Lanjia saora tribe(sabara)

A presentation about the Lanjia Saora tribe of Odisha

1. Lanjia Saora Tribe( Sabara ) Aamlan Saswat Mishra 2017BARC013

2. Who are they? The Sora (alternative names and spellings include Saora , Saura , Savara and Sabara ) are a Munda ethnic group They are of medium or short stature . Instead of clan organization they have their extended families called Birinda , which consists of descendants from a common ancestors of four to five generation. The Soras ' religion is very elaborate and deep rooted. They are polytheist and believe in large number of deities and ancestral spirits . Dance and music constitute part and parcel of their rich aesthetic life.

3. Where do they live? They are concentrated in parts of Gunupur adjoining to the blocks of Gumma , Serango of Gajapati district of Odisha, India. The tribes were native to the Mahendragiri Hills of Odisha Over flow of time they have started to migrate to Southern Odisha & north coastal Andhra Pradesh. They are also found in the hills of Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

4. A tough life or a fun one? The primary activities in ancient times for this tribe included Hunting and Podu Chasa (A form of Slash and burn cultivation) The tribe members live a gosti life (a highly dependent social life) The people remain cheerful and have integrated music to everyday life and activities. They sing songs and play instruments while cooking, processing food and even farming. They play instruments like the ‘ kendera ’ The basic food of the Lanjia people includes rice with smashed green chili and salt . Special items include sour cooked spinach and steamed herbs and leaves.

5. Clothes are very special The male and female members of the tribe smoke ‘ Edangu ’ frequently The female members often tattoo ‘Langton’ on their foreheads, wear taitalyu in ears and wear khagla and jatong in their necks. The longer the ear holes in the female members, the more beautiful they are considered. They wear Katumbi , a form of self made clothes. The common clothes are Women: Kharofa - in lower body and Dalopkob - in upper body Men: Langot with ‘ Oliyakap ’ – an extension that resembles a tail (probable reason for the name of the tribe

6. The one above all and following him The Soras are highly religious with each and every natural phenomenon attributed to the works of some Gods, deities or spirits of traditional belief They believe that spirits guide their destiny, worshiping mainly the deities Sandhidemudu and Jakaradevatha . Elora is worshipped as their main God. They also worship the sun, moon and an array of different Gods which include Vahans and even equipments . Kumara festival is the main festival. It is celebrated for the dead. A special dance named ‘ Kariya ’ is performed and instruments like Kerin , suakama and kendera are played.

7. Marriage, children and health traditions The marriage is not pompous but interestingly story like. The groom arrives with family members and drags the bride to be out of the house while the bride’s brothers resist. The father of the bride askes if the bride wishes to go with the groom. Upon bride’s consent, the brothers tend to convince the bride but to no use. The people then celebrate and dance. They consume Handia ( a form of fermented drink made from rice and eat buffalo meat. ‘ Swong ’ is then celebrated with a doll named ‘ Nimary ’ which acts as a gradian of the family. The Kudanal / kudambai is the head priestess of the community. She acts as a link between human and spiritual realm. She names new born children by figuring out the relatin with ancestors. The head priest ( udaan ) also plays the hole of the head ‘Vaidya’ and heals people and diseases.

8. Housing and architecture

9. Construction materials Clay Water Cow-dung Bamboo, logs for structure framework Straw/water reed Chalk (for decoration) Wood for doors and frames Clay (tiles on roof in modern times)

10. Approximate plan of house

11. Thank You

12. Contemporary tales According to the legend, the image of Neelamadhaba was made of Neelakanta mani (emerald). However, the present image of the deity is made of neem wood. Legend further says that Lord Jagannath was originally worshiped by a Savara raja (an aboriginal tribal chieftain)named Viswabasu . Having heard about the glory of the deity, Raja Indradyumna sent a Brahmin priest called Vidyapati to discover the exact location of the deity who was then secretly worshipped by Viswabasu inside the cave of a dense forest. Vidyapati tried his best, but could not locate the place of worship. Finally, he could manage to marry Lalita , the daughter of Viswabasu . At repeated request of Lalita , Viswabasu took his son-in-law blind-folded to a cave wherein Lord Neelamadhaba was being worshipped. Vidyapati was a very intelligent man. He dropped mustard seeds on the ground on his way. After a few days, the seeds germinated which helped Vidyapati to locate the cave wherein the deity was being worshiped hiddenly.On hearing from Vidyapati subsequently, Raja Indradyumna immediately rushed to Odra desa (Odisha) to have a darshan of the deity.The king was disappointed at the sudden disappearance of the deity. The deity was hidden in sand. Raja Indradyumna was determined not to return without having a darshan of the deity and observed fast onto death at Neelagiri . The deity was pleased with the king. Thereafter, the king performed a horse sacrifice and built a magnificent temple for the deity.