An e-Book on The Birhor Adivasi (tribe) @
www.jharkhandi.org/birhor_adivasi_jharkhand.pdf
The Birhor
The Birhor is one of the primitive Tribal Groups of the State of
Jharkhand. They are found in the districts of Hazaribagh, Ranchi, Lohardaga,
Palamu, Garhwa, Dhanbad, Singhbhum and Giridih and Gumla in present Jharkhand
State. They belong to proto australoid racial stock. Linguistically, they
belong to Austro-Asiatic (Mundari) group. The Birhor clain that they have
descended from the sum and believe that the kharwar are their brothers who also
trace their descent from the Sun.
The Birhor are of two types (1) Uthaln Birhor and (2) Jaghis
Birhor, both groups have their own district style of life. The Uthaln Birhor
have wandering style of life and their economy is an example of wandering
economy even-to-day. The Jaghi Birhor have settled style of life and their
economy is agricultural economy. They have settled on hill-top or on some
out-skirts of the forest. The Uthaln Birhor are always on the move from Jungle
to Jungle. When the food supply in a particular Jungle is exhausted, they move
to another Jungle. But during the rainy season, they have to stay at a
particular place in the Jungle. Some times, they travel long distance in the
Jungle. Previously, They used to wander from Orissa to Hazaribagh.
Both the uthan and Jaghis Birhor used to practice shifting
cultivation. But, now this practice has been banned by the Government. They are
also facing problems in hunting due to forest regulations and weld life
protection acts.
Material Culture
The Birhor settlement is known as Tanda which consists of half at least half
a dozen huts. The huts are of a conical shape. They are exected with the help
or leaves and branches. The settled Birhor have exected hoiuse with the help or
mud wall, bamboo and wood thatched with phus or hand made tiles which they have
learnt from their nighbour. The house has two rooms.
Their household possession consists of earthen pots and aluminium
pots now-a-days, some steel utensils have also reached in the Birhor families
with the contact and communication with other people in the local Haat. They
have axe, Ber, Bhala, Gulel, Bow and arrow as hunting implements. They have
Kudal, Khurapi, Gaiti and Khanti as digging implements. For trapping the birds,
monkeys, horse, rabbit, etc., they have trapping nets rope made articles like
rope carfet, rope sikia, rope baskets can also seen in their Tanda and huta.
For rope making, they have special type of tools. They also have leaf and grass
mats for the purpose of sleasping. They posses some wooden utensils. Too, like
okhali, mushali, kathauti etc.
Read the more with colorful picture
@ http://www.jharkhandi.org/birhor_adivasi_jharkhand.pdf
Jharkhand Online Forum
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