Tribals--Part 2

Soura Tribeswomen at Market

We reluctantly packed to leave Orissa on Saturday morning.  But before we left, we made one more stop—the Saturday Market in Paralakhemundi, where tribals come to buy supplies and trade livestock.

People stared at me and I tried not to stare back, but it was an amazing experience and I wanted to make the most of my half hour.  Some of the Soura women were buying fabric and supplies.  They were very shy about photographs, but a few finally relented.  Women were selling turmeric roots, dried fish from the coast, and bundles of twigs which are the local toothbrushes.  I bought two pottery vessels from a lady of the Kunbhar people group (technically a caste since they are Hindu); some baskets from three Medni tribals;  and wandered into the cattle fair. 

85% of the men there were tribals.  Cattle were being bought and sold for milk cows, oxen teams and beef.  (Apparently local tribes eat cattle, unlike Hindus.)  I saw a man standing, storklike, with one foot on the opposite knee, like the Masai of Africa—while sucking on a 

Waiting for a Buyer

cool ice popsicle. Some cattle were decorated with headpieces; others had prospective buyers feeling their ribs, then handing over cash.  Business swirled around me and cattle trotted by.  I truly felt in a different world.

Indian society is extremely complex to an outsider.  Four main castes with thousands of subdivisions make up the mainstream kaleidoscope.  Priests (Brahmin) and rulers/military (Khashtriya) are the top two levels.   

Fishermen, for instance, belong to a caste of their own, as do laundrywomen. They are usually born, live and die in their family trade or social position. Marriage between castes is abhorrent to most Indians, although we occasionally see “Caste No Bar” in the “Matrimonial Classifieds” of major newspapers.

At the bottom are the Untouchables or Dalit (Crushed Ones).  They are considered

Tribal Cattle Market--Paralakhemundi, Orissa

subhuman and traditionally do the nasty jobs, such as sweeping streets at night, or gathering up human waste.  Crime such as rape or murder against a Dalit is seldom prosecuted. The government ostensibly favors the legally recognized “Scheduled and Backward Castes” with quota entries into government jobs and schools; however, this benefit is seldom enforced.

Then there are the tribals, or Adavasi.  Although there is much academic debate about all I have learned, the tribes are regarded as descended from the aboriginal peoples of India.  Their genetics vary from Negrito to Austral-Asian to Dravidian.

The following criteria are often used to determine tribal status of a people group:

Stone Walls and Dirt Roads--Soura Country

1-Geographical isolation – they live in remote and inhospitable areas such as mountains and forests.

Plowing with a Wooden Plow--Before Dawn

2-Backwardness – their livelihood is based on primitive agriculture or a hunter/gatherer tradition, with a low-value closed economy and rudimentary technology that results in poverty. They have low levels of literacy and health.

3-Distinctive culture, language and religion -- often animism or spiritism.  Anthropologists feel the worship of trees, rocks and snakes derived from the early tribes and were added to folk Hinduism.

4-Shyness of contact – they have a marginal degree of contact with other cultures and people.

Strangely, tribals are not deemed unclean by Hindus, while the Dalit are.  In fact, many flatlanders regard tribals as guardians of wild places, forests and streams; “Dongria Khond”, the tribe we were trying to contact, means

Russ and Soura Tribesman--Puttasingh

“hill dwelling protectors.” 

Most of the tribals considered land as belonging to everyone (like Native Americans) and were fairly egalitarian.  This was disrupted by the Muslim Mogul conquerors in the 1500’s and further upset by the British in the 1700’s when much of India was portioned out to landlords.  Tribals and lower castes became virtual serfs, which continue to this day.  Tribal lands were opened to settlement in the 1970’s; by the time the tribals realized they had to file claims, the window of opportunity was gone.  Many wild peoples have been dispossessed but have little political power. 

Lombadi Gypsy Lady

Today, many tribals are still unreached.  Some, like the Lambadi gypsies we met in Tenali, are nomadic and difficult to pinpoint.  Others, like the Dongria Khond, are hostile and remote making it complicated to reach them with the Gospel.  Plus the government limits access to many groups, especially by missionaries.  We might gain admittance with a medical team…

India has over one thousand languages; Orissa alone has 150.  One village often cannot understand the next village.  There are over 2600 people groups in India; three-quarters of these are listed as Unreached (less than 2% evangelical Christian) and over 300 are still totally Unengaged.  

These are some of the many challenges facing the missionaries God has raised up under Bihit Parichha’s leadership.  Yet they are willing to risk, to learn, and to go—usually without any means of livelihood.  Please pray for these men who are committed to the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We are considering offering sponsorships; if you or your church would love to send an indigenous missionary into the mountains, please contact us at aimission@hotmail.com   India has more unreached people groups than any other country.  Let’s change these statistics!

--Alice Sharrock

 

Two Soura Girls Asked for Prayer Before Their Exams