The culture and heritage of the primitive aboriginal tribes forms the cradle of modern-time civilisation. The history of mankind is incomplete without the history of tribal civilisation. Prof Dr Ananta Charan Sahoo is a scholar extraordinary of anthropology, who has devoted his entire life and career in bringing the Dongria Kondh to the mainstream of civilisation. The tribal art, culture, paintings with their motifs and imagination formed the systolic and diastolic movement of his heart. After having his MSc in Anthropology and PhD in the same subject under the internationally-acclaimed anthropologist Dr LP Vidyarthee, he has never looked back. Having served as a Research Associate & Lecturer for four years in PG Dept of Ranchi University, he staged a comeback to his motherland Odisha by serving as the State Government’s Director of Academy of Tribal Languages & Culture, ST & SC Development Dept. He was the founder-officer of Odisha Tribal Museum, Bhubaneswar. He has successfully guided many research scholars of Ranchi, Berhampur and Utkal Universities. Today, he is engaged in many social activities and is currently president of the Odisha Snehee Samaj, a member of governing body of Analytical Tribal Studies (COATS), Koraput and editor of “Tribal Studies”.
In an interview to The Pioneer, Dr Sahoo spoke to Sugyan Choudhury on the intrinsic aspects of the aboriginals.
What made you opt for a career in anthropology?
I may say a ‘deep connection.’ Like other youths of my time, I was considering medical sciences. I found it was not in my nature. One of my well-wishers told me about anthropology in Ranchi University whcih appealed to me. Anthropology studies human beings across time and space in a holistic picture. All its four branches, namely Physical or Biological Anthropology, Socio-Cultural Anthropology, Archaeological Anthropology and Linguistic Anthropology, cover major dimensions of the evolution of human life. I particularly liked socio-cultural anthropology of Indian tribes. I felt a strong need to preserve their culture and at the same time help them to grow sustainably. I completed my PhD in the same subject under the internationally-acclaimed late Prof LP Vidyarthi.
How many tribes, sub-tribes are noticeable in Odisha?
The Odisha tribes have a glorious history. They have significantly contributed to the civilisational strength of this region. Going by the 2011 Census, 23.8% of Odia population are tribal people. In India, Odisha has 62 varieties of tribal communities and 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). Each tribe identifies itself as a lineal descent group and exhibits tribe-specific marriage and other kinship rules. Individual tribes further have ethno-cultural variations or sub-tribes. The Kondh has sub-tribes such as Kutia Kondh, Dongria Kondh, Malia Kondh, Pengo Kondh. Saora has sub-tribes such as Lanjia Saora, Arsi Saora, Suddha Saora. Santal, Mankirdia, Munda, Ho, Kolha could be considered as a variation of one other. Saora is one tribe with no clan system. Bondas have a dual social organisation called the exogamous moiety system. Dongria Kondhs are divided into more than thirty clans. The Gadabas are divided into four broad sections. They have clans such as tiger, snake, kite, sun and bear.
What are Dongria Kondhs’ distinguishing characteristic?
In Odisha, the Kondh tribe is numerically preponderant. The Dongria Kondhs are one of its sub-tribes who inhabit the wooded Niamgiri hill ranges of Raygada and Kalahandi districts. Their life and culture revolve round the mountainous forests. They practise shifting cultivation. They are famous for their jackfruit, mango, orange pineapple and banana plantations. They exhibit a strong organised clan system, practices of girls’ youth dormitory and a remarkable village unit. They are animists worshiping goddess earth with utmost devotion. Some decades ago, they were practising human sacrifice (Meriah festival) which has been substituted by buffalo sacrifice (Kendu festival) to appease mainly their earth goddess and other deities and spirits. They consider Dharam Devata (Sun god) as the most powerful controlling god over all other powers. There are traditional experts from among them who spell incantations, tell various tales and myths. They are world-famous for their colourful Dongria Shawl. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to work as a development practitioner during early 80s responsible for their holistic development.
How can we preserve, protect and defend the rich heritage of the tribal culture against the onslaught of industrialisation?
The tribal culture and heritage is the cradle of modern-day civilisation. They need one another. While modern world teaches the virtues of fast progress and better livelihood, the tribal communities teach us the values of stability, sustainability, and preservation. The first principle of protection and preservation is acknowledgement. We need to recognise these communities as authentic inhabitants of their land practising indigenous living cultures. At one level, the national and international forums need to visibly and proportionally endorse the indigenous symbolisms encouraging them to participate in the system. At another level, special provisions of laws, policies and governance congenial to their social-economic-political system should be made available for identified tribal areas. Fortunately, our Constitution has provisions for the same. Finally, community-influenced industrialisation models enabling manufacture, trade and commerce suitable to the local population and yet competing in the market can be developed.
As a researcher, what are your priorities for establishing a living tribal museum in Odisha?
The material culture of the tribal world is reflective of need-invention continuum of anthropocentric culture of early time vis-Ã -vis hostile nature which they tame with care, skill, and creativity. Tribal arts and crafts are at once tools and artifices of survival and imaginations. The use of colour, motifs, designs, shapes and sizes are perfected pictorial syntax rich in meanings, most of which remained unnoticed by the world. This inspired me to imagine a Museum of Tribal life style in Odisha as a cultural centre through its exhibits, research projects and planned activities. It is pre-eminently a temple of education and research to promote such activities as collection, classification, cataloguing, documentation, preservation, display as well as study of its specimens. It was in my mind to display culture of different tribal communities by inviting them to the museum where they could give live demonstration of their traditional crafts-making, modes of celebrations, rituals, use of tools and equipment, everyday lifestyle, etc. I also made sure to incorporate modern multimedia technologies to attract youths and children.