SMILING TRIBE- THE JUANGS.

The Agri activities carried out by my organisation have sometimes brought forth important observations which form the basis of some new understanding of peoples life and culture,moreso if they belong to important ,endangered tribe like The Juangs. My brief interaction with some of them back in 2008 increased my quest for knowing about them albeit helped by our continuous agri activities in the areas of Banspal,Telkoi & Harichandanpur of Keonjhar district . Their simple lifestyle tempered with relegious colouring,smiling faces despite rigours of jungle life are deeply etched in my mind. The Juangs are an important tribe among 46 tribes in the district of Keonjhar. They trace their birth to the Hills of Gonasika,from where river baitarani originates The word Juang means 'Man'.Infact they are also known as Patra-Savaras(leaf) As we are all aware from the history of ancient times the Savaras used to dress themselves up in Leaves.Their own dialect is known as Kolarian,but constant integration and mingling have made them speak a distinct oriya. Their habitat is constantly on move because they find it inauspicious to settle permanently anywhere.The Juangs are primarily patrilineal and monogamy is commonly prevalent and more importantly Levirate &soroate type of marriages are in existence The Juang life is always in consonance with the nature and they pray The Sun God and Earth Goddess.The Gramshree is the presiding deity of the village All their joyous and relegious activities are marked by dancing and singing with the Drum (changu) being the main attraction The Juangs are divided into two distinct groups known as Bandhu & kutumba and marriage within the same clan is considered incestuous What I found very interesting is the division of labor among male & female While adult males undertook strenuous activities like ploughing and hoeing and even watching the crops at night (incidentally couple of persons died when wild bear attacked them in our maize area) ,the cleaning of seeds for sowing,weeding,and harvesting are done by the ladies Their celebratory approach to life standout and their societal norms are as formalized as ours. One can only marvel at the fact that our ancient tribes are as developed as ours with a heightened life quotient satisfaction level than us. As I conclude memories pleasant are deeply etched in my mind and longing to be with the smiling faces once again.