Year: 2024 | Month: June | Volume: 11 | Issue: 6 | Pages: 191-201
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijrr.20240622
Birhor Society and Culture: A Study on Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups of Jharkhand, India
Dhiraj Ghosh1, Dipankar Chatterjee2
1Doctoral Scholar, Division of Rural and Tribal Development, RKMVERI Deemed University, Ranchi Campus, Jharkhand, India.
2Associate Professor, Division of Rural and Tribal Development, RKMVERI Deemed University, Ranchi Campus, Jharkhand, India.
Corresponding Author: Dipankar Chatterjee
ABSTRACT
A significant portion of the Indian population consists of tribal communities. The world's highest concentration of tribal people with diverse cultures is found exclusively in India. Tribal people are those who inhabit a specific region, have uniform cultural characteristics, and use basic technology. Tribes are recognized for their unique ethnic and cultural characteristics, but they are losing their unique identities as a result of massive and rapid urbanization and industrialization. Since the beginning of ethnographic research on Indian tribes, scientists have been interested in the unique livelihood practices of the Birhor, a particularly vulnerable tribal group (primitive tribal group) in Jharkhand. They have historically lived in forests and had a nomadic hunting and gathering lifestyle. Large-scale deforestation brought about by urbanization and industrialization has an impact on the entire culture and civilization. Their language and unique socio-cultural structure are undergoing rapid changes as a result of their increased exposure to modern culture through different government initiatives for tribal development, the modern educational system, etc. It is therefore necessary to investigate the evolving sociocultural patterns of the vulnerable "Birhor" tribe and to put appropriate strategies and programmes in place for the self-initiated preservation of indigenous tribal culture and identity.
Keywords: Oral tradition, Social life, Economic life, Birhor, Jharkhand.
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