The District Level Committee of Keonjhar in Odisha cleared the hurdle for habitat rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) to the Juanga, a particularly vulnerable tribal group, by approving the claim recently.
About Juanga Tribe:
The Juanga, or Juang, is an indigenous community in India concentrated in Odisha's Keonjhar district.
It is one of the 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) of the total 62 tribes found in Odisha.
Originally known as Patuas because of their traditional attire of leaf skirts, the Juang now prefer clothing bought from local markets.
Language: Juang (Mundari). It belongs to the Austroasiatic language family.
Occupation:
Originally practitioners of shifting cultivation, some of them are now moving to settled agriculture.
Hunting is done occasionally, and Juangs of Pallahara are skilled basket weavers also.
They are skilled in the making of decorative combs and tobacco cases and have also taken to domesticating fowl, pigs, goats and cows to supplement their income.
Political Council:
They have retained their effective traditional political council.
Pradhan is the formal headman of the political council, the post of which is not hereditary, and any senior person having manoeuvring capacity can be selected by the villagers.
Pradhan is expected to offer the final decision in aII secular matters.
Population: Odisha has a 47,095 Juang population as per the Census 2011.
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