INTRODUCTION:

Abujhmad means 'unknown hilly area'. The human community residing in 'Abujhmad' i.e., 'unknown hilly area' for centuries was called Abujhmadiya. 'Resident of unknown hilly area'. Abujhmadiya tribal community is a sub-group of Gond tribe of Central India region. Under Article 342 of the Constitution of India, Abujhmadiya has been listed as a sub-caste of Gond tribe at serial number-16 in the list of Scheduled Tribes Abujhmad area and Abujhmadiya tribe have always been a center of curiosity and attraction for outsiders, tourists and researchers. British administrators and researchers Glasford and Grant named Abujhmadiya tribe as 'Bhari' or 'Madi' and mentioned it as a sub-caste of Gond tribe. They mentioned Abujhmadiya tribe as a backward tribe compared to the neighboring Madia tribe. Hislop, while describing the Abujhmad region in 'Hindu Tribes and Casts Part-II' (1876), called the residents of this region 'Madia Gond'.

Russell and Hiralal, in 'The Tribes and Casts of Central Provinces of India, Part II' (1916), have described the Abujhmaria tribe as a sub-caste of the Gond tribe and have written that "The Gonds of Bastar can be divided into two parts, Muria and Madia. Of these, the Madia are more backward." British researcher, writer and administrator Sir W. P. Grigson in “The Madia Goddess of Bastar” (1938) has mentioned the Madia tribe as a sub-caste of the Gond tribe and divided the Madia tribe into two parts on the basis of the habitat, socio-cultural characteristics and the Gaur Sing crown worn on the head during dance and named them "Hill Madia" (Abujhmadia) and "Bison Horn Madia". Sir Grison (1938) named the Madia residents of the hilly areas situated to the north of the Indravati river flowing in the middle of the Bastar division as "Hill Madia" (Pahari Madia) and the Madia tribe residing in the south of the Indravati river as "Bison Horn Madia (Gaur Sing Madia). Thus, the Abujhmadia tribe was named "Madi", "Hill Madia" and "Abujhmadia" by outsiders, administrators and explorers at different times. Apart from this address, the Abujhmadia tribe calls itself "Meta Bhum" (Gondi word Bheta Bhum means hilly land) residents of hilly land, "Met Koitur" (Gondi word Meta hill, Koitur resident) i.e., residents of hilly land.

ORIGIN:

Anthropologists have recognized the Abujhmadia tribe as a sub-caste of the Gond tribe. The Gond tribe considers itself ‘Koi' or 'Koitur'. There are differences among scholars regarding the origin of the God tribe, but most associate them with the mountains. According to Hislop, the word 'God' is actually a modified form of 'Gund', 'Kod' or 'Kund' which is derived from the Telugu word 'Konda' which means 'mountain'. In this way, the word Gond was used as a synonym for the residents living in the mountains. According to Russell and Hiralal (1916), "Gond and its sub-castes identify themselves with the words Koi or Koitur, which means 'human' or 'mountain dweller'."

On the basis of popular legends and folk songs about the origin of the Abujhmadia tribe, it is known that like other tribes, the Abujhmadias believe that they originated from animals and birds. According to legend, the Abujhmadias consider South Bastar as their original birthplace. Their ancestor Kasturnaga lived in a place called Kachmunda situated in the hills of this region. He had two children Munj (monkey) and Koi (ape). Over time, the children of Munj (monkey) The progeny of 'Madia' and Koi (monkey) were called 'Koitur'. Out of these, Madia spread in their original habitat and Koitur made the hilly areas of Abujhmad their place of residence. Abujhmadia (Koitur) started addressing themselves as 'Met koitur' in the context of their habitat in the mountain (Meta). Dr. Mishra (1972) has also mentioned the above facts of the origin of Abujhmadia tribe in his research thesis.

HISTORY:

There is a lack of authentic history of Abujhmadia tribe. According to Dr. Roop Narayan Mishra, the Abujhmariya folk song "Ghotul Pata" shows that their residence in this region was before the establishment of the Kakatiya dynasty in Bastar. According to Dr. K.C. Dubey, "Barsur, situated across the Indravati river in the south of Abujhmad, was formerly the prosperous capital of the Chakrakot state, which was conquered by Rajendra Chola of South India in 1023 AD after an attack by his army. One or a part of his army consisted of Chhindak Naga warriors of Kannada state. After the victory, Rajendra Chola handed over the state of Chot to these Dik Nagas. In 314 ADS, the Palpuri ruler Jatlaldev attacked the Pot state and after the victory, he made the capital of Chakrakot (Barsur) new. The people defeated in this attack crossed the Indravati river to save their lives and settled in the hilly region of Abujhmar. Probably, the Chindak Nagavanshis of Kannada state from Barsur came to the Abujhmad region after being defeated and mingled with the original residents here. Over time, this All are called Abujhmadia. These ancestors are mentioned in Abujhmadia folk songs. This is probably the reason for the difference in the physical characteristics of the residents of Abujhmad region because some part of the Abujhmadia population has features like fair to dark complexion, brown hair, thin nose, thin lips etc.

DIALECT:

The local form of Gondi dialect called 'Madi' is prevalent in Abujhmadia tribe. It is under the Dravidian language group. Gerson has mentioned Madia dialect as the local form of Gondi dialect. Gondi dialect must have changed into the current Madi dialect as a result of the uneven natural structure of the Abujhmadia region and the isolation of the residents from external contacts. In the border areas of Abujhmadia, the influence of the dialects and languages of other communities such as Halbi, Marathi, Chhattisgarhi, Gondi is visible in the Madi dialect. The Madi dialect spoken in the Abujhmadia region has a fast speed of pronunciation and it is pronounced more from the throat.

RACIAL CHARACTERISTICS:

Abujhmadia tribal members can be placed in the Proto Australoid group on the basis of racial characteristics. Abujhmadia tribal members are of medium height, their physical structure is strong and well developed. There is a little variation in their body colors. Many members of the villages of southern Abujhmad like Kondakoti, Jatlur, Hitul were found to be fair in complexion, with eyes ranging from brown to black, thin and small nose, thin lips, black hair and oval and round face. The remaining residents were found to be dark in complexion, with eyes ranging from brown to black, lips medium and protruding, nose medium to broad, face shape ranging from egg-shaped to round. On the basis of anthropometric study, Rai (1934) has classified the Abujhmadia tribe under the Pre-Dravidian or Proto- Australoid group.

MATERIAL CULTURE:

Culture is the most important characteristic of man which is created by man himself and it is the long-term result of the mutual inter-relationships and conflicts between man and nature. Harshkovida has called culture a man-made part of the environment. It is clear from this that human life is related to the natural and social environment. The social environment of man is his culture which is expressed in front of us in two forms, material culture and non-material culture. Culture is influenced by the natural environment. Material culture means all those things made by man, which are tangible and which have been made by man. Beliefs, knowledge, art, thoughts, religion etc. are kept under non-material culture which is intangible. Non-material culture gets tangible form through material culture. Under which man makes necessary things with the help of material available in the natural environment to maintain his existence. Abujhmadia tribal culture is a culture of subsistence at the primitive level. The material culture of Abujhmadia tribe has been presented as follows. Village dwelling Store house Animal dwelling Decoration, hygiene and jewellery Costume Daily useful things Method of lighting fire Agricultural equipment Hunting equipment Fishing treatment Tour work Musical instruments Transport and transportation Food and drink

DAILY USEFUL ITEMS:

Most of the items of daily use of Abujhmadia tribe are made from the materials available in the local environment and only a few items are bought from the market. Pots for cooking food is made of aluminium. Some people also cook food in earthen pots. It is called 'Adka'. The large pot for cooking food is made of meat or metal, which is called 'U Food'. Food is eaten in a 'Sipahi' or 'Saal' pattal or dona. Glass and thin dry gourd tumba are used for drinking water. Metal or clay sheet is used for bringing and storing water.

Abujhmadia use Kosara, rice, kutki, Mandia and wild spices in their food. To grind it, Abujhmadia houses have 'Akki' (vessel for grinding grains) and 'Gota' (vessel for grinding spices). The vessel for grinding grains has two parts. 'Akki' is a big square piece of wood, in the middle of which there is a deep round hole. It is dug in the first or second room of the house and dug at the level of the ground and the grains are pounded with the help of Usmal i.e., pestle (length about 2-3 feet). 'Gota' is also a vessel for grinding like 'Akki'. There are two differences between them. First, chillies and wild spices are left in Gota. Second, it is not fixed at one place like 'Akki', rather it can be taken from one place to another. 'Gota' made of wood is in the shape of Umru. On one side of it there is a three- to five-inch-deep pit. Spices are ground in it with the help of a small Usmal (pestle). A rope of Siyadi is tied in the thin part between the 'Gota' and after the work is over, it is taken out. After that the gotta is hung on the wall. There are different types of 'tooti' (yaura basket) for keeping things in the kitchen. Mandia Siyadi leaves have a round bundle like container for keeping pulses and seeds, which is called 'deva', it is made from raw Siyadi leaves and is filled with pulses, grains or yoghurt and is closed from above with a leaf. In this the grain remains safe for many days or does not get spoiled. It is made of small or big size as per the requirement.

In Abujhmadia kitchen, small packets of Sivadi leaves are used for keeping things or salt and pepper. Paratu is kept in raw Sivadi leaves and tied with its stalk. It is called 'pipati'. Apart from this, Abujhmadia kitchen has 'kuli' (peeda), 'kor' (knife), steel and aluminium utensils etc. Abujhmadias wrap Siyadi bark all around 'Adka' (earthen pot) and 'Ekka' (dried gourd) in a special way to make them strong and useful for a longer period. For this, they remove the bark from the Siwadi vine from the jungle and dip it in the mud of a pond or stream for two-three days, due to which it becomes soft and does not break on drying. This soft Siyadi bark is wrapped on 'Eukka (dried gourd) and pot, which gives strength to these items after drying. Abujhmadias take food and drinks from home while going on a pilgrimage. For food, they make a big bowl of Sivadi leaves in two-three layers and after keeping food in it, they close it completely with the help of leaves. This is called 'Gudhi'. Similarly, they take Pev or Sulfi in 'Dukya' (dried gourd) and on the way, they take out the food from the Kudi and eat with Palal. In this, the food remains hot for a long time. For drinking, the ink leaves are folded to make a lamp and the drink.

TECHNIQUE OF LIGHTING FIRE:

In the remote areas of Abujhmad, primitive techniques are used to light fire. For this, two torn pieces of bamboo are taken, which are called 'lock'. The length of the first one is 2 feet, which is torn from the middle till half distance and a small piece of stone is placed on it, so that there is a gap between the two sides of the bamboo. It is placed on the stone and dry leaves are placed under the bamboo. After this, the second piece of bamboo, whose length is about 132 feet, is peeled with a knife and made suitable for rubbing the bamboo. After this, pressing the bamboo placed on the stone with the knee, with the help of the second bamboo, it is rubbed fast a little ahead of the piece of stone placed on the bamboo with both the hands. Due to friction, the sawdust of bamboo starts falling down and due to friction, fire is produced in the sawdust, due to which the dry leaves kept below start burning. After this, the fire is lit elsewhere by removing the firewood. This method is quite laborious. It is used to roast meat obtained from hunting in the forests.

TRANSPORT AND TRANSPORTATION:

Abujhmad is a forest area with dense hills. Due to this, there is a lack of means of transportation and transport here. Abujhmadiyas come and go on foot on footpaths. Due to the abundance of mountains in Abujhmad area, bullock cart transportation is also difficult. Abujhmadiyas transport essential goods by keeping baskets on the head and by Kaanvad on the shoulders. Bridges of footpaths, stones and wood have been built for the transportation of these goods. Abujhmadias complete the journey from their village to Orchha, Narayanpur, Sonpur markets by foot, for which they have to travel for one to three days. In these markets, they bring collected materials like tamarind, flowers, outer cocoons etc. and obtain their daily needs through sale or exchange. In some areas, Abujhmadias are using bicycles, tractors and other vehicles for transportation, but this is very less.

FOOD AND DRINK:

Abujhmaria members are omnivores. Agragadias eat paddy, korara, kodo, kutki rice produced by permanent and cultivated agriculture. They use urad, moong, matti seeds as pulses with rice. They also eat various vegetables like kumhada, gourd, surai, jisambhaji, wagon, bitter gourd, papaya, many types of green leafy vegetables, tubers like bitter samaati, kaksamaati, padmaati, kosamati, befamati etc. Along with this, they give importance to non-vegetarian food. In their food, bhat, pej is an essential part, it is called 'gato' and 'java'. Abujhmarias obtain meat by individual and collective hunting. Moa, rabbit, deer, kotari are prominent among them. Anujhmarias consume meat of domestic animals like chicken, bull, goat, pig etc. Abujhmarias use less oil as compared to Dandagi Madias and eat only after boiling. They use salt, chilli and turmeric as spices.

Abujhmadias use sulphi, alcohol and Chhind juice for intoxication and tobacco and bidi for smoking. There is abundance of sulphi trees in the southern part of Abujhmad, from which they extract sulphi drink and drink it. Earlier, the villages of Abujhmad were of a shifting nature. Due to this, there are many sulphi trees in the former village area. In the morning and evening, all the male members of the village bring sulphi drink in 'Mukka' (vessel made by drying gourd) from the sulphi trees planted by them from the old village (Padar) area and sit together and drink sulphi by making a chipdi of the leaves of sulphi pauj toda (siyadi). They call this collective meeting Bhumkal. Apart from this, sulphi is also available in the house, which is consumed by all the members of the family. Sulfi drink is available for four to six months in a year. Along with sulphi, they consume chhind juice. It is extracted by peeling the upper part of the trunk of the chhind tree, which is consumed by the members of the Abujhmadia tribe. Alcohol has an important place in Abujhmadia life. It is used prominently on all major social, religious, political occasions. Abujhmadias themselves make Mahua alcohol in their homes by distillation method.

SOCIAL STRUCTURE:

Social structure refers to the permanent pattern of the internal organization of the group, that is, the entire activities of social relations found among the members of the group. This network of social relations gives a basic form to a society and limits social behavior. Abujhmaad is the socio-cultural area of the Abujhmadia tribe. Family is the smallest unit of Abujhmadia social structure. Relatives of the family live in the same or some nearby villages. The combined form of these kin families is called 'Tanda' (family or clan). Its members are blood relatives and clearly know their relations with each other. There are many clans in 'Mand' (clan). Many clans are included in 'Katta' (gotra). The entire Agujhamadia gotras have been divided into two arghash, 'Abkomama' and 'Dadabhai' for the regulation of marital and social relations.

Traditional Means of Livelihood of Abujhmadia Tribe:

Food, clothing and shelter are the primary needs of man and man constantly strives to fulfill these needs, which he does for himself and his dependents. In human societies, man fulfills these needs through collective activities. “Economy is the regulation and organization of human relations and human efforts to fulfill more and more day-to-day needs of life with minimum effort. It is an attempt to satisfy unlimited goals (needs) with limited means in a systematic way.” (Majumdar and Madan, 1956) The Abujhmadia tribe knows how to build a Manda (grain storage house) for storing grains near their houses. It is made like four or six wooden scaffoldings. The wood is slightly above the ground. A bamboo pole is placed around it, so that the goods kept inside remain safe. A roof is built on top of it. For protection from wild animals, Abujhmadia members build “Pad Guda” (pig house), Konda Guda (cow and bull house) and “Ati Lon” (goat house) for domestic animals near their houses. Abujhmadias use Kosara, Kodo-Kutki, rice, maize, green gram, urad dal and vegetables as food. Rice and Paaj are essential in their food. Abujhmadias obtain meat by fishing and individual and collective hunting. Abujhmadias also eat meat of domestic animals like chicken, goat, pig etc. Their daily food includes many kinds of vegetables and roots obtained from the forest. Abujhmadias consume alcohol Sulphi Ras and Chhindras for intoxication. Sulphi and Chhindras are available for four to six months in a year. Abujhmadia families make alcohol in their homes by distillation from Mahua. Alcohol has an important place in Abujhmadia life. It is used on all major social, religious, political and entertainment occasions. (Repository. Tribal.gov.in) Concept of property: Abujhmadia tribe considers their own village, Pedda land, water source, Ghotul, temple, forest, mountain as their property. Abujhmadia tribe keeps on migrating due to Pedda agriculture. This fixed area of land is the public property of Abujhmadias.

The property acquired by the family of Abujhmadia tribe is consumed by all the members of the family, which is consumed after the property is distributed by the Bhumi Pujari. Also, animals, household useful items, hunting tools, agricultural produce, trees etc. are considered as family property. Also, the items made or purchased by oneself such as bow and arrow, clothes, jewellery, axe etc. are considered personal property and on the death of a person, these items are burnt or buried along with the person, which paves the way for the person's salvation, such is the belief.

Collection of forests:

Collection of forests is an important resource in Abujhmadia tribes. All the members of the family work in this work throughout the year, in which they mainly get tubers, fruits, flowers, siyadi and sal leaves, dona, siyadi bark, sulfi and chhind juice etc. Among the wild tubers, they mainly collect Kot Samati, Kak Samati, Lek Mati, Pad Mati, Kay Mati, Gala Mati, Nagal Mati, Karko Mati and Tule Mati. Apart from this, they collect Karil, Boda (mushroom), Chapoda (red ant, Matan) etc. for food. Apart from this, from commercial point of view, they collect Sal seeds, Kosa, Phoolbhari, Amla, Char, Tamarind, Ama, Mahua etc.

Hunting:

Abujhmadia tribe hunts individually and collectively throughout the year. Hunting equipments include bow and arrow, gun, slingshot, knife, net etc. They hunt deer, rabbit, kothari, wild boar, wild cock, peacock, sambhar, bear, Nilgai, rat and birds. They hunt collectively during Kakasad days.

Fishing:

Abujhmadia tribe mainly catches fish from rivers and fields. For this work, they use ghari, net, choria, arrow etc.

Animal Husbandry:

Abujhmadia tribe rears cows, bulls, goats, pigs, chickens, etc. They get milk from cows and goats. Bulls are used for agriculture and transportation.

Selection of Agricultural Area:

Abujhmadia tribe practices shifting agriculture which is known as Pedda Agriculture. Its main activities are as follows for the selection of agricultural area, all the male members of the village gather in Ghotul where discussions are held under the leadership of Bhoomi Pujari and Patel in which the date for agricultural land and its worship is decided. After the worship of the agricultural area, marks are made with an axe on both the sides of the land and the agricultural area is divided by the priest as per the need of the family. Different agricultural areas are selected every year. Basis of selection of agricultural land

1. Dense forest area is given priority

2. Land near the village is selected

3. Hill slopes and plain land are given priority

Clearing and burning of forest:

After selection of the land area, the next day all the families of the village go to the agricultural area and start the work of clearing the forest. Trees are cut and set on fire.

Pedda method of agriculture:

After the rains, the male members sow Kosara, while the women sow pulses and vegetables by digging the soil. The soil is dug with a piece of bamboo which is kept near the termite mound near the agricultural land. The Abujhmadia tribe performs all the pujas related to Pedda agriculture on this mound. One month after sowing Kosara, “Murung Goli” (first weeding) is done. One month after this, “Magaya” (second weeding) is done. After a few days, a fence is built around the agricultural field to protect the crops. After the crop ripens, the crop is harvested in the month of October, November and is left to dry for two to three weeks. After drying, the threshing is done with the help of feet and oxen. After threshing, the grain is kept in the storage house (Manda).

CONCLUSION:

Abujhmaria tribe, whose name itself means inscrutable, which cannot be understood. This special backward tribe, residing in such inaccessible places, forests and mountains, has its own unique and incomparable tradition. Even today, bringing development to this inaccessible area seems to be a big problem for the administration. Following their principle of water, forest and land, this tribe considers outside interference in this area as rebellion and revolts against it strongly. Even today, there is hardly any change in the traditional livelihood of this tribe.

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Received on 27.05.2024 Modified on 14.06.2024

Int. J. Ad. Social Sciences. 2024; 12(2):53-58.

DOI: 10.52711/2454-2679.2024.00010