Lanjia Saora Tribe Culture and Lifestyle in Odisha.

Overview

The Lanjia Saora tribe is a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), which has recently attracted attention due to the changing cultural practices. They are an offshoot of the larger Saora community, which inhabits mostly the hilly forest of Rayagada and Gajapati districts of Odisha.

Origin and Distribution

The Saora tribe is believed to be among the oldest tribal groups in India and they are found in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh. The Lanjia Saora are hilly and are customarily shifting cultivators, and Sudha Saora are plain dwellers and settled and involved in agriculture and wage labour.

Language and Identity

The language of the community is the Saora language that is of the linguistic family of Austroasiatics and the Mundari group. This language is a link with other primeval tribal groups in eastern and central India.

Lifestyle and Cultural Practices.

The Lanjia Saora live by shifting cultivation, foraging and subsistence farming. They have a strong faith in nature, and rituals, music, and dance can be considered an inseparable part of their day. Traditional clothing and artistic activities are the means of cultural identity.

Ornaments and Adaptation Traditional.

The tribe is attributed to a unique jewelry in the form of huge metal earrings, which are placed in swollen ear lobes and tattoos that have geometric and natural designs with religious connotations. Nevertheless, the younger ones are adapting to the use of detachable ornaments and temporary tattoos, which is a reflection of tradition and modernity.

Music and Dances.

Their culture comprises of colorful dances with impromptu songs. They usually play musical instruments such as brass pipes, cymbals, and gongs. The traditional clothing is regularly adorned with crane feathers on turbans, as well as other symbolic components such as umbrellas, swords and peacock plumes.

Exam-Focused Key Points

• Lanjia Saora is an Odisha (Rayagada and Gajapati) PVTG.
• Tribe division; practice shifting cultivation.
• Speak Saora language (Austroasiatic family).
• Characterized by unique ornaments and tattoos.
• Adaptation of culture as observed in the younger generations.

Practice Problems (answered)

Q1. Which state is Lanjia Saora tribe a part of?
Answer: Odisha.

Q2. What kind of tribe is Lanjia Saora?
Response: Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).

Q3. What is the language family of Saora?
Answer: Austroasiatic.

Q4. What is one of the traditional livelihoods of Lanjia Saora?
Answer: Shifting cultivation.