International Journal of Asian Studies (2020), 17,1–18 doi:10.1017/S1479591420000157 ARTICLE “ ” . Genealogies of the Paika Rebellion : Heterogeneities and Linkages Akio Tanabe* The University of Tokyo *Corresponding author. Email:
[email protected] Abstract The “Paika Rebellion” of 1817 in Orissa, India has been depicted by colonial officers as a local disturbance https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms caused by the dissatisfaction of one powerful individual deprived of traditional privileges who instigated the pāikas. The nationalist reconstruction has depicted the event as a popular freedom movement involv- ing various castes and classes of Orissan society. This has culminated in a current move to declare the “Paika Rebellion” the First Indian War of Independence. I would like to suggest a third perspective, which focuses on the heterogeneities and linkages of the Rebellion. It is important to note that the “Paika Rebellion” was a meeting point of plural genealogies: “tribal” revolts to protect autonomy, “peas- ant” resistance to secure livelihood, restorative attempts by the traditional landed class, and ruling class efforts to defend and expand authority. Appreciating the plural genealogies of the Rebellion leads to more perceptive understandings of the heterogeneous characteristics of popular movements and their aftermaths in modern India. Lastly, in order to go beyond colonial and dominant-caste centred perspec- tives, I propose that we name it the “Orissa Uprising of 1817”. Keywords: Paika Rebellion; India; Orissa; tribe; caste; nationalism; the First War of Independence , subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at Introduction The year 2017 marked the bicentennial of what is called the “Paika Rebellion” that took place in coastal Orissa1 in 1817.