The Kurukh or Oraon, also spelt Uraon, or Dhangar ( Kurukh: ''Karḵẖ'' and ''Oṛāōⁿ'') are a Dravidian speaking ethnolinguistic group 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,

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 fou ...

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 Sc ...

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 Prades ...

. They predominantly speak Kurukh as their native language, which belongs to the Dravidian language family. 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 t ...

and Bangladesh as well as to countries like Fiji, Guyana,

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 Gr ...

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 design ...

for the purpose of India's reservation system.

Etymology

According to Edward Tuite Dalton, "Oraon" is an exonym 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 concentra ...

, 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 ...

, Uraon will mean ''man'' as in the Dravidian Kaikadi language, 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, Konkan 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 b ...

. The group is said to have settled in the

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& ...

, 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 authority and local Zamindars against tax imposition. The Budhu Bhagat led Lakra rebellion which is also known as Kol uprising in 1832. According to the writings of Colonel Edward Tuite Dalton, 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 a ...

, where they fought with ''Lowrik Sowrik'' of Palipiri and got defeated. Then they came to Rohtasgarh 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. Oraons

Jatra Bhagat Jatra Bhagat (1888–1916) was an Indian tribal freedom fighter and social reformist. He was the founder of Tana Bhagat Movement among the Oraon tribe. Tana Bhagat alias Jatra Oraon was born in September 1888 at Chingari Navatoli village in G ...

led civil disobedience movement Tana Bhagat Movement from 1914 to 1920. After independence of India, They listed as a

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 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 and ...

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 ...

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, 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 ter ...

s in the

. 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 ...

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 comb ...

. 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 wh ...

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 Catholics and

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to ...

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

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 and on the Oraons of Rani Khatanga Village in Jharkhand.Cinema & I pg.116

Notable people

* Lazrus Barla, field hockey player * Budhu Bhagat, freedom fighter *

, 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 * Deep Grace Ekka, Indian hockey player * Michael Kindo, hockey player * Renee Kujur, model * Santiuse Kujur, MP of

* Birendra Lakra, Indian hockey player * Provat Lakra, Football player of

* Sunita Lakra, Indian hockey player * Madhu Mansuri, singer and activist * Nirmal Minz, scholar * Lilima Minz, Indian hockey player * Sonajharia Minz, 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 ...

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 Mod ...

from Jharkhand * Kartik Oraon, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha *

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 civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferre ...

awardee * Manisha Panna, 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 ...

for

* Ignace Tirkey, hockey player * Manohar Tirkey, 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

References

External links

kurukhworld.com
''This article includes material from the 1995

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because those rights have expired, ...

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