13th Congress of the International Society for Folk Narrative Research

Presentation Abstracts

PADHI, Anjali

Tradition and Transition in the Paharia Tribe

Anjali Padhi is unable to attend the congress and present this paper.

The Paharias of Kathpher village, which is 930 feet above sea level, are an atypical and primitive tribe from the Nuapada district in the state of Orissa. Streams, rivulets, thick forest and hilly areas in and around Kathpher make the village inaccessible. Generally the Paharias are conservative, egoistic, and introverted, with strong religious beliefs that influence their day-to-day lives. Despite the fact that they have established harmonious relationships with other castes and creeds, they have maintained their integrity, language, culture and religion.

The Paharias generally grow only maize and beans crops. It is the womenfolk who guard the fields in order protect the crops from animals while the menfolk either go hunting or idle away their time. Women not only work hard in the fields, but also look after the household and cut bamboo to make baskets, their only traditional craft. The Paharias exchange bamboo baskets for rice and salt at nearby Boden Market.

My paper will explore the traditions and transitions of the Paharia tribe, drawing on their oral narratives to shed light on their true spirit, identity, rituals and traditions; how they treat women and protect them from impurity. Presented from a holistic perspective, but with an emphasis on the womenfolk, the paper will attempt to pin down why it is that the Pahrias have been able to maintain their practices, norms and behaviours when other tribes in the same temporal and social space are changing.