Kondha
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the Kondhas are one of the primitive tribes, inhabiting almost all the blocks of the Rayagada district in Orissa India. Their highest concentration is found in the blocks of Rayagada, Kashipur, Kalyansinghpur, Bissamcuttack and Muniguda.
The Kondhas once infamous for their human sacrifice during British colonialism in India are believed to be from the Proto-Australoid racial stock. They have a distinct language called "Kui" which has no written script. They are plain land dwellers exhibiting greater adaptability to the forest environment. However, due to development interventions in education, medical facilities, irrigation, plantation and so on and so forth, they have started adapting to the great tradition or modern civilization standards in many ways. Their traditional life style, customary traits of economy political organization, norms, values and world view have been drastically changed over a long period of time.
The most primitive sub group of kondhas is the Dongaria Kondhas. They inhabit the plateaus of Niyamgiri hill ranges which cover parts of Rayagada and Koraput and Kalahandi districts. Their major concentration is found in the blocks of Kalyansinghpur, Bissamcuttack and Muniguda. They are called Dongaria or dweller of "donger"(hill in Oriya) and love to settle in higher altitudes due to their economic demands. They are the most primitive tribe in the district and declared as one of the 13 primitive tribes of the state. On the basis of their pre agricultural economy and very low literacy level, two Dongaria Development Agencies (DKDAs) are in operation in these two blocks for the integral development of those communities. They have a subsistence economy based on foraging, hunting & gathering but they now primarily depend on a subsistence agriculture i.e. shifting cultivation or slash and burn cultivation or Podu.
Their Society
The Dongaria family is often nuclear, although extended families are not unexceptional. The Dongaria females are considered as an asset because of her contribution inside and outside the household and she contributes on equal footing with the male members in constructing a house to cultivation. She does all the work for household ranging from fetching water from the distant streams, cooking, serving food to each member of the household to cultivating, harvesting and marketing of produce in the market. Hence, the total domestic economy revolves around her. "She" is preferred over the "he". Due to this, the Bride price is paid to her parents when she gets married which is a striking feature of the Dongorias. However, the family is patrilineal and patrilocal
The Dongorias practice polygamy. The family is mostly polygamous, which shows how much the Dongoria society depends upon the resourcefulness of female members. In Dongoria society incest taboo is prevalent. The clan or "Puja" is exogamous, which means marriages are made outside the clan. But,the Dongoria tribe is endogamous. The form of acquiring mate is often by capture or force or elopement. However, marriage by negotiation is also practiced. The Dongorias have a dormitory for adolescent girls and boys which forms a part of their enculturation and education process. The girls sleep at night in the dormitory (Daa Sala) and learn social taboos, myths, legends, stories, riddles, proverbs amidst singing and dancing the whole night, thus learning everything that is expected from a potential wife and mother.
Their Religious Beliefs
The Dongoria have a religion very close to animism. The gods and goddess are always attributed to various natural phenomena, objects, trees, animals, etc. They have a god or deity for everything and anything. The Dongorias give highest importance to earth god (Dharani penu), who is believed to be the creator of Dongorias. For instance, in a house, there is a deity for back and front street, kitchen, living room, implements and so on and so forth. In the Dongoria society, breach of any religious conduct by any member of the society invites the wrath of spirits in the form of lack of rain fall, soaking of streams, destruction of forest produce, and other natural calamities. Hence, the customary law, norms taboos, values are greatly adhered and enforced with high to heavy punishments, depending up on the seriousness of the crimes committed.
For social control in the village and Muttha level (regional) there are hereditary religious leaders like Jani (religious head), Mondal (secular head) Bejuni (sorcerer), Barik (messenger) to co-ordinate, decide by holding a meeting where, the punishment is awarded along with appeasement procedure is followed with sacrifices of buffaloes and cocks. The punishment may be in cash or kind and may leads to ostracisation from community if not obeyed.
The most striking feature of the Dongoria kondhas is that they have now adapted to horticulture and grow pineapple, oranges, turmeric, ginger and papaya in plenty. Forest fruit trees like mongo and jackfruit are also found in huge numbers, which fulfill the major dietary chunk of the Dongorias. Besides, the Dongorias practice shifting cultivation or "Podu Chasa" as it is locally called, as part of an economic need retaining the most primitive features of underdevelopment and cultural evolution.
The Dongorias are great admirer of aesthetic romanticism. Their personal adornment is unique with each male and female member using hair clips, ear rings neck rings, hand rings made up of brass, iron and Hyndalium prepared by themselves as well as purchased from local markets. Body tattooing is a cultural habit. In spite of various state interventions by the launching of integrated development schemes/projects, Dongorias are still found to be a society of illiteracy, impoverishment and exploitation. However, very few people or individual have achieved status in getting Govt. employment and some sort of exposure to mainstream population. But still it’s a long way to go if anything distinctive is to be achieved
