Muria people

The Muria are an adivasi (scheduled tribe) of the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, India. They are part of the Gondi people. Traditionally they are economically homogenous and strive to work as a collective. They have mixed-sex dormitories where adolescents are sent to practice premarital sex, sometimes with a single partner and sometimes serially. They have an omnivorous diet, with liquor playing a key role in their society.

Shiva Tosh Das writes that the name Muria comes from the root word mur, which can be translated as either "root" or "permanent"; it may be based on the fact that the Muria are settled, unlike the nomadic Maria.

The Muria prioritize collectiveness. They are divided into five phratries: the Nagvans (Snake Race), Kacchimvans (Tortoise Race), Bakravans (Goat Race), Baghvans (Tiger Race), and Bodminkvans (Fish Race). They are not allowed to eat their totem animal, and must mourn it if one dies.

Male Muria wear clothing similar to that of the Chandrapur District, while the females often dress in simple garments that do not cover the breasts. The style of the garments appears to have been modified after contact with other tribes.

The Muria live in the north-central part of Bastar district, north of the Indravati River, located in Chhattisgarh state in central India. They live in two administrative divisions: the Kondagaon Tehsil in the east and the Narayanpur Tehsil in the west.

Compared to other adivasi, the Muria are relatively prosperous. Their economic stratification has traditionally been homogeneous, with exceptional consumption outside of designated periods, such as feasts, viewed as "socially threatening, , and disruptive"; conspicuous wealth has been considered to cause more problems than it solves. Alfred Gell writes that the disparity between their perception of the ethics of consumption and modern production technology has caused some to have more wealth than they are willing to spend.

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