Under the 22nd series of its online exhibition by Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (IGRMS), on Thursday, ‘The Uthlu Birhors’ of Jharkhand the livelihood and settlement patterns of the tribal and rural societies was on display. IGRMS has been presented online with its basic information and photographs and videos.
About this exhibition, Praveen Kumar Mishra, Director, IGRMS said that, Veethi Sankul’s Gallery No. 2 of IGRMS presents the livelihood and settlement patterns of the tribal and rural societies. It houses 667 objects and presents the tribal and folk communities living in different ecological settings.
The survival strategies and distinctive livelihood patterns based on their traditional economic activities are presented in this gallery.
In this episode, a collection from the Birhor tribe of Jharkhand showcasing their traditional way of foraging life is presented for the visitors. The collections include simple households, tools, weapons, snares, baskets, and nets used by the tribe in their foraging activities.
One of the exciting aspects of the exhibition is the display of a twin hut known as Kumba. This typical house type was prepared by the Uthlu Birhors themselves at the time of making the exhibition.
About this exhibition, N Sakmacha singh , Museum Associate told that The Birhors are concentrated mainly in the Hazaribag, Ranchi, and Singhbhum districts of Jharkhand.
They are also scattered in the states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and West Bengal. The tribe is divided into two – (a) the Uthlu Birhor or the wanderers who move from one place to another for their foraging activities and (b) The Janghi Birhors or the settlers started living a settled life. Now they are categorized as the PVTG’s in these states.
According to the 2011 census, their total population in the State of Jharkhand is approx 10,000. Birhor derived from the Mundari words Bir and Hor; Bir means Forest and Hor mean people, and the literal meaning of Birhor is “Forest People.”
They are also known as Mankaria and Chopdar by other communities.