Kudmi Mahato

Kudmi Mahato
Regions with significant populations
Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, Nepal, and Bangladesh
Languages
Native language – Kudmali/Kurmali
Secondary language – Hindi, Odia, Bengali
Religion
Hinduism[1]
Sarna Dharam[2]

The Kudmi Mahato are a tribal community in the states of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha of India. They are primarily agriculturalist.[3]

Classification

Kudmi were classified as a Notified Tribe by the British Raj under the terms of the Indian Succession Act introduced in 1865 as they have customary rules of succession.[4]: 110  Kudmi of Chotanagpur are different from Kurmi of Gangetic plain.[4] According to Mahanta (2003) kudmi follow totemism which stamps them as Dravidian descent and resembles to Dravidian tribe around them according to book The Tribes and Castes of Bengal (1891) written by Herbert Hope Risley.[4]: 113 [5] Subsequently, in 1913, they were classified as a Primitive tribe. Then they were omitted from the list of communities listed as tribes in the 1931 census.[6]

They were not in the list of Scheduled Tribes drawn up in 1950. They are included in the list of Other Backward Classes in the States of Jharkhand,[7] West Bengal[8] and Odisha.[9][10] In 2004, the Government of Jharkhand recommended that they should be listed as a Scheduled Tribe rather than Other Backward Class.[11] The Tribal Research Institute of Government of India recommended against this proposal, claiming they are a sub-caste of the Kunbi and thus different to tribal people.[12][13][14] Therefore, In 2015, the Government of India refused to approve the recommendation of Jharkhand government to list the Kudmi Mahato as Schedule Tribe.[14]

The language of Kudmi is Kudmali/Kurmali. But according to study, Kurmali language have vocabulary which is neither Dravidian nor Austroasiatic. The Kudmi people once spoke a distinct language, neither Munda nor Dravidian but also not Indo-Aryan, and at some point switched to the regional Indo-Aryan lingua franca of that time, leaving a distinct substrate in their new language.[15]

In April 2023, a Kudmi organization of West Bengal and Jharkhand engaged in rail blockages and demanded Scheduled Tribe status,[16] a demand which was opposed by some scheduled tribes.[17][18]

Religion and culture

Social organisations of this tribal community have agitated for scheduled tribe status and recognition of their traditional Sarna religion.[19] During the 20th century, some Kudmis of Chhotanagpur underwent a social change of Kshatriyaization along with the Kurmi of North India[20]

Historically, the Kudmi Mahatos have been a noble class who were landowning zamindars.[21] They exhibit upper-caste status[22][23] and performed priestly functions in the temples situated in western Rarh region.[24]

The traditional occupation of Kudmi is agriculture. Kudmi are divided into 81 clans or gushti including Keshria, Hindowar, Bagh Banwar, Nagwar, Punoriar, Bangsoar, Sankhwar, Kanbindha, Katiar, Dumriar, Karwar etc.[14][25][26]

They are nature worshipers.[4]: 107  Bari Puja, Karam, Chait Parab, Jitiya, Bandna, Tusu Parab are some of the major festivals of Kudmis. They worship Budha Baba in Madapthan and Garam at garamthan. Jhumair and Chhau are their folk dance.[27][28]

Genetics

According to National Institute of Biomedical Genomics(NIBMG), the Kudmi Mahatos genetically cluster together with other Indo-European speaking populations of Bengal & Orissa region[29] indicating less genetic distance between both the populations. The study also identifies the Kudmi population as Indo-European speaking who have a geographic proximity with the Mundari speaking populations, also mentioned by Genome India Project (GIP).[30]

Although clustered together with other Indo-European populations such as Rahri Brahmins, Kayastha, Mahishya and Oriya Brahmin, they show a considerable affinity with the Austroasiatic populations.[29]

Roles in Indian's freedom struggle

The Kudmi Mahato community played a role in various rebellions in India's freedom struggle. In the Quit India Movement, many Kudmi Mahatos were martyred. Kudmis also actively participated in the non-cooperation movement. Five Kudmi Mahato youths were martyred in this movement. These are Gokul Mahato, Mohan Mahato, Sahadeb Mahato, Ganesh Mahato.[31] Many were also jailed. Girish Mahato, Nanku Chandra Mahato, Govinda Mahato, Dasharath Mahato, Chunaram Mahato, Mathan Mahato and others were imprisoned in Hazaribagh Jail during Mahatma Gandhi's civil disobedience movement. Padak Mahato was also imprisoned in Bhagalpur Jail. Sagar Mahato, Bhajahari Mahato, Bhim Mahato, Satyakinkar Mahato, Mohini Mahato were imprisoned for doing satyagraha in 1941. Then in 1942, Satyakinkar Mahato was imprisoned from Manbazar during the Quit India movement. Chunaram Mahato and Govinda Mahato were martyred during the siege of Manbazar police station in 1942. Among the women Bhavini Mahato played a prominent role. Jagadish Mahato of (Dhanbad-Parabasnia) also took an active part in the Quit India movement. Many others are also involved.[32][33][34][35][36]

Notable people

King

Freedom Fighters

Politicians

Athletes

See also

Footnotes

References

  1. ^ "Social Mobility Movement of Kudmi-Mahato in Jhargram District of West Bengal: A Sociological Case Study" (PDF). International Journal of Research on Social and Natural Sciences. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
  2. ^ "Kudmis relax road blockade, to meet chief secretary today". The Indian Express. 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2025-03-09.
  3. ^ "Bandh in Jharkhand as Kurmi outfits seek inclusion in ST list". Indian express. 24 April 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d Bera, Gautam Kumar (2008). The Unrest Axle: Ethno-social Movements in Eastern India. Mittal Publications. ISBN 978-81-8324-145-8.
  5. ^ Māhāta, Paśupati Prasāda (2000). Sanskritization Vs Nirbakization. Sujan Publications. ISBN 978-81-85549-29-3.
  6. ^ Lalan Tiwari (1995). Issues in Indian Politics. Mittal. p. 340. ISBN 9788170996187.
  7. ^ "Central List of Castes under Category OBC for Jharkhand" (PDF). jharkhand.gov.in. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  8. ^ "List of Other Backward Classes in West Bengal". wbcbc.gov.in. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  9. ^ "OBC List (Central)" (PDF). stsc.odisha.gov.in. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  10. ^ "Kurmis in tribal status cry". telegraphindia.
  11. ^ Deogharia, Jaideep (25 November 2004). "Cabinet recommends inclusion of Kudmis in ST list". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  12. ^ Singh, K. S. (2006). Tribal Movements in India. Ajay Kumar Jain. p. 116. ISBN 978-81-7304-704-6. Another remarkable thing is that the Kurmis of Chota nagpur have no sub-division, no sub-caste or even no sub groups. This singleness of the unity of the community totally differentiates it from the Kurmis of Bihar who are divided into sub-castes, e.g., the Awadhia, Ghamaila, Kochaisa, Dhanuk, Joshwar, Sindriya, etc. This lack of division singularly confirms that the Kurmis of Chotanagpur have migrated somewhere from central part of India, where they have their original kinsmen, Kunbis. .. The totemistic organization of the Kurmis further indicate that Kurmis of Chotanagpur are distinct and different from the Kurmis of North Bihar who have titular gotras.
  13. ^ Singh, Ronit Kumar (2022-09-22). "Kurmi Community Continues 'Rail Roko' Protest Over Demand For ST Status, Train Services Affected". thelogicalindian.com. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
  14. ^ a b c "कुरमी को ST का दर्जा तभी, जब TRI अनुशंसा करे, लेकिन रिसर्च वाला ही कोई नहीं है". www.bhaskar.com.
  15. ^ Paudyal, Netra P.; Peterson, John (2020-09-01). "How one language became four: the impact of different contact-scenarios between "Sadani" and the tribal languages of Jharkhand". Journal of South Asian Languages and Linguistics. 7 (2): 327–358. doi:10.1515/jsall-2021-2028. ISSN 2196-0771. S2CID 233732014.
  16. ^ "Demand for ST status: State puts ball in the Centre's court, Kudmis plan bigger stir". Indian express. 12 April 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  17. ^ "Tribals oppose parties supporting Kurmi's demand for ST status in Jharkhand". TimesofIndia. 7 March 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  18. ^ "Kudmi stir for ST status angers tribals in Jharkhand". Lagatar24. 26 September 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  19. ^ "Behind the Kudmis' agitation in Bengal and Jharkhand for Scheduled Tribe status". The Indian Express. 2023-04-13. Retrieved 2024-04-11.
  20. ^ Pinch; R., William (1996). Peasants and monks in British India. Berkeley : University of California Press. p. 89. A striking feature of these peasant based social movements in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is the quality of their leadership. A new educated elite, which had begun to penetrate the lower and middle rungs of government service, provided the organizational frame for the status claims among communities formerly identified as servile. This is most evident among Kurmis, the first peasant community to organize a campaign for Kshatriya identity. By the 1890s the Kurmi-Kshatriya movement was being coordinated on a broad, transregional level.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  21. ^ Mahato, Lakshmi Kanta (December 2022). "Socio-Political Mobilization of Kudmis in Junglemahal Region of West Bengal" (PDF). International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research. 4 (6): 3. The major community of this region is Kudmi community and it is historically proven that they are rebellious in nature and are reluctant to be a slave, in other words they like to be independent and non-interference of outsiders, preferring the profession of cultivation. As they are one of the major community and are cultivators, owned a vast track of land. It is widely believed that if the said community was being included in the Schedule Tribe list, it was impossible to acquire their land to establish major industrial city like Bokaro, Dhanbad, and Jamshedpur.
  22. ^ Sarkar, Soma (2022). "Bhumij in a heterogeneous society: Negotiating hierarchies and access to water in the Jungle Mahals of West Bengal". Indigenous People and Nature. pp. 241–256. doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-91603-5.00019-1. ISBN 978-0-323-91603-5. The Kurmi Mahato people exhibit an upper-caste status in the Pargela village and in lieu of that treat the Bhumij and scheduled castes in an inferior way.
  23. ^ Sarkar, Soma (2022). "Bhumij in a heterogeneous society: Negotiating hierarchies and access to water in the Jungle Mahals of West Bengal". Indigenous People and Nature. pp. 241–256. doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-91603-5.00019-1. ISBN 978-0-323-91603-5. In the villages in the Jungle Mahal area of Purulia district, most of the villages do not have Brahmins. The Mahatos and Kshatriyas are the upper castes there.
  24. ^ Sarkar, Prabhat Ranjan (1981). "Ráŕh -The Cradle of Civilization, Part 1". Academia.edu: 13. The Kurmi Mahatos of western Ráŕh also performed priestly functions in many such temples.
  25. ^ Man in Biosphere: A Case Study of Similipal Biosphere Reserve. Anthropological Survey of India. 2013. ISBN 9788121211635.
  26. ^ Paty, Chittaranjan Kumar (2007). Forest, Government, and Tribe. Concept Publishing Company. ISBN 978-81-8069-406-6.
  27. ^ Paty, Chittaranjan Kumar (2007). Forest, Government, and Tribe. Concept Publishing Company. ISBN 9788180694066.
  28. ^ "Bandana Festival Of Kudmis Of Eastern India". etribaltribune.
  29. ^ a b Basu, Analabha. "National Institute of Biomedical Genomics" (PDF). pp. 12–15. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  30. ^ "Initial English Annual Report 2022-23" (PDF). Department of Biotechnology. pp. 67–68. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  31. ^ Majumdar, Anis Kumar; Singh, Bhanwar (1997). Regionalism in Indian Politics. Radha Publications. p. 133. ISBN 978-81-7487-094-0.
  32. ^ Singha, Radhika (2020-12-15). The Coolie's Great War: Indian Labour in a Global Conflict, 1914-1921. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-756690-9.
  33. ^ Singh, K. S. (2008). People of India: Bihar (2 pts.). Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN 978-81-85579-09-2.
  34. ^ CHOPRA, P. N. (1969). WHO'S WHO OF INDIAN MARTYRS VOL.I. Ministry of Education and Youth Services, Government of India. ISBN 978-81-230-2180-5.
  35. ^ Māhāta, Paśupati Prasāda (2000). Sanskritization Vs Nirbakization. Sujan Publications. ISBN 978-81-85549-29-3.
  36. ^ Mishra, Asha; Paty, Chittaranjan Kumar (2010). Tribal Movements in Jharkhand, 1857-2007. Concept Publishing Company. ISBN 978-81-8069-686-2.

Sources

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