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Tribes of orissa- souras

Souras are mainly concentrated in and around the paralakhemundi and the gunupur area of south orissa. They are called by various names such as sabara, soura, sora etc and have their racial affinity with the proto -austroloid physical feature which are dominant among the aborgines of central and southern india. The soura from their appearance resembles the other predravidian tribes.They have long heads, flat noses, with expanded alae.The brow ridges are prominent , but not to a great extent like the kondhs. There is a depression at the root of the nose. The hair is generally waivy and curly and the skin colour is brown to dark brown. The souras are not strongly built like the kondhs, but they are better in body built in comparison to the tribes of north orissa.

The most noteworthy point is their efficiency in climbing and walking on hills. There is hardly anything distinctive about the dress of a soura man which consists of loin cloth about 6 ft long and 10 inches breadth. This may be plain or may be decorated with red tarsels at the ends. Occassionally they wear a single necklace of beads, a traditional dress of a soura womam is a waist cloth with grey border which hardly reaches the knee. The skirt is about three ft in length and about two ft in breadth and for the upper part they wear another piece of cloth.

The soura women do not use huge bundle of necklaces of beads and metals. A few necklaces of beads, round wooden plugs, spiral rings made of grass, bell metal or alluminium in the fingers and toes,little rings in the alae of nose, and metal anklets are worn by the women . The soura villages are situated in the most in-accessible areas and in many cases lie hidden in forest clad hills making it difficult to reach them except through zig -zag steep hill paths. They build their houses on the slope or foot of the hills. Souras are the best terraced cultivators.

The souras grow pupkins, cucumber, bean, pine apple, tobacco, maize, and ginger in their kitchen garden . All the varied aspects of their environment are associated with some gods or other. the soura gods differ from one another in composition, function, character and nature.Some are benevolent, some are natural and some other malevolent.All these gods and spirits have constant demand on the living beings. If their demands are not met ,souras believe they can cause harm .The malevolent spirits are a cared more than their benevolent counterpart.

The souras are very famous for their wall pantings known as "IKONs" .In side the house on the wall one can oftern find a group of sketches elaborately drawn, which are of religious significance and therefore called italons or icons.Icons are generally drawn to flatter and please the gods and ancesters so that they may spare the members of the house hold from their invidious attention.

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