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Primitive Tribes of orissa:The KONDHS

The kondhs form numerically the largest group among the 62 tribes of orissa.Customally they were once famous for their brutal acts of human sacrifice(Maria sacrifice) to achive the end products of bumper crops and killing of infants for better yield of turmeric.There are various sections among the kondhs or Kandhas.Each section is endogamous though originally they hail from the same Kandha community.

THe dongria kondh of koraput district and kutia kondh of Belghar area of Bauda kandhamal in phulbani district represent the primitive section.The primitive sections are shifting cultivators.The dongria kondhs are expert horticulturists.Tatoo faced and desia kondhs are settled agriculturists.

Racially the kondhs relate more closely to the proto-austroloid stock with considerable mongoloid admixture.They are divided into two logistic group,kui and kuvi.However the primitive section of the kondhs communities are found largely in the district of phulbani(kondhamal) and koraput district.

The dress worn by the kondhas is not keeping with their environment.They use some covering on the body, of course , to withstand the cold, yet their way of life has made them conditioned to the local climate which indirectly help them maintain their traditional grab.The kondhs women wear two cloths, one around the waist upto the knees and another for the upper portion of the body.

The kutia kondhs men wear only loin cloth.The dongria men puts on a cloth called " KODI", 16 ft in length and one ft in width.The kondhs women a re very fond of ornaments.Among the dongria kondhs, the women beautify themselves with hair pins, ear rings, nose rings, and head necklaces.Wrist-lets and ear rings are used by the males of the primitive section of the kondh communities. The males too , like to grow long hair and tie this into a knot at their nape in a traditional fashion.The kutia kondhs tatoo their faces and hands, where as the dongrias do not. They have well developed dormitoris for boys and gals among the primitive sections.

They are very fond of drinking salap palm juice and dead palm juice (TAdi). Local herbs and roots are added to the juice to increase its alcoholic contents.Sometimes mahua flowers are collected and liquor is prepared to meet the requirment on special occassion. Liquor is considered as food and att he same time a ritualistic food to satisfy deities and spirits.It is considered as a social necessity by the kondhs and therefore consumed by them irrespective of sex and age.

The kodhs a re agriculturist. They generally produce cash crops like turmeric, ginger, mustard, niger, black gram, arrowroot etc. The dongria section of the kondh communities are expert horticulturist and produce fruits like bananas, pine apple, orange, jack fruits etc.
The primitive section keep buffalows for sacrifice ,but the desia kondhs mainly use the buffalows for ploughing their field.Barter system is still the method of exchange among the kondhs.

The kondhs believe in "dharani" the earth goddess-the supreme being . She is all powerful and the heighest of all deities. She is represented by a block of stone errected in a hut . she is responsible for the growth of vegetation and other produce of land.She used to be satisfied with human blood which was called "maria " by the dongria section and "toki" puja by the kutia section of the kondh community.This custom has been suppressed since long by the bristishers and in liew of it buffalow is sacrificed at present.The kondhs worshipers of ancesters who are called "DUMBAS".These ancester spirits appear in dreams when they desire to receive periodic worship.

There are various deities and spirits who are different in different localities inhabited by the various section of the kondhs. Apart from these spirits they believe in the existence of ghosts. They are controlled by shamans. They also believe in white and black magics. They are fatalists and believe in chance and luck.

THey celebrate various festivals round the year for better4 yield of crops. Two festivals such as chaitra parab observed before sowing paddy and other millets and "meriah" or "kedu" festival in the month of february / march are the most important.

The dongria kondhs exhibits their talents in their art and crafts.

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