 The truly indigenous peoples of India are known collectively as the adivasi, yet relatively few people outside of Orissa have heard about these exotic people of India.
The Bonda, Dongria Kondh, Gadaba and Poraja are only a few of more than 40 different tribes that make up the adivasi in this region who have been more or less forgotten in this rapidly progressing world. While many have assimilated somewhat into local village life though still holding on to most of their traditional customs and gods, others have changed little over the centuries. |
This is not in a remote part of India but less than 150 kilometers from tropical Visakhapatnam, a major port city on the east coast of India half way between Kolkata and Chennai. It is the perfect starting point for your journey into the India of old. Nearing the Andhra Pradesh/Orissa border the world begins to change with traffic, people and roadside villages falling behind as you wind your way up the Eastern Ghats into the tribal belt of the Koraput district.
Down in the gorges you glimpse tiny villages consisting only of a handful of houses with their small cultivated plots climbing up the picturesque hillsides. Before long you leave the highway and travel along the few internal roads where shifting cultivation becomes more evident with small plots of traditional crops coloring the hills and small adivasi villages hidden in groves of old mango trees.
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| Bonda WomenDongia GirlsPoraja Lady |
The adivasi differ as much in their customs and languages as in their appearance, some with nose rings others with neck rings, some with beads or brightly coloured saris worn in various ways but most with flowers in their hair and smiles broader than the horizon.
On the other hand, the adivasi tribes have many things in common; they take their gods and festivals very seriously, love their dancing, love their drink and to party. There are many festivals throughout the year be they religious, seasonal or social, some of which go back to their traditional tribal rituals while others have merged with or adopted the Hindu festivals over the centuries.
The simple charm of these exotic people is as captivating as their dazzling jewellery and dress. It's easy to envy them a little at times for their uncomplicated and sometime colorful lives instead of the increasingly ordered society to which we must adhere.
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The Bonda are also the most primitive and physically striking of the adivasi. The women and girls wear little more than thousands of tiny yellow and blue beads covering their breasts and a strip of cloth around the hips for a little modesty. Additionally, the Bonda women are known for the country liquor they make from the flower of the Mahua tree.
Unfortunately, country liquor plays a major part in many of the tribal cultures. In the Bonda Tribe, drinking begins at a very tender age and often ends with the associated social problems and short life expectancy. To get around this the women marry boys who are much younger in the hope that their husbands will survive beyond their 30's. |
| The Dongria Kondh Adivasi: |
| A couple of hundred kilometers from the Bonda are the very shy Dongria Kondh whose boys and girls wear handmade shawls with colored clips and combs in their hair during courtship. They live a pretty open society with a shared dormitory system for the young boys and girls, and not surprisingly, it is there where partners are chosen. |
These are a very friendly, gentle folk whose life is hard and tenuous. Therefore, their vibrant festivals are celebrated with an intense fervor that often includes animal sacrifices and frenetic dances among those girls and women whose devotional energy is called 'temple inside'.
As with their seasonal festivals, you are also drawn into their marriages festivities which are four mad days and nights of music, eating, drinking and dancing. The groom's party walks to the bride's village for the first 2 days and nights of wild partying then, young and old, all walk, stagger and fall their way back to the groom's village to complete the final 2 days of festivities.
These marriages aren't arranged and are usually 'love marriages' or a successful 'abduction' of the girl by a boy who is interested in marrying her. While sounding light hearted it is all taken very seriously, and sometimes the 'abductor' is not the man the girl desires, so she is on the run, hiding for a few weeks and hoping the threat will pass.
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With no roads servicing their isolated hill villages the people walk up to 15 kilometers to the weekly markets to barter and sell their produce.In India the weekly market known as the haat has been the victim of progress, but in the tribal belt these markets are still as important as ever so villagers can sell and barter their agricultural or forest produce and wares like terracotta, iron tools or bamboo products. Additionally, these colorful markets seve as the communal meeting places where friends and relatives can meet for a drink and also where community news is gathered and rumors spread.
The haats are the main contact point for everyone, whether from a tribal village in the hills or the travelling storekeeper going from one market to the next, to cross paths. They are places to barter, sell and buy fresh organic seasonal vegetables, fruits and forest produce under the canopy of old mango trees in the same place where such activities have always taken place and where people from all walks of life can freely mingle, as much a social gathering, as an eco-supermarkets of the natural 'old' world.
Different haats cater to the varying needs of the local tribes in adjoining districts, and each has its own 'ethnicity', flavor, and size. These range from the Chatigona market in the beautiful Bissumcuttack area with its tribal brassware to the Onakadeli market in the Koraput District where the Bonda women sell their country liquor. It's at these markets where you can appreciate the different tribes and their diverse style of jewellery and dress.
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The tribal belt of Orissa is a very serene place with little traffic, and when away from the few towns you only see the occasional daily bus, bikes and a few jeep taxis. Most villagers walk cross country along age old paths across the fields and streams, through the hills and forests to get where they're going.
It's a timeless part of the world where everyone walks and does things as they always have, and nothing much changes except the seasons.
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| Chandoori Sai, a new guesthouse: |
40 kilometers from Koraput, Chandoori Sai, a new guesthouse located in a pottery craft village has been built to international standards by an Australian who has lived in and explored this tribal area for 5 years. His very unique guesthouse offers the discerning traveler all the urban amenities as well as the perfect opportunity to experience firsthand everyday village life while touring the various tribal markets and craft villages of the different tribes.
Chandoori Sai employs only the local adivasi in its operations. As a guest you will have daily interaction with these charming girls, be it attending your rooms, serving your meals, acting as your local village guides or just warming your hearts.
Chandoori Sai is sensitive to the local village tribal houses in design and uses natural ochres from the surrounding area and terracotta made by the village potters to enhance its decor. |
For additional information: http://www.chandoorisai.com
For further information about the tribal district and what it has to offer: info@goingtribal.com .
When to come:
Anytime is the best time to visit as every season has its own festivities and special features.
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