"Tribe of India: Santhal Tribe"

 

The Santal are an Indian Munda ethnic group also known as the Santhal. Santals live in a cohesive, organic, and connected community. In India's Jharkhand state, as well as Assam, Tripura, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and West Bengal, the Santals are the most populous tribe. The populations of Nepal and Bhutan are large. The Santals speak Santali, the Munda language that is most commonly spoken. The Santals have become one of the most prominent sources of support for the "tribalist" movement in Jharkhand, with whom they have some contact.

Santhals are fully reliant on the forests they live in. They get their basic needs from the forest products in which they live. They make a living by haunting, fishing, and farming their land. Santhals are known for making musical instruments, carpets, and baskets out of plants. This talent is passed down through the generations. The Santals' major diets include rice, fish, and veggies. Their favourite foods are crabs, pig, poultry, beef, and squirrel meat. Jute spinach is their favourite dish (nalita). They also make their own alcohol from mahua or palmyra syrup at home. For their festive celebrations, these beverages are essential.

The Santals are divided into 12 clans and 164 subclans. They are patrilineal and endogamous. The Kisku were rulers, and the Murmu were priests. Santals practise many sorts of marriages according on the partners' relative positions. Bride-price weddings are advantageous since they often result in the pair living with the man's family. Male dominance is more prevalent in Santal society, yet women's roles in the home are far from minor. Women in Santal are more likely to be in charge of earning a living or working in the fields. Households with extended families are more common than those with nuclear families.

The significance of grandparents, whether male and female, in providing cultural knowledge to children is the most striking aspect of Santal socialisation. Boys are initiated when a maternal uncle brands the five tribal marks on their forearms when they are eight or 10 years old. The Santals have it tough. They are compelled to sell their labour in tea gardens and other places for a pittance. They also dig soil, transport merchandise, and conduct other day labourer activities. They're accustomed to working long hours. Santals who are well-off and educated wear modern clothing. Santal women, particularly young girls, are naturally beauty-conscious as competent labourers. Santal men and women have tattoos on their body.

Envy, property disputes, money problems, and witchcraft are all major causes of violence among Santals. Witchcraft accusations are rampant.

Religious Beliefs: Over 150 spirit deities known as bongas make up the Santal pantheon. Santals believe that the soul is eternal and that the earth is governed by a supernatural soul (Bonga). Bonga plays an important role in their daily worship. That is most likely why the home god, Abe-Bonga, is so powerful. The religious events demonstrate the influence of Hindu gods. In actuality, Santal men and women are animistic nature worshippers.

Parties and celebrations are popular among Santals. Individual life-cycle ceremonies are observed, such as initiation, marriage, and burial. The bulk of communal ceremonies are associated with the agricultural cycle or hunting and gathering practises. The flower festival, which is also known as the ancestor's festival, is the most important.

The Santal oral culture includes folktales, mythology, riddles, and village traditions. Ritual texts, dances in honour of the bongas, filthy songs about hunting or the punishment of violators, and so on are all examples of traditional music.

Religious Practitioners: The village priest, along with his wife, is appointed as the original Santal couple's representative. Festivals and annual ceremonies are their principal tasks.