab in understand the way Covid 19 affected southern Odisha is more elaborate the tribal life and culture during the compared to any other part of tribal stated period. Within the frame of time Odisha. For a month and more, the and considering the limitations on many tribal communities in southern physical access for gathering Odisha stop working for anything but information from various nook and remain engaged in celebrating the corner of the tribal Odisha, the Parab, singing, dancing, enjoying information is based on the notes from special food and by that feeling the personal communications, news charm of life. The daily wagers, skilled items, social media communications labours engaged on contract terms in and such other indirect methods. The the unorganized sector, the migrant understanding of the impact of Covid workers, and street vendors almost 19 on the tribal life and culture is thus stop working during the Chaita Parab. indicative and could not be illustrative The Parab gives them the real feel of or detailed due to typical limitations. group life, blissful life with kin and kith, refreshing memories of their The tribal rituals and festivals are cultural affairs and testing their skills scheduled with reference to Odia in fun filled ceremonial hunting months and follows a lunar calendar. expeditions. The Parab brings with it The cycle of rituals following Odia the humming of the young hearts in calendar starts from Baisakh (April- love that in many cases lead to the May) with the beginning of nuptial ties. Chaita Parab means a lot agricultural season and in that way the to the tribal communities in southern yearly ritual cycles end with the pre- Odisha irrespective of the differences agricultural season celebration Chaita in terms of rich and poor, well-off or Parab. With the end of the Chaita poverty-stricken.

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 29 The Baiga celebrate Chaita Navami in the months of March to May. While with grand fervour and by performing Balijatra is conducted to seek the Shaill dance wearing wooden masks. blessings of gods and goddesses for By coincidence, the Covid 19 arrived good germination, adequate rainfall in Odisha during that period and for and bumper harvest from cropping, that many administrative restrictions the Budhi Thakurani puja offered to were imposed to prevent mass the village deity is considered an congregations in religious, political insurance against the evil effects of and other activities. However, this did malevolent spirits and to ensure not affect the celebration of Chaita overall well-being of the villagers. Navami of the Baigas as on the While in the first occasion, sacrifice of occasion everybody wore wooden goat is made, in the second one masks. Having the tradition of usually no sacrifice or in certain cases wearing masks in Chaita Parab, it was sacrifice of a fowl is made. During this easy for the Baiga to adopt to mask year, due to the Covid restrictions the wearing habit as a preventive measure rituals could not be conducted with to contain Covid. Baiga, being a much fun fare but were conducted in smaller community in Odisha live in limited version. The Bhumia believe remote places away from regular that the Budhi Thakurani, the village official surveillance for which the goddess saves the villagers from Covid 19 restrictions made no big epidemics and ill-luck and hence her difference for them, especially in worship may never be neglected conducting their rituals and festivals. under any circumstances. The Bhottada community could In the northern Odisha, the Bhumij are manage to perform their Chaita Parab found in numbers in various paprts of in small gathering maintaining Mayurbhanj district. The community reasonable social distance. During observed Dhulla Puja for the overall celebration of the Parab the priest well-being of the community and to called Pujari takes the lead to perform get rid of the novel corona virus. In the worship and sacrifice of goats, many villages the Dehuri performed sheep and fowls requesting the gods the ritual seeking blessings of the and goddesses to bless them with supreme gods and goddesses to keep bountiful agricultural productions. the pandemic away from their The Dishari followed by some other villages. Certain rituals conducted as community leaders performed rituals part of Dhulla Puja in the sacred at the shrine. However, community groves Zaheera was intended to save feast or such feastive gathering was the villagers from the corona virus. totally avoided with apprehensions of The Mankidia community performed Police action prescribed under Covid their Baha ritual during the early April guidelines and preventive procedures. when they conducted the rituals but all the villages could not conduct the Balijatra and Budhi Thakurani Puja of ceremonial hunting. The Ho the Bhumia community is celebrated

30 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 community also conducted the Biha the minimum and performed most of festival as per their traditions. the rituals at the household level. The priests with one or two followers The Mankidia permanent settlements conducted the required rituals at the in rehabilitation colonies only shrines and conducted rituals at restricted themselves to the household level too. After the performances at the Zaheera and Bihanbuna ritual the tribal households could not dare to go on ceremonial maintained their agricultural activities hunting apprehending that the matter at their level. goes to the knowledge of police and proceedings to that effect may occur. Chaita Parab is a festival that is However, the community members celebrated by almost all ethnic groups who had been camping in their make of the state. It is a time when the shift huts in different places, especially villagers who had migrated out in in the remote areas of Mayurbhanj and search of wages and fortune come back Sukinda of Jajpur district could to their villages to integrate with their maintain the annual ceremonial families or villagers. For about a month hunting as part of the celebrations. the tribals in South Odisha live in a festive mood giving themselves a time The Juang festival of mango new out from regular schedule of work. This eating and the Akshaya Tritiya was year the pandemic hit the Chaita Parab impacted to some extent. The festivals badly. Their people who were working are conducted at Pirh level. This year elsewhere inside and outside the state due to restrictions on Covid – 19, mass got stranded at different places and gathering at the Pirh level was were kept in camps. Bus, train and all avoided by the community leaders. other means of transport were The major impact, however, was seen disrupted. Worries clouded both sides; on celebration of Raja festival which the migrant labour in the camp and the is celebrated with pomp and show in larger family in village. communities like Juang, Paudi Bhuiyan, Bathudi and such other On the other hand, rather tribes residing in Keonjhar and coincidentally, there are some inbuilt Mayurbhanj districts. systems in celebration of Chaita Parab, especially in South Odisha, that In the western Odisha also, there was helped implementation of the not much impact on the rituals and advisories. Usually, temporary festivals conducted by the tribal blockades are put at village entry communities in the early summer points where groups of tribal people, season. The Chaita festival of the more commonly the women, gather Oraons were over in most of the and demand ding dong from the by- villages by the time the Covid – 19 passers and strangers to pass that way. guidelines came into operation. The One may plead stating that he doesn’t Kisan community members reduced have a coin even to pay for the toll and the grand worships of Bihanbuna to

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 31 may kindly be allowed to cross the was not allowed. The police force had blockade, that is also granted least to enforce as the community generously. This system, in the early policing proved strong enough. hours of the corona spread, prevented The Bonda, Bhotada, Bhumia, Kondh, the entry of outsiders into the village, Gadaba, Gond, Jatapu, Koya, and even passing by the village in Omanatya, Paroja are the major tribal many cases. This time the Chaita Parab communities in the South Odisha who blockade assumed to be of importance celebrate Chaita Parab in pomp and in blocking the entry of Corona into show. The men, women, children tribal villages. come to the streets decorating Chaita Parab, that spans over about a themselves with leaves and twigs and month, keep people in good humour demand dongs from the passer-by. when they do not work and enjoy Children takes a refreshing time being together, cooking dishes at hunting crabs in the streams. Rituals home, migrant workers probably took are conducted at the village shrine leave from work contractors, people called Nisani Munda. As the evening visit their kith and kin in other comes the tribal tunes start villages, fowls purchased out of the reverberating when the community ding-dongs make a group feast. Every folks, especially in Kondh and Gadaba household, be it relatively richer or villages, engage themselves in the ultra-poor, therefore secure foodstuff ‘Sailodi’ dance that is very typical for the month. This year it was during the Chaita Parab. This year, the wonderful. Sufficient food at home as Sailodi dance could not be performed the government provided three as the community members submitted months ration quota under public to the norms of social distancing distribution system in advance as a imposed by the state administration. preparatory towards preventing In the similar manner, many rituals people going out in search of work and and festivals that comes by the time earning. The Anganwadi didi used to of late summer and early rains, e.g be very particular about supplying Haral Parab of Binjhal community; entitlements to women and children, Matijatra, Penchhadapuja and old and disable expressed happiness Asadhakhai of Dal community; over people around attending them Ghanta Parab and Mandiarani of throughout the day, children in Dongaria Kondh community; villages enjoyed with their peer Bandapana Parab of Gadaba, Parenga, groups. The young people in the Paroja and Kondh community; Asadhi village who usually were rushing to of Kol community; Manas Puja and towns for mobile upload of romantic Jathel of Lodha community; songs had to remain engaged in Langaldhua Parab of Paroja traditional recreational activities in the community and Hariham-sim ritual of village. The village life looked vibrant Santhal community. Personal except for the fact that roaming around

32 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 communications with contacts in Bandapana Parab. These are activities these communities reveals that there that by default maintains social has been no remarkable impact on distance. Hence, there was no issue of conducting of the rituals and festivals Covid guidelines impacting the abiding by the norms of social celebration of the Parab. Special dishes distancing. are prepared at household level and no community feast is conducted. The Bandapana Parab that is quite significant for communities in The Parab was celebrated on different Koraput region with reasonable social days in different villages. The gathering at village level did not face households collected branches of any difficulty for the Covid. It is a Kendu and Jamun trees from the ritual when prayer is offered to forests and river sides. After duly Mother Earth for a good crop. With the invoking the respective gods and approach of the rainy season, the goddesses they planted the branches Dishari declares and schedules day for in the middle of their crop lands. There the Bandapana Parab. Usually the day is a prevailing belief that by doing so is decided looking at the condition of the crops could be saved from pest rain and crops in the fields. This year, infestations. Children in villages make due to scanty rainfall, the crops have different types of effigy and put them not grown well to the appreciable on those branches as scarecrows. The level. Despite that, the tribal Disharis crop fields showing such effigies conducted the ritual during the indicate that the Bandapana Parab has middle of July. The crops that are been done. In many places in Koraput, grown by the streams have grown well the effigies could be seen in most of due to availability of critical irrigation. the crop fields by middle of July. Hence, the rituals have been Personal communications with many conducted in such fields without any tribal community members indicated hassles as the fields remained away that in most of the villages the Parab from the surveillance of police and was celebrated during the week ends administration for social distancing when shut down was imposed in and other Covid norms. many parts of the district.

Bandapana Parab has a special Madan Krisani, belonging to Paroja significance. It is conducted at the time community is a knowledgeable person when the crops have grown to a on the tribal culture in the Koraput certain height and require protection. region. According to him, in the tribal The protection is meant as protection dances people usually cling to each from cattle and other herbivores and other in a chain. However, the Covid protection from pests and insects. guidelines brought them some Hence, usually a fencing is made awareness as well as challenges to around the fields and scare crows are innovate their dances. The dances like erected in middle of fields during the Dhemsa, Sailodi and other local forms

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 33 could be innovated in a manner so that hygiene norms rooted in tribal culture, social distance between participants that have relatively kept them safe can be well maintained. Usually, from the coronavirus pandemic. The during the Chaita Parab all tribal cultural practices rather help in dances are showcased in villages. tackling the disease and has proved However, this time there was useful in contracting pandemic like remarkable difference observed this Corona (SIC), as the basic maintenance year when the participants in a dance of hygiene at home and workplace chain separated themselves from each along with the social distancing have other and performed as solo dancers. been prescribed as the key behaviours to contain the virus. It also credited the It seems, the Covid – 19 could not washing of hands with hearth ashes, strongly impact the conducting of leaving shoes outside the door, groups rituals and festivals except limiting it sitting with sizeable distance between to performances at shrines and individuals and other habits of rural household level without social and tribal culture for preventing gatherings. Further, the spread of Covid-19 infections. Administrators Covid in the initial days remained and experts are also of opinion that the confined mostly to the cities and hence tribal way of life is built around social it had little impact on the tribal distancing, and people have become cultural life in the remote pockets of more vigilant about allowing the state. outsiders in. In-built prevention measures in According to local tribal leaders, the customary and cultural practices spread of Corona virus has happened There has been ample publicity on the in limited scale in their areas because importance of traditional healthcare of two main reasons — the tribals’ systems and their applicability in traditional way of life is conducive to containing Covid. Small notes in social maintaining social distancing, and the media circles provide to understand government has been proactive in that social, cultural habits are spreading awareness about the preventing spread of Covid among precautions necessary to combat the India’s tribals. disease. Tribal people have not only physically resisted the entry of Many ground-level observations on outsiders in their villages, but have the way the tribal communities have also voluntarily informed been responding to Covid – 19 local anganwadi workers and health Pandemic attest this. News articles, department officials to quarantine write-ups in social media circulations, those who returned to the villages and interactions with tribal people tried to enter their houses secretly. indicates and highlights the use of traditional herbs and medicines, as Arrangement of houses maintain well as the social distancing and social distancing by default

34 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 There are tribal villages where the affected and also can extend a helping houses are linearly arranged, e.g hand. Further, when the women walk Kandha with or without physical gaps with headloads, if they do not between two houses. There are also maintain physical distance then there tribal villages where houses are is every possibility that if the person located on a scattered manner, with in front falls down then the whole line one house located distantly from the would fall down. In very practical other, e.g Lanjia Saora, Gond. In the sense, this behaviour of maintaining case of scattered houses, the a distance between two persons is also boundaries are large enough to keep conducive to their work traditions in the neighbours at a distance, unlike consideration to the terrains. Any urban residences or even modern visitor into the tribal areas would villages, where houses are bunched obviously witness this queue-walking together. In the case of houses maintaining a reasonable physical bunched together or clinging to each distance whether it be while going to other, the families hardly come market, going to agricultural fields or together inside the houses, except other villages, while going on a under special circumstances like hunting expedition or while walking rituals and festivals. In both the cases to the sago palm tree for an evening there is default social behaviour that drink. While working in forest, the people do not intermingle in the especially for forest collections, they houses. Whether one see it as a do not work in groups and hence the physical barrier or behavioural self- social distancing norm is maintained restraint, default social distancing is by customary practice. It is this well observed. customary behaviour that became incidental to the benefits of Social distancing in work traditions prescriptive social distancing in the as a customary behaviour Covid context. In their work traditions and also in Social distancing at market places casual daily life habits, the tribals maintain adequate physical distance. The tribal people visit weekly markets By habit they walk mostly in rows, once a week. They carry their instead of groups, and while walking agricultural or other products to they maintain reasonable distance market walking in a queue and once from one another. According to Suresh in market, they put up separate make Wadaka, a Dongaria Kandha of village shift stalls or sit on the ground Khambesi under Kurli Gram separately to transact their produces. Panchayat of Rayagada district, when While also collecting their entitlements the tribal people walk the way, from PDS centres or Anganwadi they especially slopes they maintain a also observe behaviour that conforms distance so that if someone skids then to social distancing and they also the following person would not be exhibit unfathomable patience waiting for their turn.

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 35 Consider a ritual or worship being who were stranded elsewhere were organized in the village or in a sacred not allowed inside the village. People grove. The usual scene is that the from the neighbourhoods, traders priest takes his seat at the designated who used to come to villages to collect place and performs. The community agricultural produces, outsiders who people sit scattered at their used to visit tribal villages for different convenience and observe the occasion purposes were denied access into the at ease. The mothers with their kids villages. In case migrant workers maintain a distance for their privacy coming back from other states in caring the child. There is no strict managed to enter the village, they restriction on the sitting posture, were immediately brought to the gesture or pattern of participation. The attention of local health workers, and customary behaviours have been sent into isolation by the villagers shaped up through years of themselves. They might know the maintaining norms and traditions. The scientific significance of the lockdown, tribes who have traditions of but tribals are very aware about maintaining sacred groves, for keeping distance from others, and are example, the Santhals, Bhumij, Ho/ able to maintain social distancing in Kolha, Bathudi, Hill Kharia, Oraons their routine life. and many other tribes in the Northern No doubt, the traditional way of life Odisha exhibit the traditional ways of of tribal is acknowledged by many as maintaining social distancing. The the “proper way” to keep a disease like tribes in the Southern Odisha, for Covid-19 at bay. example, Kandha, Paraja, Bhatra, Omanatya, Saora and many other tribes also have their shrines and sacred groves where they showcase V their default norms of social distancing in a customary way. REAFFIRMING TRUST ON ETHNOMEDICINE The police personnel, health providers, frontline workers brought The public health crisis triggered by the message of social distancing to the SARS-CoV-2, the cause of the COVID- tribal folks to contain the Corona virus. 19 disease has a profound impact in Just by tip of information regarding re-affirming trust on traditional the essentials of maintaining social medicine or ethnomedicine. In a distancing lest that the vulnerability situation when the health-care centres due to spread of Corona claim lives, in the tribal areas are not up to mark the tribals took care of everything else to provide medical care to contain the themselves. Barriers were erected at Covid, the tribal people have been the boundaries of several tribal showing greater interest in their villages to prevent outsiders from traditional medicine. As a result, the sneaking in. Even their own people old systems and magico-religious

36 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 practices are being revisited by the Traditional medicine is ridiculed when ethnic groups in remote areas. it is improperly publicized in market. For example, the iconic yoga guru and Regardless of geographical Ayurved businessman Baba Ramdev considerations the tribal communities drew criticism from health in Odisha seems to have come back to professionals for publicizing his their traditional knowledge, ‘finding’ that ashvagandha (Withania livelihoods and use or management of somnifera) may ward off the virus. The natural resources as a response to most emblematic ethnomedicinal stir, maintain their well-being and however, was that of the ridiculed healthcare. Over the years, many prescription of bovine urine and dung studies and research have been as medicine. Ayurved works with a conducted on the ‘little traditions’ of particular framework of bio-elements ethnomedicine but the Covid – 19 has and diagnostic tools and, as such, triggered the scope for application of anything, even excrement, can be such knowledge systems. rendered medicinal, depending on the The pandemic has provoked severe patient’s conditions. The tribal public health and socioeconomic traditional medicine has not been that impacts worldwide, hereby raising publicized or badly criticized. attention to animal–human The pandemic has rather led people interactions. It has increased the to consider immigration back to rural demand for local remedies. Medicinal areas; that is, a lifestyle closer to nature plants like ginger and turmeric are for their well-being and good health. marketed as ‘immune boosters’ that Indigenous communities have put cure or protect against the limits to access of outsiders into their coronavirus. Through (social) media, habitations during this ongoing YouTube, TV and word-of-mouth, pandemic. Concurrently, self-identified traditional healers communities are encouraging argue that while Western doctors members to return to the land for food struggle to combat this new virus, they and social distancing. A likely and already know the cure, which they very positive outcome is a revitalized make using herbs from their own connection with family and the land backyard or local markets. Although and improvements to Covid is a new disease and its cure intergenerational transmission of with traditional medicines has not knowledge, both of which will lead to been justified yet, the fear of this new stronger food security and disease and the absence of a cure or sovereignty. Although this pandemic vaccine drives the global demand for has traumatized tribals and shaken the traditional remedies to provide social, economic, cultural and general health improvement and religious bases of their life, yet it is also potential cures. redefining human attitudes towards

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 37 natural resources. Although with jaggery and such other materials indigenous people and other that provides superior immunity. The communities in rural areas are tribes in the remote areas and also in economically marginalized, they the mainstream drink Kadhaa as represent a real hub of traditional medicines and also as regularly as tea knowledge., although, however, when feel sick out of cold, fever, flu isolation caused by the COVID-19 and that kind of ailments. The Kaadha pandemic has significantly influenced works in the body as preventive and their robust socio-cultural and curative medicine. The Kaadha is religious bonds. considered an efficacious preparation and formulation in Ayurvedic Natural immunity literatures. However, the tribal Many tribal people themselves and Kaadha preparation is different from their healers do believe that they have the Ayurvedic texts as they mix up good natural immunity that keeps fresh naturally available multiple them safe from many diseases. Their ingredients in estimated quantities extreme exposure to the natural based on their past experiences. environment is attributed to be the Kaadha in tribal society is time tested reasons of their disease prevention efficacious medicine which is and tolerance. Tribals are naturally preventive, curative and ameliorative. immune to several diseases, as they Preventive healthcare still thrive upon forest products like fruits, root vegetables and various The tribal way of treating a disease is herbal products. different. However, what matters in the Covid context is to ensure One of the tribal ways of responding preventive healthcare. In the wake of to sneezing, cold and cold fever is by the Covid, the frontline workers of the way of administering decoctions of government departments were roots, barks, leaves and spices. These assigned with duties related to Covid medicinal decoctions are known in management and hence the tribal different names in different people started taking recourse to communities. However, the most preventive healthcare systems. Good commonly used term is Kaadha. The food, less exposure, maintaining social Kaadha is prepared out of several distance and affirming trust on herbs, leaves, roots like Tulsi (Ocimum preventive traditional healthcare sanctum), Arjun (Terminalia arjuna), practices have been considered as the Patalgaruda (Rouwolfia serpentina), key preventive measures they took to Guava (Psidium guajava), Guluchi prevent Covid. (Tinospora cordifolia), Kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata), Gangasiuli According to Laxmi Bhatra, a tribal (Nyctanthes arbor-tristis), Satavari lady known to have good knowledge (Asparagus recemosus), Cinnamon, in ethno-medicine in Kotpad area black pepper, ginger, turmeric, etc stated that those who have been taking

38 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 Chhapra, a paste made from red ants, of Baripada holds that the magico- a traditional delicacy in Bastar, have religious beliefs have made a good immunity to fight any health comeback to treat the mentally sick problem. The tribes in Mayurbhanj people. Thus, the importance of the and Sundergarh are quite acquainted magico-religious healers has increased with the preparations from the eggs of in tribal societies. With magico- red ants. However, no personal religious performances, with or testimonial is available to indicate if without sacrifices, the mentally ill and the tribal people in those districts their family members are feeling believe that the preparations out of red comfortable. Thus, the magico- ants develops their immunity. religious beliefs have ben acting as a measure for the mentally sick people. Effect of fumigants for home The cultural values, life style, world sanitation view and ethos did not allow them to The tribal people have a strong have fear psychosis from Covid-19. conviction that certain fumigants have However, counselling is required to wonderful effects in keeping the sustain mental health of the tribals. houses sanitized and anti-septic which Traditional birth attendants recalled helps in preventing the diseases like by community Small pox, Chicken pox and for that matter, Covid also. Budura Jani, in At many places in the remote tribal Belghar under Kutia Kandha pockets, people have relatively less Development Agency is of opinion access to the health infrastructures. that by burning neem leaves, dry skin The Covid restrictions added to the of onion and garlic, turmeric, sal resin, already existing difficulties. Further, etc together or separately, the house the ASHA, Anganwadi worker and can be purified and sanitized. To abate grassroots health workers were the Covid, Kutia Kondhs and like assigned with duties to handle them many other tribal communities essential requirements on priority. The insists on using fumigants at home. situation created a stir in the tribal communities, with the pregnant Managing the mentally -ills women and more particularly on the The most important challenge for the tribal women at advanced stages of tribal people during the Covid days pregnancy. Reports from here and has been to manage the patients with there indicate that the situation mental health problems. With brought importance to the traditional hospitals closed and restrictions birth attendants. The tribal people imposed on general movements, preferred home delivery over attending the mentally sick people is institutional delivery because of the considered a difficult task. Nabaghan apprehensions that going to the Wadaka, a Dongaria Kondh in hospitals might become a cause of Khambesi village and Mohan Murmu getting inflicted with Covid. Thus, the

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 39 traditional birth attendants have been for the tribal habitations located in back into action in remote tribal remote pockets. In times of Corona, pockets. Along with their come back, people have made white circles at the there has been a comeback of the home hand pumps and solar pumps to mark remedies that applies to common minimum social distance to be problems of pregnant and lactating maintained. women and infants. Awareness actors and campaigns Preventive behavioural aspects Anganwadi and ASHA didi are the Along with these preventive practices, two key persons who conducted certain regular day to day behaviours massive awareness campaigns in also had its influence over containing tribal villages. about hand wash, hand Corona in tribal villages. The tribal sanitization, house sanitization, women are very particular about maintaining social distance and washing their clothes properly while covering faces with clean towel, saree bathing and drying them properly or mask whatever was available. The before reusing. The traditional system local NGOs too contributed to their bit. of women veiling their faces with Customarily, women used to cover saree, as a gesture, also works like a their faces by saree veils as a gesture mask. In many remote villages of of shyness, thus the advisory made no Bonda and Gadaba, washing clothes difference to them. The young boys each day with ashes from the hearth used to tie kerchiefs on face in style is still in vogue. Hari Pangi, a known while going out. tribal herbalist in Semiliguda of Some systems were created in the Koraput district observed that villages especially about social washing clothes with ashes from distancing. Usually during regular hearth is a continuing tradition. work days the women used to rush to However, during the Covid, as he water sources to fetch water in groups. stated, he has been advising people to When they were advised to stay at mix the ashes of neem leaves and home, they did not have to rush to banana sheaths to make the water sources and hence could easily sanitisation more effective. According adopt to go out to water sources one to Padmanabha Jani of Dasmantpur, after one, whether for bathing or fetch where Cholera outbreak happened water for cooking, maintaining a time about a decade ago, maintaining home gap. The social distancing thus did not sanitation with sprinkling of turmeric pose a challenge. If there was shortage water, neem leave pastes, regular of water or issue of frequenting to washing of floors with cow dung, water sources to wash utensils, then drinking water from tube wells and the leaf plates and cups were best maintaining social distance by practice chosen alternatives. In many tribal are some of the reasons for which the villages, Anganwadi didi installed Covid has not been a cause of worry

40 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 hand washing point at entrance of of crisis like that observed during the village, children had enough fun with Covid management. The tribal people frequent hand washing with soap, have also shown responsive coping neem paste, turmeric paste and the mechanisms to prevent the spread of elders followed the children. It didn’t the disease and at the same time to seem as if corona threw life out of gear manage their economies within the in tribal villages. framework of guidelines and occasional circulars issued by the state The impact of social distancing on the and central government. They have tribal group life has been manifold. It been maintaining social distance in required setting of norms, ratification their own ways, covering their faces of norms and punishment system in with kerchiefs, towels, saree and the village and could be established masks if available. They have been soon. Many typical tribal villages reaching out to NGOs for aids and could go back to their traditional clan/ services. Many coping mechanisms village Panchayat system of self-rule have been adopted towards and devised systems complementary sanitization and maintaining to the restrictions and guidelines set sanitation. Hardly examples of such by the state administration to prevent coping mechanisms have been community spread of the pandemic. brought to common knowledge However, the impact of social because of restrictions on movement. distancing could be realized in closure of SHG activities other than making Specific studies on impact of masks and door to door campaigning, epidemics and pandemics on tribal marriages had to be postponed, rituals culture is rare. There are rather and religious affairs were cut short sporadic notes on how certain tribal from community occasions to cultures have responded to situations individual practices. of epidemics and pandemics. In the past, the tribal areas of Odisha have come across several epidemics. Some VI memory of such epidemics and their management at community level are still living with the older generations, CONCLUDING REMARKS and very little effort for Tribal communities in Odisha have documentation of these memories sustained many epidemics and have been made. However, it is a fact tolerated many diseases in epidemic that in case of outbreak of an epidemic form. They have justified to be said in a smaller geography around tribal self-reliant and resilient in many ways. habitations, the people generally Their social and cultural way of life, attribute it to the wrath and anger of customs and traditions, values and certain deities and spirits. Towards mores have many in-built solutions that many religious practices are which proves instrumental at the time conducted with or without executing

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 41 sacrifices. The philosophy of sacrifice state that the Covid has triggered a being – offering a life to god seeking situation for the tribal communities to well being of many. Oral lore provide behave as self-contained units. The evidences that with the outbreak of an Covid related lockdown and epidemics, the villagers, guided by restrictions has not been able to impact their religious head, have abandoned the traditional economy of the tribal villages and shifted to new locations communities although their believing that the god or goddess who relationship with market economy has brought the epidemics wanted them been impacted. Larger religious to leave the village for some reason, festivals have been impacted but no or in other words, the gods and hard impact on the belief systems goddesses reclaimed their space. A could be realized. The religious and cross-examination of the uninhabited life-cycle rituals do not seem to have villages in tribal areas, some of which been halted or withdrawn rather has featuring in census reports, may been cut short to some extent. Ample provide further evidences of evidences have been generated to abandoning villages attributing the believe that the tribal communities reasons to certain epidemics. It may have been re-affirming trust on their help re-constructing the cultural old systems. The publicity on gravity responses to epidemics and of Covid and the cases showing that comparing it with the cultural health providers are falling prey to paradigms today as well. In the Covid, the tribal people have been context of Pandemic, as many elder showing relative self-constraint to visit tribal people mentioned, the parochial health centers for general treatment. traditions have rather remained silent For many small ailments they have and the universal traditions have taken recourse to their folk medicine reigned over. Thus, it may be or ethno-medicine. The Covid phobia construed that epidemics caused larger dependence on the management brings about reflections traditional birth attendants, traditional of parochial traditions or little herbalists, magico-religious healers, traditions while pandemic reflects the local non-tribal vaidyas some of universal traditions or great traditions. whom had become nondescripts in The Covid prevention management in their community. tribal areas stand testimony to this. They have shown preventive social Then, the usual question that strikes behaviour by restricting their exposure is whether or not the lockdown and and putting blockades to entry of related restrictions influenced the outsiders into their villages. There are tribal culture? There are many many cases, where community contextual answers to it that may not members expressed solidarity with in- be possible to be generalized. migrating villagers and advised them However, looking at the ground to take official quarantine facilities situations, it would be convincing to than preferring home quarantine. The

42 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 religious leaders took the lead in system had relatively dwindled exercising religious governance, because of people running towards performing specific rituals at village cash economy in nearby cities, by level for well-being of the community taking up individual enterprises, members. Such rituals as are usually vending and other wage-earning conducted to ward off the evil spirits opportunities. During the lockdown, believed to have caused an epidemic extraordinary examples of cooperative were hardly conducted for Covid, labour management and excellent because they do not believe any of exhibits of group farming has been their gods or goddesses caused it. seen. The lockdown affected the They don’t hold their gods and mainstreams, made the markets goddesses responsible for pandemic volatile, individual enterprises like covid that has occurrence beyond suffered setbacks but the tribal boundaries. communities became better organized and their philosophy of life has started For sake of maintaining their going back to the old times and living household economy and household a life clinging to culture. Extension of food security they have rebuilt their lockdown would result in more re- ties with forest. Leaving apart the organizing, solidarity building, subsidized rations under public showcasing cultural diversities and distribution system, an increasing exhibiting tribal communities as self- dependency is observed on wild contained units and re-establishing edibles that they believe provides their traditional socio-political norms natural immunity. The non-timber in self-governance. As many elder forest produce has been optimally tribal people stated, more the harvested during the early days of lockdown continues, more and more Covid restriction this year. Thanks to they will realize compactness in their support of the state coming at the right socio-cultural-religious-political time for procurement of larger affairs. collections like Sal seed and economic NTFPs like Kendu leaves. Odisha has stood strong through several epidemics and pandemics. The lockdown caused increased level Good medical care and proper of social solidarity, although breach of traditional practices have made it mutual trust, fear and apprehensions possible to fight every infection and ruled in the case of the mainstream luckily, we have been able to even communities. During the course of eradicate a few. It can be established Covid prevention phase the tribal that throughout time, many infectious people have come together as an diseases have become widespread due endowed social capital and leveraged to the mere lack of sanitation and adequately on their cooperative labour crowded environment. The tropical systems and group solidarity. In many climate and the seasonal rains in tribal tribal villages the cooperative labour Odisha is yet another important factor

IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19 43 contributing to several vector-borne where they had gone wrong in infections outbreaks in the past and controlling an outbreak in the past or many more to come. Though it has how they succeeded to lead by been difficult to throw light on impact example. It may not be out of context of the epidemics and pandemics on to say the tribal areas in Odisha may tribals of Odisha due to lack of face more outbreaks in the days to sufficiently available data on a come but preparedness has to be given historical time line, sincere efforts immense importance and control of have been put into including most of spread should be the number one the important, notable ones. This is priority of the doctors and other health written with a hope that it may help care workers, with due respect to the medical professionals understand tribal culture, ethos and sentiments.

44 IMPACT OF PANDEMICS ON TRIBAL CULTURE OF ODISHA : With Special Reference to COVID-19