Meriah sacrifice
A Kondh woman in Odisha
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|
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
 India
|
|
| Odisha | 1,627,486 |
| Languages | |
| Kui, Kuvi | |
| Religion | |
| traditional beliefs, Sarnaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
Dongria Khonds (also spelled Kondha, Kandha, Khondho etc.) are a Munda ethnic group and indigenous tribal people of India. They are a designated Scheduled Tribe in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and West Bengal. Traditionally hunter-gatherers, they are divided into the hill-dwelling Dongria Khonds and plain-dwelling Dongria Khonds for census purposes; all the Khonds identify by their clan and usually hold large tracts of fertile land but still practise hunting, gathering and slash and burn agriculture in the forests as a symbol of their connection to and ownership of the forest. The Khonds speak the Kui language.
The Dongria Kondha are adept land dwellers exhibiting greater adaptability to the forest environment. However, due to development interventions in education, medical facilities, irrigation, plantation and so on, they are forced into the modern way of life in many ways. Their traditional life style, customary traits of economy political organization, norms, values and world view have been drastically changed over a long period.
The Dongria Khonds speak the Kui language as their mother tongue. It is most closely related to Gondi, Munda, and Kuvi. Kui is a Dravidian language written with the Odia script.
The Dongria Kondh are adept land dwellers exhibiting greater adaptability to the forest and hill environment. However, due to development interventions in education, medical facilities, irrigation, plantation and so on, they are forced into the modern way of life in many ways. Their traditional life style, customary traits of economy political organization, norms, values and world view have been drastically changed in recent times. The traditional Dongria Kondh Society is based on geographically demarcated clans, each consisting of a large group of related families identified by a Totem, usually of a male wild animal. Each clan usually has a common surname, and is led by the Eldest male member of the most powerful family of the clan. All the clans of the Dongria Kondhs owe allegiance to the "Kondh Pradhan", who is usually the leader of the most powerful clan of the Kondhs.
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