The Sabar people (also Shabar and Saora) are one 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 ...

of Munda ethnic group tribe who live mainly 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 ...

and

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 ...

. During the colonial period, they were classed as one of the 'criminal tribes' under

Criminal Tribes Act Since the 1870s, various pieces of colonial legislation in India during British rule were collectively called the Criminal Tribes Act (CTA), which criminalized entire communities by designating them as habitual criminals. Under these acts, ethni ...

1871, and suffer from social stigma and ostracism in modern times. Also known as Saora, the Sabar tribe finds mention in the Hindu epic

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

, while in some parts of

East Singhbhum district East Singhbhum is one of the 24 districts of Jharkhand, India. It was created on 16 January 1990. More than 50% of the district is covered by dense forests and mountains, where wild animals once roamed freely. It is known for being a centre of ind ...

mainly in

Musabani Musabani, also spelt as Mosabani or Mushabani, is a census town in the Musabani CD block in the Ghatshila subdivision of the Purbi Singhbhum district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. History Origin of the town dates backs before the indepen ...

, they are known as in Kariya. Noted writer and activist Mahasweta Devi is known for working with these forest tribals. This reclusive tribe is found primarily in

and in Midnapore District of

. The traditionally forest-dwelling tribe lack experience in agriculture, and rely on the forests for their livelihood. In recent years, with the spread of the Naxalite rebellion in the area, the police often restrict their access to the forest. In 2004, five persons in the Sabar village of Amlasole, in

Midnapore Medinipur or Midnapore (Pron: med̪iːniːpur) is a city known for its history in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the West Medinipur district. It is situated on the banks of the Kangsabati River (variously known as '' ...

district, died after several months of starvation, leading to a national media furore. Subsequently, Durbar Mahila Samanway Committee (DMSC) started a school in the area, funded partially by sex workers from

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

. In June 2008, the Sabar suffered severe flooding in many of their West Bengal villages, and then received large amounts of aid from Catholic missionaries. Hundreds of Sabars migrated to present-day Bangladesh during the colonial period to work as tea garden labourers. Today, there are around 2000 of them residing the northeastern district of Moulvibazar, in areas such as Nandarani, Harinchhara and Rajghat.

References

Sources

Sabar tribe in Sabar Nagar, Jamshedpur district
{{authority control Social groups of Odisha Social groups of West Bengal Tribes of West Bengal Ethnic groups in Odisha Scheduled Tribes of India Ethnic groups in Jharkhand Hindu communities Social groups of Jharkhand Denotified tribes of India People from Srimangal Upazila People from Kamalganj Upazila Ethnic groups in Bangladesh Scheduled Tribes of Odisha

References

Further reading

Sources