The Mankidia (also known as Mankadia, Mankidi, Mankirdia)
are a nomadic ethnic group of India that live in
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 ...
. Mankidias mostly live in the
Mayurbhanj,
Sambalpur,
Kalahandi
Kalahandi (locally pronounced ''Kalahani'') is a district of Odisha in India. Archaeological evidence of Stone Age and Iron Age human settlement has been recovered from the region. Asurgarh offered an advanced, well civilised, cultured and ur ...
and
Sundergarh district
Sundargarh District is a district in the northwestern part of Odisha state in eastern India.
Sundargarh district is bounded by Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh in the west, Jashpur district of Chhattisgarh in the North-West, Simdega district o ...
s.
According to the 2011 census, the population of Mankidia was 2,222. 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.
Origins
The Mankidia are an ethnic offshoot of the
Birhor tribe. They specialize in catching monkeys (called ''mankada'' in
Odia
Odia, also spelled Oriya or Odiya, may refer to:
* Odia people in Odisha, India
* Odia language, an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family
* Odia alphabet, a writing system used for the Odia languag ...
), hence their name was derived from the name that neighboring tribes called them. People believe that their origin is from
Chota Nagpur Plateau
The Chota Nagpur Plateau is a plateau in eastern India, which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar. The Indo-Gangetic plain lies to the north and east of the plateau, and the bas ...
. They might have migrated to different parts of Odisha and finally settled in the hilly areas.
Culture
The Mankidia are a semi-nomadic
hunter/gatherer community. Traditionally skilled in rope making, catching, and hunting of monkeys, they are often employed by local people to drive away invasive monkeys in rural areas. They move around forests in small bands and stay at different temporary makeshift settlements called tanda/tandia. The tandia comprises a temporary dome-shaped leaf hut known as Kumbhas. They speak a form of
Mundari language
Mundari (MunÉ–ari) is a Munda language of the Austroasiatic language family spoken by the Munda tribes in eastern Indian states of Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal. It is closely related to Santali. Mundari Bani, a script specifically to wr ...
, and some can also speak Odia.
Each ''Tandia'' is headed by a religious head man called ''Dehuri''. The ''Dehuri'' has an assistant called ''Naya''.
The Mankidia people's religious beliefs are polytheistic. They believe in many malevolent and benevolent spirits and gods. Their supreme deities are ''Logobir'' and ''Budhimai''. They also worship their ancestors for good health and success in hunting and harvesting forest produce.
Besides hunting they also engage in making baskets and ropes out of
Siali fiber,
Sabai grass and
Jute
Jute is a long, soft, shiny bast fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', which is in the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ''Corchorus olit ...
, as well as making disposable plates made out of leaves called ''
Khali''.
See also
*
Tribes of India
*
List of Scheduled Tribes in Odisha
References
{{reflist
Scheduled Tribes of India
Social groups of Odisha
Scheduled Tribes of Odisha