PAHARI KORWAS

Category

Details

Tribal Group

Pahari Korwas are classified as Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) by the Government of India.

Region

• They live mainly on the border between Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
• A small number of Korwa are also found in the Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh.

Language

• Mother tongue: Korwa language (also called Ernga or Singli),
• Korwa people call their language “Bhashi” (local language).
• Belongs to the Munda branch of the Austroasiatic language family
• Second languages: Sadri, Chhattisgarhi.

Livelihood

• Small-scale farming, fishing, hunting, and foraging forest produce
• The Korwas mainly practice a form of subsistence agriculture called jhoonga kheti. This method of farming involves trimming the forest to support a lentil crop.

Family Structure and Unique ritual

• Nuclear family structure.
• When a family member dies in the house, it is abandoned, and the family migrates to build a new home elsewhere.

Justice System

Korwa tribe has its own panchayat; justice is administered to lawbreakers in a group meeting, according to societal conventions.

Religion

• Significant gods: Sigri Dev, Gauria Dev, Mahadev (Lord Shiva), Parvati.
• Supreme god of the community: Khudia Rani

Challenges they face in recent times

• Their remote location hinders their access to government schemes and benefits, and as a result Pahari Korwas perform very low on health and education parameters.
• Economically as well, a majority of the Pahari Korwa households fall below the poverty line.

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Consider the following states:

1. Chhattisgarh
2. Jharkhand
3. Uttar Pradesh

Pahari Korwas tribes are found in how many of the above states?

A. Only one

B. Only two

C. All three

D. None

Answer: C

Explanation:

They live mainly on the border between Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. A small number of Korwa are also found in the Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh.