The Binjhal (also known as Binjhwar) is an ethnic group and an offshoot of the Austroasiatic

Baiga tribe The Baiga are an ethnic group found in central India primarily in the state of Madhya Pradesh, and in smaller numbers in the surrounding states of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. The largest number of Baiga is found in Baiga-chuk in M ...

, are found mainly in many districts of

Odisha Odisha (English: , ), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the 8th largest state by area, and the 11th largest by population. The state has the third largest population of ...

Chhatishgarh Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked States and union territories of India, state in Central India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the List ...

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...

and

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

. The 2011 census showed their population to be around 137,040. They are classified as a

Scheduled Tribe The Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) are officially designated groups of people and among the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups in India. The terms are recognized in the Constitution of India and the groups are designa ...

by the Indian government.

Etymology

There are multiple legends regarding the origin of the tribe's name. According to one legend the name is derived from the words ''Bin'' and ''Jhal'', meaning without sweat. The name Binjhal or Binjhwar is derived from the

Vindhya Range The Vindhya Range (also known as Vindhyachal) () is a complex, discontinuous chain of mountain ridges, hill ranges, highlands and plateau escarpments in west-central India. Technically, the Vindhyas do not form a single mountain range in the ...

hills (also known as Vindhyanchal) and they worship their patron deity ''Bindhyabasini.

History

Historically the tribe has been known for fighting spirit. It is said that the tribe gave shelter to the mother of Chauhan Dynasty king Ramai Dev in 14th century. They also fought on the side of

Veer Surendra Sai Veer Surendra Sai (23 January 1809 – 28 February 1884) was a native Indian as well as a regional freedom fighter from the Bengal Presidency, now Odisha. He fought against British rule in India after they dethroned the king and queen of Sambal ...

Madho Singh (Ghess) Madhab Singh Bariha or Madho Singh (Odia: ମାଧୋ ସିଂହ) was the Binjhal Zamindar (landlord) of Ghess locality of Bargarh district in Odisha and was a close associate of Veer Surendra Sai in the Sambalpur uprising against the British ...

during the Paika rebellion.

Subdivisions

The Binjhals are divided into a number of exogamous groups called Vansas, namely Amri, Nag, Khusal, Duguke, Kamati, Mahaiinga, Bagha, Marthi Endja, Bentakar, Majhi. These are further divided into patriarchal lineages such as Surya Bansi, Nag Bansi, Hillchip, Chauhan and Rajput.

Culture

Binjhal families are mostly nuclear. They follow Paternal lineage and

Patrilocal In social anthropology, patrilocal residence or patrilocality, also known as virilocal residence or virilocality, are terms referring to the social system in which a married couple resides with or near the husband's parents. The concept of locat ...

traditions. Marriage with same exogamous ''vansa'' is prohibited. Monogamous marriages are common. Marriage by negotiation is the most common type of marriage. However

cross-cousin marriage A cousin marriage is a marriage where the spouses are cousins (i.e. people with common grandparents or people who share other fairly recent ancestors). The practice was common in earlier times, and continues to be common in some societies toda ...

, junior

levirate Levirate marriage is a type of marriage in which the brother of a deceased man is obliged to marry his brother's widow. Levirate marriage has been practiced by societies with a strong clan structure in which exogamous marriage (i.e. marriage out ...

, junior sororate, marriage by elopement, and by capture are also allowed. Divorce, remarriage of widows, widowers and divorcees are also permitted. The groom has to pay the bride price in cash. They practice burial in cases of deaths. However cremation is practised by the rich. They do not have any traditional village council. Elders of the village play a central dispute resolution. The tribe worship Hindu deities. Animist beliefs are also followed by the members.

References

External links