Malto people
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 India | |
| Languages | |
| Malto• Regional languages | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism[1] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Kurukh•Dravidian peoples |
TheMaltoorMaler people,also known asPahariya,are aDravidiantribal group from theRajmahal Hillsin the northeasternChota Nagpur Plateau.They are divided into three subgroups:Mal Paharia,Sauria Pahariaand Kumarbhag Paharia.[2]All three are listed as Scheduled Tribes inJharkhand,BiharandWest Bengal.They speakMalto,related to the nearbyKurukhlanguage.
When the British first encountered them they were nomadic. They practicedjhumcultivation, as well as hunting and gathering, and would often also raid the plains of Bihar to the north or Bengal to the east, and would then retreat back into the forest. If there was a crop failure, death or other disaster, they would move to a new spot. Due to the remoteness of their territory they were never conquered by any of the many empires that claimed to rule the region. When the British induced Santals to cultivate the Rajmahal Hills, the Maltos fought back, but were eventually driven out.[3]
The Mal Paharia and Kumarbhag Paharia subgroups combined have a population of 182,560, while the Sauria Paharia subgroup has a population of 51,634, making the total Malto population 234,194.[4]
Today they still practicejhumcultivation, calledkurwain their language, and collect minor forest produce. They are plagued by many problems, including high levels of poverty and extreme malnutrition. For this reason they are classified as aParticularly Vulnerable Tribal Group.However some are now settled cultivators.[5]They fish in summer, and many now work as daily wage labourers. A few have government jobs.
Among the Sauria Paharia, their traditional marriage ceremony is known asbedi,that takes place in a house. Their society has no restrictions on premarital sexual relations, and children not born out of a marriage can still live with the mother. Another type of common marriage is marriage by capture.[5]
The Malto practice animism and revere a court of spirits known asGosain.The main Malto god isDharmer Gosain,a sun god, while their priests are known asdemano.[3]
The men wear a small loincloth, known asbhagwan,while the women wear two garments:panchi,an upper garment, usually an unstitched cloth, andpardhan,a cloth around the waist.[5]
References
[edit]- ^"Census of India Website: Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India". www.censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
- ^"Definition: malto".Dictionary.die.net.Archived fromthe originalon 2012-07-09.Retrieved2008-08-06.
- ^abCrooke, William, 1848-1923. (1973).Races of northern India.Cosmo Publications.ISBN0-336-00404-4.OCLC805760.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^"A-11 Individual Scheduled Tribe Primary Census Abstract Data and its Appendix".www.censusindia.gov.in.Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.Retrieved2017-11-03.
- ^abcGhosh, Anita."Souria Paharia are now in Transition: Beliefs, Rituals and Practices".ResearchGate.
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