The Sauria Paharia people (also known as Maler Paharia) are a tribal people of 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...

 in India

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 are found mostly in Santhal Parganas

Santhal Parganas

Santhal Pargana division constitutes one of the five administrative units known as the divisions of Jharkhand state in eastern India.-Origin of name:...

.

Link with Oraons

According to Oraon

Oraon

The Oraon उरांव or Kurukh कुड़ुख tribe , also spelled Uraon, Oran, or Oram, are tribal aborigines inhabiting various states across central and eastern India as well as Bangladesh...

 traditions, when they were driven out of their home in the Son

Son River

Son River of central India is the largest of the Ganges' southern tributaries. A British 1850s diary shows that the river was written in English as Soane.-Course:...

 valley, the main group migrated towards Palamu

Palamu division

Palamu division is one of the five divisions of Jharkhand state in eastern India. This division comprises three districts: Garhwa, Latehar and Palamu. Medininagar town is the administrative headquarters of the division. This division was created on 2 May, 1992.-Notes:...

 but a smaller group moved down the Gangetic valley till they reached Rajmahal Hills

Rajmahal Hills

Rajmahal Hills are hills formed from rocks dating from the Jurassic Period and named after the town of Rajmahal which lies to the east in the state of Jharkhand in India. The hills are oriented in a north-south axis with an average elevation of 200–300 m . The River Ganges meanders around the...

, where they settled mostly in Damin-i-koh

Damin-i-koh

Damin-i-koh was the name given to the forested hilly areas of Rajmahal Hills broadly in the area of present Sahebganj, Pakur and Godda districts in the Indian state of Jharkhand.-History:...

. The language of the Sauria Paharias is closely linked to that of the Oraons.

Demographics

Sauria Paharias are listed as a primitive tribe and have a population of around 30,000 in Jharkhand, with a possible negligible population in West Bengal. They constitute less than 1 per cent of the tribal population in Jharkhand.

Society

Sauria Paharias resort to shifting cultivation

Shifting cultivation

Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned. This system often involves clearing of a piece of land followed by several years of wood harvesting or farming, until the soil loses fertility...

. They lead family lives.

The Saurias are divided into three distinct cultural groups, namely the Probia, the Bare and the Chete.