Sounti

Last updated
Sounti
Total population
112,803 [1] (2011, census)
Regions with significant populations
Odisha
Keonjhar 72,752
Mayurbhanj 28,677
Nabarangapur 3,898
Khordha 3,269
Baleswar 2,042
Ganjam 1,069
Languages
Odia language
Religion
Hinduism
Related ethnic groups
Bhuiya, Bathudi

The Sounti (also spelled as Saunti) are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group found mainly in the Kendujhar and Mayurbhanj districts of Odisha . [2] The 2011 census showed their population to be around 112,803. They are classified as a Scheduled Tribe by the Indian government. [1]

Contents

Demography

According to 2011 census , the sounti population is 112803 with a sex ratio of 1023. Their literacy rate is 59.58%. [1] [2] Most of the sounti speak a dialect of Odia

Historical population of Sounti tribe
YearPop.±%
1961 44,490    
1971 55,178+24.0%
1981 67,872+23.0%
1991 96,251+41.8%
2001 92,734−3.7%
2011 112,803+21.6%
Source: Census of India

History

According to the Mayurbhanj State Census Report of 1931, the Sounti caste emerged in the 17th century under the leadership of Joygobinda Das from Puri. The census further states that Das arrived in Kendujhar from Puri in 1603 C.E. and was granted permission to settle in the village of Mananta in Kendujhar. After relinquishing his original caste, he is believed to have established this new caste. The newly formed caste consisted of individuals who had been marginalized from other castes and were allowed by the ruler of Kendujhar state to settle in Mananta. Over time, their numbers increased as they readily accepted other outcasts. The name of the caste, in the Odia language, literally means "gathered in," highlighting their origins as a group that gathered together with other outcasts. The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes Lists (Modification) Order of 1956 refers to them as Sounti, while the 1931 Mayurbhanj Census mentions them as Saunti. Some members, due to difficulties in pronunciation, may refer to themselves as Samuli or Samti. [3] [4]

Social structure

The Sounti people come under one totemic gotra (killi), Nageswar (cobra), and are divided into a number of exogamous patri-lineages (bansa) like: Aguan Sinha, Anukulia, Apat, Atala, Badam, Baghasinha, Bahabalindra, Baliposia, Banapadia, Bansmulia, Baradia, Bebarta, Behera, Betjharia, Chipindia, Chowdhury, Dakua, Dala Behera, Dalai, Dalai Mahapatra, Bhala Bhai, Bhuinya Mahapatra, Bhujabala, Bhuri Bisai, Biswal, Budhipat, Chatarpania, Daldashia, Danakulia, Dandapat, Dandasena, Das, Dehuri, Desa Dakua, Ghulakundia, Dhangad, Foudakar, Ganabarai, Gharapua Mahapatra, Giri, Gobargadia, Gumanaganjan Singh Berdhajal Mahapatra, Hati, Hatiram, Jadipadia, Jalpadia, Jhapat Sinha, Kalapadia, Kalapal, Kapandia, Kargi, Khamadiha, Khamalia, Khamrai, Khanda, Khandapatra, Kialia, Kuabasia, Kulapadia, Kundalia, Kusmalia, Mahapatra, Malik, Mangal Puria Mardaraj Mahapatra, Miriga Khojia, Mudi, Narendra, Nayak, Nuagadia, Nuakulia, Nungalia, Padhan, Palta Sinha, Pangia, Paramanik, Parida, Putulia, Sarubalia, Satrusala, Raipadia, Sankhalua, Saradia, Sarpat, Sarpuria, Saru, Sindura Roy, Sindurgaria, Sinha, Tainsiria, Talsarua, Tandakar, Tangania, Tangiria, Tarania, Tinti, and they generally use Biswal, Dalai, Dehuri, Naik, Poida, Pradhan as their surnames. [4] [5]

Culture

In Sounti settlements, the family structure is patrilineal and monogamous, with rare polygamy. Marriage is arranged through negotiation with a mandatory bride price. Remarriage is allowed for widows, widowers, and divorcees. Junior Levirate and Sororate marriages are permitted. After childbirth, a 21-day period of Birth pollution is observed, and in case of a community member's death, cremation and burial practices are followed, with a 10-day period of death pollution for the bereaved family.

Sounti society follow Hinduism , worship Hindu gods and goddesses and observe some of the Hindu festivals and rituals. However they have some animist beliefs as well. They worship village deities like Thakurani and Mangala and other Hindu deities like Siva and Raghunath. They have a traditional priest called Dehury. [2] [6] [7]

They live in multi-ethnic villages but maintain separate hamlets from other groups. Single ethnic Sounti villages are uncommon. They live mostly in small houses with two rooms with spacious verandahs in the front. Cattle shed and shed for de-husking rice are built close to the house. Stringed Charpoys and mats made of date-palm leaves, Bell-metal and aluminium utensils are most common household goods. [2]

Men use dhoti. Women wear saree. Financially well off section of the community use undergarments otherwise it is rare. Tattooing is not popular.

The Sounti have their own traditional community council headed by village chief and influential elders. It settles family disputes and acts as guardian of traditional norms and customs.

The main source of income in the Sounti society is farming , livestock rearing and forestry. Many Sountis work as farm labourers . [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odisha</span> State in Eastern India

Odisha, formerly Orissa, is an Indian state located in Eastern India. It is the eighth-largest state by area, and the eleventh-largest by population, with over 41 million inhabitants. The state also has the third-largest population of Scheduled Tribes in India. It neighbours the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal to the north, Chhattisgarh to the west, and Andhra Pradesh to the south. Odisha has a coastline of 485 kilometres (301 mi) along the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean. The region is also known as Utkaḷa and is mentioned by this name in India's national anthem, Jana Gana Mana. The language of Odisha is Odia, which is one of the Classical languages of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odia language</span> Indic language

Odia is an Indo-Aryan classical language spoken in the Indian state of Odisha. It is the official language in Odisha, where native speakers make up 82% of the population, and it is also spoken in parts of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Odia is one of the many official languages of India; it is the official language of Odisha and the second official language of Jharkhand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baripada</span> City in Odisha, India

Baripada is a city and a municipality in Mayurbhanj district in the state of Odisha, India. Located along the east bank of the Budhabalanga river, Baripada is the cultural centre of north Odisha. In recent years, it has emerged as an educational hub with the opening of numerous professional colleges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayurbhanj district</span> District in Odisha, India

Mayurbhanj district is one of the 30 districts in the Odisha state of eastern India. It holds the distinction of being the largest district in Odisha by area. The district's headquarters is located in Baripada, with other major towns including Rairangpur, Karanjia, and Bahalda. As of 2011, Mayurbhanj ranks as the third-most populous district in Odisha, following Ganjam and Cuttack.

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

Puri district is a coastal district of the Odisha state of India. It has one sub-division, 11 tahasils and 11 blocks and comprises 1722 revenue villages. Puri is the only municipality of the district. Konark, Pipili, Satyabadi, Gop, Kakatpur and Nimapada are the NACs in this district while Brahmagiri being a semi-urban town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odia people</span> Ethnic group associated with the Indian state of Odisha

The Odia (ଓଡ଼ିଆ), formerly spelled Oriya, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group native to the Indian state of Odisha who speak the Odia language. They constitute a majority in the eastern coastal state, with significant minority populations existing in the neighboring states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and West Bengal.

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

Kendujhar District, is an administrative district of Odisha. The district is one of the fifth Scheduled Areas of Odisha. The town of Kendujhar is the district headquarters. The district has three sub-divisions, Anandapur, Champua, and Kendujhar.

Odisha is one of the 28 states of India, located on the eastern coast. It is surrounded by the states of West Bengal to the northeast, Jharkhand to the north, Chhattisgarh to the west and northwest, and Andhra Pradesh to the south and southwest. Odia is the official and most widely spoken language, spoken by 33.2 million according to the 2001 Census. The modern state of Odisha was established on 1 April 1936, as a province in British India, and consisted predominantly of Odia-speaking regions. April 1 is celebrated as Odisha Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bagata people</span> Indigenous (Scheduled) tribe from India

Bagata people are one of the tribal ethnic groups of India, mainly concentrated in Andhrapradesh and Odisha. As per the Indian constitution, they are designated as Scheduled Tribe for affirmative action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Odisha</span> Christianity in Indian state

Followers of Christianity are a significant minority in Odisha state of India. According to the 2011 Census, Christians make up about 2.77% of the population. Kurukh, Sora, Kharia and Panos are notable ethnic groups with a significant Christian population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhanja dynasty</span> Ancient dynasty originated in fhe Utkala Kingdom

The Bhanja dynasty is a dynasty that originated in the northern and central regions of modern Odisha before the Gupta Empire became an imperial power. The dynasty, of ancient local Kshatriya lineage as documented by Hermann Kulke, succeeded the Vindhyatabi branch of the Nagas of Padmavati, who ruled from the Keonjhar district of Odisha and included Satrubhanja of the Asanpat inscription. The Bhanj later became feudatories of the Bhauma-Kara dynasty.

<i>Shesha Shrabana</i> 1976 Indian film

Shesha Shrabana is a 1976 Odia language Indian movie. It is directed by Prashant Nanda. It stars Prashant Nanda, Mahasweta Roy, Banaja Mohanty and Hemant Das. It is based on a novel of Basant Mahapatra by the same name. In 1979, the film remade as Naiyya in Hindi language by the same director. This film achieved great success in terms of box office and acclaimed by reviewers.

Chasa is a caste in India natively residing in the Indian state of Odisha. Chasas were traditionally cultivators but are now engaged in several professions. The Odia word chasa means farmer. They are third largest caste by population in Odisha.

The Pano are a Scheduled caste community of Odisha, as well as in Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand officially. They speak Odia language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bathudi Tribe</span> Ethnic group

The Bathudi or Bathuri is a community found mainly in the north western part of Odisha. Some Bathudis, however migrated to neighbouring states of Jharkhand and West Bengal. The 2011 census showed their population to be around 220,859. They are classified as a Scheduled Tribe by the Indian government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bagal (caste)</span> Cattle herding caste of East India

Bagal is a cattle herding caste of East India. Bagal people are living in the state of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha. They use Kudmali/ Manbhumi dialect of Bengali as their mother tongue and use Bengali, Hindi and Odia language to communicate with the outside society.

Gajapati Rāmachandra Deva I was the founder of the Bhoi dynasty of Khurda in Odisha, India. He became the ruler of Khurda kingdom after defeating Mukunda Deva in 1568. He claimed descent from the Yaduvanshi dynasty which features prominenetly in the Indian epic, Mahabharata. The Odia populace gave him the title of "Thakura Raja" as a mark of respect for renovating the damaged Hindu temples that were destroyed by the invasion of Kalapahad. He was titled as Vira Sri Gajapati Viradhi Viravara Pratapi Ramachandra Deva.

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. 1 2 3 "A-11 Appendix: District wise scheduled tribe population (Appendix), Odisha - 2011". www.censusindia.gov.in. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 SCSTRTI, SCSTRTI. "Sounti". Home. Archived from the original on 2019-07-16. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  3. Orissa (India); Senapati, N.; Sahu, N.K. (1966). Orissa district gazetteers. Gazetteer of India (in Italian). Printed by the Superintendent, Orissa Govt. Press. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  4. 1 2 Laeequddin, Muhammad (1937). Census of Mayurbhanj State 1931. Vol. I. Calcutta: Caledonin Printing Company. pp. 196–197. JSTOR   saoa.crl.25352830 . OCLC   496724918. Archived from the original on 17 January 2017.
  5. Singh, K. S. (1996). Communities, Segments, Synonyms, Surnames and Titles. Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN   978-0-19-563357-3.
  6. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-11-05. Retrieved 2019-07-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. Pati, R.N.; Dash, J. (2002). Tribal and Indigenous People of India: Problems and Prospects. A.P.H. Publishing Corporation. p. 62. ISBN   978-81-7648-322-3 . Retrieved 2019-07-14.
  8. India, S.I. (2014). State of the Adivasis in Odisha 2014: A Human Development Analysis. SAGE Impact. SAGE Publications. p. 94. ISBN   978-93-5150-049-0 . Retrieved 2019-07-16.