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Tribal
Societies In Chhotanagpur
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Sarhul
Puja : A Tribal Festival
Of Flowers
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Munda,
Oraon
and other tribal communities of Chhotanagpur region have lived
in harmony with nature. They propitiated land, water, wind, plants
and animals. A saying common among the Oraons is that "
the earth is as full of spirits as a tree is full of leaves".
This animistic belief is at that core of the Chhotanagpur's tribal
cults. The major tribes in the region are divided into a number
of exogamous clans that are totemistic and derive their names
from natural objects like fauna and flora. The general practice
is that the clan must protect the object that forms its totem
and abjure from eating or killing, destroying or injuring or otherwise
using it. Nor must clan members use anything made of it or abstracted
from it. It is also ordained that they should prevent others from
indulging in such activities.
As human
society transited from the hunting-gathering economy to industrial
society, it passed through the stages of settled habitation and
agrarian economy. In the process, the ecosystems did suffer damage.
The aboriginal found this plateau covered with virgin forests.
They cleared patches of it for their settlements and cultivation.
Thus, the initial deforestation started with tribal settlements
and jhum (or shifting) cultivation practised by tribal
communities as trees were felled and burnt to enrich the soil
with wood ash for raising crops. However, there was a clear realization
of the envir4onment's significance and its nexus with human survival.
The practice of forest protection was implicit in their cultural
elements and cult practices. A portion of the pristine forest
used to be consecrated and named Jaher or Sarna,
sacred to the community's principal deity. The tribal customs
prohibited felling of trees or lopping of branches in the sacred
grove.
This
region's festivals are rooted in strong reverence for plants.
The major festival, Sarhul is a festival of flowers. During
March-April, the Sakhua ( Sal or Shorea robusta) flowers
are brought from the forest by unmarried male and planted in the
village. The region is rich in biodiversity and is particularly
rich in medicinal plants jealously protected by ojhas or
men knowledgeable in their usage. The accumulated knowledge of
the community is passed on from generation to generation through
oral tradition. The tribal agricultural practices were simple.
Some tribes like the Oraons did not practice artificial
irrigation. In most parts of the region only one crop was grown
in a year which gave adequate time for the soil to regenerate.
In times of crisis, the community depended upon major and minor
forest produce for sustenance.
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