The Kurukh or Oraon, also spelt Uraon, or Dhangar (
Kurukh: ''Karḵẖ'' and ''Oṛāō
n'') are a
Dravidian speaking
ethnolinguistic group
An ethnolinguistic group (or ethno-linguistic group) is a group that is unified by both a common ethnicity and language. Most ethnic groups share a first language. However, "ethnolinguistic" is often used to emphasise that language is a major bas ...
inhabiting
Chhotanagpur 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 ...
and adjoining areas - mainly the Indian states of
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . It ...
,
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
,
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 ...
and
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prade ...
. They predominantly speak
Kurukh as their native language, which belongs to the
Dravidian language family
The Dravidian languages (or sometimes Dravidic) are a language family, family of languages spoken by 250 million people, mainly in South India, southern India, north-east Sri Lanka, and south-west Pakistan. Since the colonial era, there have b ...
.
In
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 ...
, Oraon people are also known as Dhangad or Dhangar.
Traditionally, Oraons depended on the forest and farms for their ritual practices and livelihoods, but in recent times, they have become mainly settled agriculturalists. Many Oraon migrated to tea gardens of
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
,
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
and Bangladesh as well as to countries like
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...
,
Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
,
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
and
Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...
during
British rule
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...
, where they were known as ''Hill Coolies''. They are listed 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 ...
for the purpose of
India's reservation system.
Etymology
According to
Edward Tuite Dalton Edward Tuite Dalton CSI (1815 - 1880) was a British soldier and anthropologist. He was posted in Assam, then became commissioner of Chota Nagpur Division. He was posted in Chotanagpur for two decades. Later he became major general of Bengal Lancer ...
, "Oraon" is an
exonym
An endonym (from Greek: , 'inner' + , 'name'; also known as autonym) is a common, ''native'' name for a geographical place, group of people, individual person, language or dialect, meaning that it is used inside that particular place, group, ...
assigned by neighboring
Munda people
The Munda people are an Austroasiatic speaking ethnic group of India. They predominantly speak the Mundari language as their native language, which belongs to the Munda subgroup of Austroasiatic languages. The Munda are found mainly concentr ...
, meaning "to roam". They call themselves Kurukh. According to
Sten Konow
Sten Konow.
Sten Konow (17 April 1867 – 29 June 1948) was a Norwegian Indologist. He was professor of Indic philology at the Christiania University, Oslo, from 1910, moving to Hamburg University in 1914, where he was professor for Indian h ...
, Uraon will mean ''man'' as in the Dravidian
Kaikadi language
The Kaikadi language is a Dravidian language related to Tamil, spoken by about 23,000 people of the formerly nomad Kaikadi tribe primarily in Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in ...
, the word Urapai, Urapo and Urang means ''Man''. The word Kurukh may be derived from the word ''Kur'' or ''Kurcana'' means Shout and stammer. So Kurukh will mean a speaker.
History
According to the
Indian Anthropological Society
Indian Anthropological Association (IAA) is the representative body of the professional anthropologists in India. Established in 1969, its headquarters are situated within the Department of Anthropology, University of Delhi and associated with W ...
,
Konkan
The Konkan ( kok, कोंकण) or Kokan () is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, running from Damaon in the north to Karwar in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau in the east. The hinterland ...
is said to be the original home of the Kurukh tribes from where they migrated to the
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 ...
.
The group is said to have settled in the
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 ...
by 100 CE.
There are three opinion of scholar about origin of Kurukh people. According to
Sarat Chandra Roy
Sarat Chandra Roy (4 November 1871– 30 April 1942) was an Indian scholar of anthropology. He is widely regarded as the 'father of Indian ethnography', the 'first Indian ethnographer', and as the 'first Indian anthropologist'.
Early life
Bor ...
, Kurukh people might have migrated from
Coorg
Kodagu (also known by its former name Coorg) is an administrative district in the Karnataka state of India. Before 1956, it was an administratively separate Coorg State, at which point it was merged into an enlarged Mysore State.
It occupies ...
in South India. In 1987, Elefenbein proposed Bloch's hypothesis, in which he proposed
Brahui tribe migrated from Baluchistan to Sindh where still brahui spoken, Rohtasgarh and Rajmahal hills. Those who migrated to Rohtasgarh were Kurukh and Rajmahal hills were
Malto. According to another opinion, Kurukh people were living in
Indus valley civilization
The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900&n ...
, then they migrated to south and Central India after decline of Indus valley civilization due to draught and flood in 2500 BCE. During British Period, Kurukh people were rebelled against British
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...
authority and local Zamindars against tax imposition. The
Budhu Bhagat
Budhu Bhagat was an Indian freedom fighter. He had led guerrilla warfare against East India Company, British. He was leader of Kol rebellion and Larka rebellion in 1831—32 in Chota Nagpur Tributary States, Chhotanagpur.
Biography
He was born on ...
led Lakra rebellion which is also known as
Kol uprising
The Kol uprising, Kol rebellion, also known in British records as the Kol mutiny was a revolt of the tribal Kol people of Chhota Nagpur that took place between 1831 and 1832.
It was due to economic exploitation brought on by the systems of land ...
in 1832. According to the writings of Colonel
Edward Tuite Dalton Edward Tuite Dalton CSI (1815 - 1880) was a British soldier and anthropologist. He was posted in Assam, then became commissioner of Chota Nagpur Division. He was posted in Chotanagpur for two decades. Later he became major general of Bengal Lancer ...
, Oraon claimed that they were settled in Gujurat, then they were expelled from there. Then they settled in
Kalinjar
Kalinjar ( hi, कालिंजर) is a fortress-city in Bundelkhand, in Banda District of Uttar Pradesh, in India. It was ruled by several dynasties including the Guptas, the Vardhana Dynasty, the Chandelas, Solankis of Rewa, Mughal and ...
, where they fought with ''Lowrik Sowrik'' of Palipiri and got defeated. Then they came to
Rohtasgarh
The Rohtasgarh or Rohtas Fort is located in the Son River valley, in the small town of Rohtas in Bihar, India.
Location
Rohtasgarh is situated on the upper course of the river Son, 24° 57′ N, 84° 2′E. It takes around two hours from Sas ...
and were driven out by Muslims during the reign of Akbar. Then they settled in Chotanagpur. According to Dalton, Oraon were settled in Chotanagpur before the reign of Akbar and possibly some Oraon were in Rohtas hills when Rohtasgarh fort was constructed by Muslims. According to him Oraon language is similar to
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
, but some words spoken by Oraon are of Sanskrit origin due to their living with Sanskrit and Prakrit speaking people in the past. The physical features of Oraon are the darkest but those who live in mixed settlements have varities of features.
Jatra Bhagat led civil disobedience movement
Tana Bhagat Movement from 1914 to 1920. After independence of India, They listed 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 ...
for the purpose of
India's reservation system.
Society
The Kurukh tribe is patrilocal and patrilineal. Kurukhs are divided into many exogamous clans. Clans names among the Kurukh are taken from plants, animals and objects. Some important clans are:
* Addo (ox)
* Aind (a fish)
* Alla (dog)
* Bakula (Heron)
* Bando (wild cat)
* Bara (Banyan)
* Barwa (wild dog)
* Beck (Salt)
* Chidra (Squirrel)
* Edgo (Mouse)
* Ekka or kachhap (Turtle)
* Gari (monkey)
* Gede (Duck)
* Gidhi (vulture)
* Halman (langur)
* Keond (a fruit)
* Khoya (wild dog)
* Kinduar (a fish)
* Kosuar (a fish)
* Kiro (a fruit)
* Kiss (pig)
* Kerketta (Hedge- sparrow)
* Kokro (cock)
* Kujur ( A medicinal plant)
* Lakra (Tiger)
* Minz (a fish)
* Khetta or Nag (Cobra)
* Panna (Iron)
* Tido (a fish)
* Tirkuar (tithio bird)
* Tirkey (an eagle)
* Toppo (Woodpecker)
* Tigga (Monkey)
* Xalxo (pigeon)
* Xaxa (Crow)
* Xess or Dhan (Paddy)
Culture
Language
Kurukh are traditional speakers of
Kurukh, which belongs to the northern branch of the
Dravidian family. Just under half still speak this language as their mother tongue. Many have adopted the local ''lingua franca''s,
Sadri
Sadri is a municipality in the Pali district of Rajasthan, India. It is considered the gateway to Marwar from Mewar. Sadri is one of the main places of worship for the Jain community. Ranakpur Temple and Shri Parshuram Mahadev Mandir are locate ...
and
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 ...
, as their first languages. This shift to regional languages, especially Sadri, has been most pronounced in West Bengal, Bangladesh, Assam and Tripura, where the Kurukh are mainly tea garden workers and Sadri is the main link language.
Festivals
The Kurukh celebrate all traditional festivals of the Chota Nagpur plateau:
Sarhul
Sarhul is a spring festival in the Indian state of Jharkhand. The festival is celebrated for three days, from the 3rd day of Chaitra month in Sukla Paksh to Chaitra Purnima. In the festival, the village priest ''Pahan'' offers sacrifice of flowers, ...
,
Karma
Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...
, Dhanbuni, Harihari,
Nawakhani
Nawakhani is harvest festival of of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. In this festival people eat new grain of rice after harvesting.
Etymology
Nawakhani means ''eating new''. Nawa means ''New'' and Khani means ''eat''. It signify eating new g ...
, Khariyani etc.
Music and dance
Since time immemorial The Oraon people have a rich range of folk songs, dances and tales,
as well as traditional musical instruments. Both men and women participate in dances, which are performed at social events and festivals. The Mandar,
Nagara and Kartal are the main musical instruments. In Kurukh, song is known as "Dandi". Some Kurukh folk dances are war dances (between two Parhas),
Karma dance (Karam dandi), Khaddi or Sarhul dance, Phagu, Jadur, jagra, Matha, Benja Nalna (wedding dance) and Chali (courtyard dance).
Marriage tradition
Marriage among Kurukhs is usually arranged by the parents. The parents negotiate a bride price, after which the wedding can take place. On the wedding day, the groom arrives with his friends to the bride's house, and they hold a dance. A ''pandal'' is constructed in front of the bride's father's house, and the bride and groom stand on a stone, under which is grain above a plough yoke. A cloth is then thrown over the couple, who are doubly screened by the groom's friends. Then the ''sindoordaan'' is done: the groom applies ''sindoor'' to the bride's forehead, which is sometimes returned. Afterwards, water is poured over the couple and they return to a separate area of the house to change. When they are emerged, they are considered married. During this entire time, the rest of the party continue to dance.
Dress
At the turn of the 20th century, Kurukh men wore a loincloth tied around the hips, while women less influenced by other communities would wear a cloth reaching to just above the knee, covering the chest.
Today, women traditionally a wear thick cotton sari with detailed stitched borders of purple or red thread. Traditional tattoos include elaborate symmetrical patterns around their forearms, ankles, and chest. Men wear a thick cloth with similar detailed borders as a
dhoti
The dhoti, also known as veshti, vetti, dhuti, mardani, chaadra, dhotar, jaiñboh, panchey, is a type of sarong, tied in a manner that outwardly resembles "loose trousers". It is a lower garment forming part of the ethnic costume for men in the I ...
or
lungi
The lungi is a type of sarong that originated in the Indian Subcontinent. The Lungi, which usually multicoloured, is a men's skirt usually tied around the lower waist below the navel. it can be worn as casual wear and night wear, in places an ...
.
Livelihood
Originally, the Oraons relied on the forest and its goods for an economic livelihood. Unlike many other communities of Jharkhand which practice ''jhum'', the Kurukh community uses plough agriculture. At the turn of the 20th century however, due to the policies of the
British colonial government, most of the tribe worked as agricultural labourers for the ''
Zamindar
A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...
s'' on their own lands.
However, recently many have become settled agriculturists, while others became migrant workers.
Administration
In a Kurukh village, the village level political organization is called ''Parha'' which consists of post such as ''Pahan'' (village priest), ''Panibharwa'' (water-bearer of Pahan), ''Pujar'' (assistant of Pahan), ''Bhandari'' and ''Chowkidar'' (watchman). Each has a particular role in religious ceremonies, festivals and solving disputes in the village. The traditional informal educational institution
youth dormitory is called ''Dhumkuria''. The public and common meeting place is Akhra where people meet for the purpose of discussion and solving disputes.
Twelve to thirty villages form a Parha council. Each village has a village council, member of village council act as the members of Parha council in the headship of Parha chief. One of the villages in Parha is called Raja (King) village, another (prime minister) village, another (clerk of the village), a fourth (orderly) village and remaining village are called (subject) village. Raja village has highest social status because headman of this village presides at the meeting of a Parha Panchayat.
The Kurukh are patrilocal and patrilineal. Clan name descends from father to son. The major lineage is known as ''Bhuinhari Khunt''. Bhuinhari means owner of the land. Khunt has two sub groups: the ''Pahan Khunt'' and ''Mahato Khunt''. Pahan and Mahato are two main office of Bhuinhari lineage.
Religion
The Oraon follow their traditional religion (
Sarnaism
Sarnaism is a religious belief found in India. The belief is based on worship at Sarna, the sacred groves in the Chota Nagpur Plateau region in the states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. According to local belief, a ''Gram deoti'' or vi ...
), which is based on nature worship. Some of the groups started following Sarnaism in a Hindu style, as the sects of the Bishnu Bhagats, Bacchinda Bhagats, Karmu Bhagats and Tana Bhagats. The Oraons have established several Sarna sects. Oraons worship Sun as biri (a name given for Dharmesh). Kurukhar also believe in Animism.
Most of population is
Sarna
Sarna may refer to:
;People
*Sarna (Polish surname)
*Sarna (Punjabi surname)
*Sarna (clan), a Punjabi clan of India
;Places
*Sarna, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, a village in northern Poland
*Sarna sthal, a place of worship in India
*Särna, a lo ...
, which is a religion that is indigenous to
Adivasi
The Adivasi refers to inhabitants of Indian subcontinent, generally tribal people. The term is a Sanskrit word coined in the 1930s by political activists to give the tribal people an indigenous identity by claiming an indigenous origin. The term ...
s in the
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 ...
. Sarna perform religious rituals under the shade of a sacred grove. They worship the sun as Biri and the moon as Chando, and call the earth Dharti Aayo (Earth as mother). Chando Biri are the words which are used in Sarna pujas. Dharmesh is their supreme almighty god.
Kamru Bhagats (Oraon or Munda devotees) originated when Oraons acquired special powers after making a pilgrimage to
Kamakhya
Kamakhya, a mother goddess, is a Shakta Tantric deity; considered to be the embodiment of ''Kama (desire)'', she is regarded as the goddess of sex. Her abodeKamakhya Temple is located in the Kamarupa region of Assam, India."Seated on top of ...
in
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
to pay respect to
Durga
Durga ( sa, दुर्गा, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars.
Durga's legend centres around co ...
.
The Tana Bhagat was formed by Oraon saints Jatra Bhagat and Turia Bhagat. Tana Bhagats opposed the taxes imposed on them by the British and staged a
Satyagraha
Satyagraha ( sa, सत्याग्रह; ''satya'': "truth", ''āgraha'': "insistence" or "holding firmly to"), or "holding firmly to truth",' or "truth force", is a particular form of nonviolent resistance or civil resistance. Someone w ...
movement even before
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
. All Tana Bhagats were followers of Gandhi during the Independence movement. Tana Bhagats still wear a khadi kurta, dhoti and Gandhi topi (cap) with tricoloured flag in their topi. All Tana Bhagats perform puja to the Mahadeo and the tricolour with a chakra symbol on it, which is fixed at their courtyard.
Among Christian Oraons, there are
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
s and
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
s, the latter of which having several denominations.
In popular culture
In 1957, film-maker
Ritwik Ghatak
Ritwik Kumar Ghatak (; 4 November 19256 February 1976) was a noted Indian film director, screenwriter, and playwright. Along with prominent contemporary Bengali filmmakers Satyajit Ray, Tapan Sinha and Mrinal Sen, his cinema is primarily remembe ...
shot a preparatory test film named ''Oraon'' on the life of the
Adivasi
The Adivasi refers to inhabitants of Indian subcontinent, generally tribal people. The term is a Sanskrit word coined in the 1930s by political activists to give the tribal people an indigenous identity by claiming an indigenous origin. The term ...
s of the
Ranchi
Ranchi (, ) is the capital of the Indian state of Jharkhand. Ranchi was the centre of the Jharkhand movement, which called for a separate state for the tribal regions of South Bihar, northern Odisha, western West Bengal and the eastern area ...
region in
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . It ...
and on the Oraons of Rani Khatanga Village in Jharkhand.
Cinema & I pg.116
Notable people
* Lazrus Barla, field hockey player
*Budhu Bhagat
Budhu Bhagat was an Indian freedom fighter. He had led guerrilla warfare against East India Company, British. He was leader of Kol rebellion and Larka rebellion in 1831—32 in Chota Nagpur Tributary States, Chhotanagpur.
Biography
He was born on ...
, freedom fighter
* Jatra Bhagat, freedom fighter and social reformist
* Sudarshan Bhagat, Member of Parliament
*Albert Ekka
Lance Naik Albert Ekka, PVC (27 December 1942 – 3 December 1971) was a soldier in the Indian Army. He was martyred in action in the Battle of Gangasagar, during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. He was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, ...
, recipient of India's highest wartime gallantry award Param Vir Chakra
The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest military decoration, awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime. Param Vir Chakra translates as the "Wheel of the Ultimate Brave", and the award is granted for "most conspicu ...
*Deep Grace Ekka
Deep Grace Ekka (born 3 June 1994) is an Indian female field hockey player. She plays for the Indian Women's Hockey Team. She has been selected for Arjun award in 2022.
Early life
Deep Grace Ekka was born on 3 June 1994 in a small village calle ...
, Indian hockey player
* Michael Kindo, hockey player
*Renee Kujur
Renee Kujur is an Indian fashion model. She is known as a doppelganger to international R&B singer Rihanna. She is also called ''Rihanna 2.0'' or ''India's very own Rihanna
Personal life
Renee Kujur was born in a Kurukh ''Adivasi'' (Schedul ...
, model
* Santiuse Kujur, MP of Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
*Birendra Lakra
Birendra Lakra (born 3 February 1990) is an Indian professional field hockey player. He represents India in men's field hockey and recently came out of retirement alongside Rupinderpal Singh and will be the Captain of Indian team in the Asia Cup ...
, Indian hockey player
* Provat Lakra, Football player of West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
*Sunita Lakra
Sunita Lakra (born 11 June 1991) is an Indian field hockey player. Lakra has represented her country by being capped in the India women's national field hockey team. Lakra announced her retirement from hockey through Hockey India on 2 January 20 ...
, Indian hockey player
* Madhu Mansuri, singer and activist
*Nirmal Minz
Nirmal is a town and the district headquarters of Nirmal district in the Indian state of Telangana. It is famed for its toys made out of wood.
The district headquarters is located in the town of Nirmal. It borders the Telangana districts of A ...
, scholar
*Lilima Minz
Lilima Minz (born 10 April 1994) is an Indian female field hockey player. Lilima hails from Bihabandh-Tanatoli village, Lanjiberna Block, Sundargarh District of Odisha. She is a product of Sports Hostel, Panposh, Rourkela, Odisha.
Career
Lili ...
, Indian hockey player
*Sonajharia Minz
Sonajharia Minz is an academician, trained in Mathematics and Computer Science, and engages with adivasi issues. She is the second tribeswoman hailing from Chotanagpur and appointed as a Vice-Chancellor in Sido Kanhu Murmu University, Dumka.
Early ...
, vice-chancellor to the Sido Kanhu Murmu University
Sido Kanhu Murmu University (SKMU), formerly Siddhu Kanhu University, is a public university situated in the Santhal Parganas region of Jharkhand state in eastern India. It has its headquarters at Dumka, the second capital of Jharkhand. The univ ...
*Jual Oram
Jual Oram (born 22 March 1961) is a member of the 17th Lok Sabha of India. He represents the Sundargarh constituency of Odisha. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
He was also a member of the 12th, 13th, 14th Lok Sabha and 1 ...
, Ministry of Tribal Affairs
The Ministry of Tribal Affairs, a branch of Government of India, looks after the affairs of the tribal communities in India by providing educational scholarships, grants to create more health infrastructure in tribal communities and direct cash ...
, India
* Dinesh Oraon, Indian politician currently serving as speaker of Jharkhand legislative assembly and a leader of Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Modi ...
from Jharkhand
*Kartik Oraon
Baba Kartik Oraon (born 29 October 19248 December 1981) was an Indian politician and an Adivasi leader from Indian National Congress. He also participated in Indian freedom movement of 1947. He also found the Organisation "Akhil Bharatiya Adiva ...
, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...
*Rameshwar Oraon
Dr Rameshwar Oraon (born 14 February 1947) is an Indian politician, who is the current Finance Minister of Jharkhand. He was a member of the 14th Lok Sabha. He represented the Lohardaga constituency of Jharkhand and is a member of the Indian ...
, former IPS officer and politician
* Simon Oraon, environmentalist & Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
awardee
*Manisha Panna
Manisha Panna (born 20 April 1991) is an Indian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for East Coast Railway and the India women's national football team. She was part of the team at the 2015–16 AFC Women's Olympic Qualifying Tour ...
, football player
* Simon Tigga, politician
*Dilip Tirkey
Dilip Tirkey (born 25 November 1977), is a former Indian field hockey player, Politician and Sports Administrator. His former playing position was of full back. He was best known for his penalty corner hit. Dilip was one of the most ...
, MP of Rajya Sabha
The Rajya Sabha, constitutionally the Council of States, is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of India. , it has a maximum membership of 245, of which 233 are elected by the legislatures of the states and union territories using si ...
for 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 ...
*Ignace Tirkey
Ignacious "Ignace" Tirkey is an Indian field Hockey player. He plays as a Fullback and has captained the Indian team.
He also serves the Madras Engineering Group (Madras Sappers corps of engineers) Indian army as a commissioned officer. He h ...
, hockey player
*Manohar Tirkey
Manohar Tirkey (born 20 November 1953) is an Indian politician and a member of the 15th Lok Sabha. He was elected on a Revolutionary Socialist Party (India), Revolutionary Socialist Party ticket from Alipurduars (Lok Sabha constituency).
The ...
, politician
* Rupa Rani Tirkey, lawn ball player
*Biju Toppo
Biju Toppo is an anthropological and national award-winning tribal documentary filmmaker from Ranchi, Jharkhand. He uses film as a medium for social activism on behalf of marginalized indigenous communities, and teaches video production at St. ...
, documentary filmmaker
* Binita Toppo, hockey player
* Namita Toppo, Indian hockey player
*Telesphore Toppo
Telesphore Placidus Toppo (born 15 October 1939) is an Indian cardinal and was the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ranchi from 1984 until his resignation was accepted on 24 June 2018.
A polyglot, Toppo speaks Sadri, Oraon ( ...
, Cardinal
* Pyari Xaxa, football player
See also
* Kharia people
The Kharia are an Austroasiatic tribal ethnic group from east-central India. They originally speak the Kharia language, which belong to Austroasiatic languages. They are sub-divided into three groups known as the Hill Kharia, Delki Kharia and ...
References
External links
kurukhworld.com
''This article includes material from the 1995 public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work
A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...
Library of Congress Country Study
The Country Studies are works published by the Federal Research Division of the United States Library of Congress, freely available for use by researchers. No copyright is claimed on them. Therefore, they have been dedicated to the public domain a ...
on India.''
{{Authority control
Ethnic groups in Bangladesh
Adivasi
Dravidian peoples
Social groups of Delhi
Scheduled Tribes of Odisha
Scheduled Tribes of Jharkhand
Scheduled Tribes of Bihar
Scheduled Tribes of West Bengal
Scheduled Tribes of Chhattisgarh