Bodos - Tribe Of Assam Bodos are the true ethnic Tribal Community of Assam - the sub branch of the Bodo - Kachari Clan. The Bodos are the largest among the Bodo - Kachari Clan. They are also the most progressive. Bodos reside in the Brahamaputra valley and are considered to be largest ethnic and linguistic group of tribes. The Bodos speak Tibeto - Burmese language. Nowadays the Bodos have accepted the Devnagari Language. Bodos have a language of their own called Deodahi. Earlier the Bodos were cut off from other parts of the Country due to their geographical area and weather conditions. This lead to the their lack in education and economy. This was one of the reasons of the arousal of the Bodoland Movement. The movement took its wings in the late 80's under the leadership of Upendra Nath Brahma who is now regarded as the Father of Bodos. A Bodoland Territorial Council was formed to save the Culture, language and identity of Bodos. It was headed by All Bodo Students Union (ABSU) and an armed militant group called the Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT). Following the movement a settlement was reached between the Government and the Bodos. A land was given to the Bodos which came to be known as Bodoland. In 2006, the former BLT members, formed an alliance with Indian National Congress under the leadership of Hagrama Mohilary and came into power in Dispur District Of Assam. Still in Assam, illegal immigrants occupy tribal belts. Occupation : Tea Plantation Sericulture One of the major income sources, the Bodos turn to Silk rearing, the Bodos take special interest in this working in tea estates. The women working in assam tea work. Not only it is a source of livelihood, it is also estates are mostly bodos. one of the best means to know about the best quality silk. The Culture of Bodos Bodos in their ancient years used to pray their forefathers. Today they have changed significantly - they have accepted Hinduism as their main religion. They practice a Culture known as Bathouism. The plant Siju is taken for the worship as a symbol of Bathou Symbol. For the worship, a clean ground near the home or the courtyard of the home is taken. One pair of Betelnut called Goi betel leaf called pathwi is used as offering. The offering includes rice, milk and sugar. For the Kherai Puja which also happens to be the most important of all Pujas, an altar is placed in the rice field. The Bodos do not practice dowry and caste system as per their rules of Brahma Dharma. The main work of Bodos is tea plantation, silk worm rearing, weaving, pig and poultry farming. They are also good bamboo craftsman. The main festivals of Bodos include Kherai - the colorful function which includes, drumming, singing and dancing (Bagurumba) to the rythmn of the drums. Garja, Hapsa Hatarnai, Awnkham Gwrlwi Janai, Bwisagu and Domashi are the other important festivals. The main cuisines of the Bodos include Narzi, Onla and Oma Bedor. Gonds - The Gods People Gondvana - the Mighty Kingdom in the olden days still stands with the ruins of the Kingdom in its sand. From the 15th century to the 18th century, this region called Gondwana was the home to the Gonds. The Gondwana Land gave its name to the present day Africa, South America, Australia, India Sub Continent and Antarctica. The Gonds lost their lives in saving their lands from the then upcoming tribe called the Banjaras. Most of the Gonds describe themselves as hill people or as Koi or Koitur. The inheritors of the Dravidian Culture - the Gonds are the simple tribes with a high thinking of non - egaliriatism. Mainly found in Central India the Gonds preach the Gods path and do agriculture as their main work. Apart from Madhya Pradesh, Gonds can be found in Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. They are the largest Tribe in India, South Asia, and perhaps the world with nine million people (out of which four million resides in India). They speak language related to Telgu and Dravidian language. The spoken languages are generalized as Gondi and Hindi. They practice agriculture growing cereals. Herding cattles is also a part of their livelihood. Gonds Different Aspects : Gond Girl The Home The girl in this photograph looks like any of the It looks like any regular house in a small modern girls who like traditional dresses. Though not village. The Gonds have begun to live in the to a large extent but the Gonds have changed wooden houses from quite a time, another themselves with the changing times. big change which is visual in the living ways of the Gonds. The Culture of Gonds The main diety of the Gonds is the pantheon - a single Temple which bows to all the Gods and Culture of the World. The Gond Clan is known as Persa Pen who protects all Clan Members.. They believe in the equality of the human beings without the discrimination of higher and lower society. This transparency can be clearly seen as they themselves have inclusions of Bhils and Santals in their tribes. They also worship the most ancient spirits as Gonds speak the unwritten languages related to Dravidians. Each village of Gonds a Village Guardian and a Village Mother who are worshipped during all regular festivals. The Spirits both good and bad are supposed to be inhabit hills, villages, lakes and rivers. Sacrifices are made by the Village Priests - Devari - in most of the festivals. Most aspects of the Gond life are filled with animal sacrifices. But then most of the Gonds festivals are related to agriculture. Most of the Gonds live in a Village with a Headman known as Mahji or Patel. A Village Council is also there which divides the Gonds into Castes called Ahir (Cowherds), Agaria (Blacksmith), Dhuli (Drummers) and Pardhan (bard and singers). A Gond Village has typically several hamlets. Houses made of hatch and mud have a verandah (outer space), living room, kitchen, special room for women, shrine room for Gods and a Guest Room. Gonds welcome visitors with tobacco leaves, fruits or other small gifts. The Staple Food of Gonds is two millets known as Kodo and Kutki. Vegetables are usually grown in kitchen gardens or collected from forests. Gonds grow tobacco for smoking and make liquor for Mahua tree for celebrations. For the Celebrations, Gonds have Danderi dancers who retell events from Gond Mythology. Dance, songs, cock fighting are the main attractions of any celebration. During the festive time women wear colored glass bangles and necklaces made of small black beads. Tattooing is also a major charm for Gonds. Marraiges in Gonds are usually self chosen. However, the tribal council approves the matches. The father of the groom pays a bride price. The newly weds live with the elders of the family till they make a house of their own. The same Council also approves the divorces. Gonds are educated to a pretty decent level. Around 25percent of Gonds in Maharashtra and 15 percent Gonds of Madhya Pradesh. However the ratio of boys to girls still remain 1: 5 percent. Hmar - The Christian Tribe Of India Hmar also known as Mhar or Mar are the dwellers of the North Eastern Part of India. Hmars can be found in Meghalaya, Mizoram, Cachar, Meghalaya, Chittagong Hill Tracts and Tripura. Dimasas are supposed to be the aboriginals of the Brahmaputra Valley ascending from the Himalayas with their roots connecting to mainland China. The roots of Hmar find route to the place called Sinlung. Sinlung is the ancestral home of Zonhnathlak. However the location of Sinlung is still a controversy but not the roots of Hmar. Hmars eventually left Sinlung which was once a democratic state. The Hmars belong to the Chin-Kuki-Mizo group of tribes, and are recognised as Scheduled Tribe under the 6th Scheduled of the Constitution of India. They are medium statured usually 5-5.6 ft in height, sturdy, dark, haried, brown eyed and are known for their bravery. India – Manipur, Mizoram, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura have the major chunk of Hmar Tribe People. The Modern Hmars : The Dress The Models The traditional dress of Hmar Tribe is colorful filled with The models have ramped up but these are bright and radiant colors. Girls wear short skirts and the not the normal ones. These are the gentle men coats and chongas. ladies of the Hmar Tribe who have changed themselves drastically with the changing time. The Culture of Hmar Hmars speak Hindi, English and Hmas language in their day to day life. They are primarily Baptist and follow Christianity. They are the cultivators as they make their livelihood from farming. These medium statured people beleive in their hands and are known for their bravery. But then with the changing times, one can find pretty educated hmars working in various field and making handicrafts. The handicrafts made by Hmars usually depict scenes of battles, adventure, love, victory and their history. Hmars still believe in their traditional arts including the folk dance and folk songs which they play during their various festivals. Munda - Adivasis Of Jharkhand Mundas are the Adivasis or the Tribals of the Jharkand. They spread over other states like Bihar, West Bengal, Chhatisgarh, and Orissa. Outside India Mundas can be found in Bangladesh. Today there are around two million Munda People. The Mundas are highly respected tribals from the time of pre - independence of India. Birsa Munda , the Munda who turned into a Prophet and was a freedom fighter in the Indian Independence Struggle, is the most respected tribal. At a small age of 20 yrs, Birsa Munda was revered by his people as God.