Korwa people
Encyclopedia
Korba people are one of the scheduled tribes of India
. They live in hills and forest of Chhotanagpur
; the bordering area of Chhattisgarh
and Jharkhand
. They are socially and economically poor (it is estimated that 60% of Korwa people are below the poverty line) and outsiders often look down on them because of this. A small number of Korwa are also found in the Mirzapur District
of Uttar Pradesh
. The Indian Government has implemented several facilities for them, such as roads to their settlements, boys hostels for education, providing agricultural aid, etc.
are found mainly in the southern districts of Mirzapur
and Sonbhadra. Their habitat is a hilly, forested and undulating area. The community has four sub-groups- the Agaria Korwa, Dam Korwa, Dih Korwa and Pahar Korwa. They are further divided into seven exogamous
clans, nsmely the Guleria, Haril, Huhar, Leth, Munda, Mura and Pahari. Most Korwa are still hunter gatherers, and are one of the most isolated of the Uttar Pradesh
tribes. A small number have taken to settled agriculture, and are being assimilated into Hindu
society. However, they have their own tribal deity known as Dih. Each of their settlement contains a shrine to the goddess called a Diwar.
; it is named after their name. Alternative names for this language include Ernga and Singli; however, the Korba people call their language as their Bhashi, which means local language. This language belongs to the Munda
branch of the Austro-Asiatic
language family. Korba people also speak Sadri
and Chhattisgarhi
as their second language.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. They live in hills and forest of Chhotanagpur
Chhotanagpur
Chhotanagpur is an area including the tribal areas of Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, and West Bengal states in India. Many residents of the area identify with the name even though there is no political recognition of the area. A local dialect of Hindi called Nagpuri is common in the area....
; the bordering area of Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh is a state in Central India, formed when the 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking South-Eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained separate statehood on 1 November 2000....
and Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
. They are socially and economically poor (it is estimated that 60% of Korwa people are below the poverty line) and outsiders often look down on them because of this. A small number of Korwa are also found in the Mirzapur District
Mirzapur District
Mirzapur district is one of the 70 districts of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The district is bounded on the north by Sant Ravidas Nagar and Varanasi districts, on the east by Chandauli district, on the south by Sonbhadra district and on the norhwest by Allahabad district. The district...
of Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
. The Indian Government has implemented several facilities for them, such as roads to their settlements, boys hostels for education, providing agricultural aid, etc.
Korwa of Uttar Pradesh
The Korwa tribals in Uttar PradeshUttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
are found mainly in the southern districts of Mirzapur
Mirzapur District
Mirzapur district is one of the 70 districts of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The district is bounded on the north by Sant Ravidas Nagar and Varanasi districts, on the east by Chandauli district, on the south by Sonbhadra district and on the norhwest by Allahabad district. The district...
and Sonbhadra. Their habitat is a hilly, forested and undulating area. The community has four sub-groups- the Agaria Korwa, Dam Korwa, Dih Korwa and Pahar Korwa. They are further divided into seven exogamous
Exogamy
Exogamy is a social arrangement where marriage is allowed only outside of a social group. The social groups define the scope and extent of exogamy, and the rules and enforcement mechanisms that ensure its continuity. In social studies, exogamy is viewed as a combination of two related aspects:...
clans, nsmely the Guleria, Haril, Huhar, Leth, Munda, Mura and Pahari. Most Korwa are still hunter gatherers, and are one of the most isolated of the Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
tribes. A small number have taken to settled agriculture, and are being assimilated into Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
society. However, they have their own tribal deity known as Dih. Each of their settlement contains a shrine to the goddess called a Diwar.
Language
The mother tongue of Korba people is KorbaKorwa language
Korwa, or Koraku , is a Munda language of India.Korwa is a dialect continuum. The two principal varieties are Korwa and Koraku , spoken by the Korwa and Kodaku people. The Kodaku in Jharkand call their language "Korwa". Both speak Sadri, Kurukh, or Chhattisgarhi as a second language, or in the...
; it is named after their name. Alternative names for this language include Ernga and Singli; however, the Korba people call their language as their Bhashi, which means local language. This language belongs to the Munda
Munda languages
-Anderson :Gregory Anderson's 1999 proposal is as follows. Individual languages are highlighted in italics.*North Munda **Korku**Kherwarian***Santhali***Mundari*South Munda **Kharia–Juang***Juang***Kharia...
branch of the Austro-Asiatic
Austro-Asiatic languages
The Austro-Asiatic languages, in recent classifications synonymous with Mon–Khmer, are a large language family of Southeast Asia, also scattered throughout India and Bangladesh. The name Austro-Asiatic comes from the Latin words for "south" and "Asia", hence "South Asia"...
language family. Korba people also speak Sadri
Sadri language
Sadri is a branch of Prakrit language and is regarded as a sister language of Oriya, Bengali and Angika. It is spoken in the Indian states of Jharkhand, Orissa and the north of West Bengal, and in Bangladesh....
and Chhattisgarhi
Chhattisgarhi language
Chhattisgarhi is the official language in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh and has approximately 17.5 million speakers. It is an East Central Indo-Iranian language with heavy presence of vocabulary and linguistic features from Munda and Dravidian languages...
as their second language.