Pahariya Tribe

April 15, 2024

Jharkhand’s Pahariya tribe aims to achieve seed independence by depositing native varieties in community-led banks.

About Pahariya Tribe:

They live mainly in the states of Jharkhand and West Bengal. There are also scattered groups of them in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha.
They practise jhum or shifting cultivation that involves clearing land by burning vegetation for farming for a few years.
In Jharkhand, there are two types of Pahariyas.
- Mal Pahariya: These people live in the southern hills of Damin-i-koh and in the south and east of Santhal Parganas. They are a race of Proto-Ostroloid.
- Shauria Pahariya (or Maler Paharia): They are mostly found in Santhal Parganas.
- Their main residential place was in the area of Karnataka. At present, they live in mountains of Rajmahal and Santhal Pargana. Their own language is “Malto”.
Religious Practices:
- They worship their household, clan and village deities like Mait, Maa, Gangadi, Sunadi, Rupadi, Budharaj.
Language: They speak their own Pahariya language at home. Their language is influenced by Havli and Chharisgarhi.