Mahli

Last updated

Mahli
Total population
155,023 (2011 census) [1]
Regions with significant populations
India
Jharkhand 152,663
West Bengal 2,360
Assam 13,452 (1951 est.) [2]
Languages
Mahali, Santali, Odia, Bengali, Hindi
Related ethnic groups
Bansphor, Basor

The Mahli are a community in the Indian states of Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal. [3] Basketry is their main occupation. [4] They speak the Mahali language, which belongs to the Munda group, and many of them also know Odia, Santali, Bengali, and Hindi. [5] They are included in list of Scheduled Tribe. [6]

Contents

Origin

They are caste who works as palanquin bearers and bamboo workers. They are divided into five endogamous subdivision: the bansphor Mahli, pahar mahli, Sulunkhi, Tanti and Mahli Munda. Their some septs are Barwar (banayan), Bhuktuar, dumriar (wild fig), gundli (a kind of grain), Induar (eel), Kantiar, Kasriar, Kathargachh (jackfruit tree), Kendriar, Kerketta (a bird), mahukal (a bird), Tirki, Tunduar, Turu, Lang Chenre, Sanga. Their four septs Hansda, Hemron, Murmu, Saren also found in Santal tribe. [7] [8]

Culture

Their traditional occupation was making households items of bamboo.

They were also making musical instruments such as Mandar, Dhol, Nagara etc. [9]

Their deity is Surjahi (Solar deity). Other deity are Bar Pahari (mountain deity) and Mansa Devi. Their festival are Bangri, Hariyari and Nawakhani etc. [10]

Official classification

They are listed as a Scheduled Tribe by the Jharkhand government. [11]

See also

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santali language</span> Language of South Asia

Santali, also known as Santal or Santhali, is the most widely-spoken language of the Munda subfamily of the Austroasiatic languages, related to Ho and Mundari, spoken mainly in the Indian states of Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Odisha, Tripura and West Bengal by Santals. It is a recognised regional language of India as per the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. It is spoken by around 7.6 million people in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, making it the third most-spoken Austroasiatic language after Vietnamese and Khmer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Singhbhum district</span> District of Jharkhand in India

East Singhbhum is one of the 24 districts of Jharkhand, India. It was created on 16 January 1990. More than 50% of the district is covered by dense forests and mountains, where wild animals once roamed freely. It is known for being a centre of industry since Jamshedpur, the most populous city in Jharkhand, is located here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Singhbhum district</span> District of Jharkhand in India

West Singhbhum or Pashchimi Singhbhum is one of the 24 districts of Jharkhand state, India. It came into existence on 16 January 1990, when the old Singhbhum district was bifurcated. Chaibasa is the district headquarters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seraikela Kharsawan district</span> District of Jharkhand in India

Seraikela Kharsawan district is one of the twenty-four districts of Jharkhand state in eastern India. Seraikela town is the district headquarters of Saraikela Kharsawan district. The district is well known for Seraikela Chhau, one of the three distinctive styles of the chhau dance. This district was carved out from West Singhbhum district in 2001. The district was formed from the princely states of Seraikela and Kharaswan, after the independence of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dom (caste)</span> Ethnic group of India

The Dom, also known as Domra, Domba, Domaka, Dombara and Dombari, are castes, or groups, scattered across India. Dom were a caste of drummer. According to Tantra scriptures, the Dom were engaged in the occupations of singing and playing music. Historically, they were considered an untouchable caste called the Dalits and their traditional occupation was the disposal and cremation of dead bodies. They are in the list of Scheduled caste for Reservation in India in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Munda people</span> Ethnic group of India, Bangladesh and Nepal

The Munda people are an Austroasiatic-speaking ethnic group of the Indian subcontinent. They speak Mundari as their native language, which belongs to the Munda subgroup of Austroasiatic languages. The Munda are found mainly concentrated in the south and East Chhotanagpur Plateau region of Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal. The Munda also reside in adjacent areas of Madhya Pradesh as well as in portions of Bangladesh, Nepal, and the state of Tripura. They are one of India's largest scheduled tribes. Munda people in Tripura are also known as Mura. In the Kolhan region of Jharkhand the Munda people are often called Tamadia by other communities.

The tribes of Jharkhand consist of 32 scheduled tribes inhabiting the Jharkhand state in India. In 1872, only 18 tribes were counted among the scheduled tribes from which Banjara, Bhatudi, Chik Baraik, and Mahli were marked as semi-Hindu aboriginal and Kora as proletariat Hindu. In the 1931 census, including the above four semi-Hindu aboriginal and Kora, a proletariat Hindu, the number was raised to 26 from 18. They were Birajia, Godait, Karmali and Paharia, but Kisan was excluded from the list. In the 1941 census, Baga, Bedia and Lohra were included again taking Kisan in the annexure and the number came to 30 which prevailed till June 2003. Kanwar and Kol were added on 8 June 2003 in the annexure and the number of Schedule Tribes came to 32.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korwa people</span> Ethnic group of India

The Korwa people are a Munda, a Scheduled Tribe ethnic group of India. They live mainly on the border between Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. A small number of Korwa are also found in the Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ho people</span> Ethnic group of India, Nepal and Bangladesh

The Ho people are an Austroasiatic Munda ethnic group of India. They are mostly concentrated in the Kolhan region of Jharkhand and northern Odisha where they constitute around 10.7% and 7.3% of the total Scheduled Tribe population respectively, as of 2011. With a population of approximately 700,000 in the state in 2001, the Ho are the fourth most numerous Scheduled tribe in Jharkhand after the Santals, Kurukhs, and Mundas. Ho also inhabit adjacent areas in the neighbouring states of Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar bringing the total to 806,921 as of 2001. They also live in Bangladesh and Nepal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khunti district</span> District of Jharkhand in India

Khunti district is one of the twenty-four districts in South Chotanagpur division of the Indian state of Jharkhand. The district of Khunti was carved out of Ranchi district on 12 September 2007. As of 2011, it is the second least populous district of Jharkhand, after Lohardaga. Khunti town is the headquarters of the district. It is historically known as the birthplace of Birsa Munda, and being the centre of activity of the Birsa movement. It is the part of State Capital Region (SCR).

Chik Baraik or Baraik are a tribal community originally from the Chota Nagpur plateau and neighbouring states of Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.

Bhumij is a Munda ethnic group of India. They primarily live in the Indian states of West Bengal, Odisha, Assam and Jharkhand, mostly in the old Singhbhum district and also in states like Bihar and Assam. There is also a sizeable population found in Bangladesh. Bhumijas speak the Bhumij language, an Austroasiatic language, and use Ol Onal script for writing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chero</span> Hindu caste in India

The Chero is a caste found in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh in India.

The Bedia are a community in India. They believe that they originally lived on Mohdipahar of Hazaribagh district and have descended from the union of Vedbansi prince with a Munda girl. A legend has heard that they had their own 'Vedas' and hence it is called Bediya. Their Veda was different from the Vedas of Aryans, which were destroyed by the Aryans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhuiya</span> Indigenous aboriginal community in India

The Bhuiyan or Bhuiya are an indigenous community found in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. They are not only geographically disparate but also have many cultural variations and subgroups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarnaism</span> Indian religion

Sarnaism is a religious faith of the Indian subcontinent, predominantly followed by indigenous communities in the Chota Nagpur Plateau region across states like Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh.

The Nagpuria people, also Nagpuri or Sadan, are an Indo-Aryan speaking ethnolinguistic group who are the native speakers of the Nagpuri language and natives of the western Chota Nagpur Plateau region of Indian states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Odisha.

The Kora, are an ethnic group found in the Indian states of West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, and the Bangladeshi division of Rajshahi. The 2011 census showed their population to be around 260,000. They are classified as a Scheduled Tribe by the Indian government.

Rajwars or Rajuar is a shifting cultivation community. The people of this community mainly live in Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal. In Odisha, they are recognized as a Scheduled Tribe, while in Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, they are classified as Scheduled Caste. In other states, the community is considered part of the Other Backward Classes (OBC) or general population.

References

  1. "Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India". www.censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  2. "Estimated Population by Castes, 5. Assam – Census 1951" (PDF). Office of the Registrar General, India. 1954. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 March 2024.
  3. "The Constitution (Scheduled tribes) Order, 1950" (PDF). Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India. pp. 173, 182. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  4. Pant, Niranjan; Verma, R. K. (2010). Tanks in Eastern India: A Study in Exploration. ISBN   9789290907312.
  5. Ota, A.B. (2014). Mahali (PDF).{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  6. "Mahali". ethnologue.
  7. The tribes and castes of the Central Provinces of India. London: Macmillan and Co. 1916.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  8. Pranab Chandra Roy Choudhury (1970). Bihar District Gazetteers, Volume 12; Volume 16. Superintendent, Secretariat Press, Bihar. p. 128.
  9. Jewitt, Sarah (31 July 2019). Environment, Knowledge and Gender: Local Development in India's Jharkhand. Routledge. ISBN   978-1351729895 . Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  10. Ranjan, Manish (19 August 2002). Jharkhand Samanya Gyanand. Prabhat Prakashan. ISBN   9789351867982.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  11. Shah, Alpa (2003). "An Anthropological Study of Rural Jharkhand, India" (PDF). p. 53. Retrieved 8 November 2022. Jharkhand categorises the Mahelis along with the Oraon, Munda and Badaiks, as a Scheduled Tribe