X. Culture
Linguistic expression of culture
Conversation between Men and Women:
In Kurux the language of men and women differs In Kurṛux language men and women have different styles. In Kurṛux language gender is called as ‘lajje’. There are two types of gender. Faminine gender (Mukka lajje) and Masculine gender (menta lajje). When “male and female talk to each other, it is not like other languages, but in Kurṛux one should remember the feminine and masculine genders. In Kurṛux language, number is of two types. They are Singular and Plural. Such as, in Singular if a female speaks with a male, the speech will be like the following.
Example 1:
1) en kala lagadan - I am going (female) 2) en peeṭ kala lagadan - I am going to market (female) 3) en maṇḍi ona lagadan - I am eating food (female) 4) en asma mukha lagadan - I am eating rotṛi (female)
Example 2:
If a female is talking to a female. 1) en kala lageen - I am going (female to female) 2) en peetṭ kala lageen - I am going to market 3) en manṇdḍi ona lageen - I am eating food 4) en asma mukha lageen - I am eating roṭi. Note: In Kurṛux while speaking masculine can be used as feminine also.
Younger brother’s wife, avoids touching her husbands elder brother by giving anything on a leaf. In the same way this habit is followed as far as wife’s elder sister is concerned. After this day, it means that those persons are left; meaning they cannot look at them. This tradition is followed after the marriage and first night. In this way some after relationships are also treated. Liked the father follows the same tradition with his Son’s wife and the son follows the same with his wife’s mother.
In Oraon society one can see pleasure and friendship relationships, like, grandfather can joke / moke at the grandson (as a friend), as well as grandmother with the grand daughter. Husband can have such a jovial relationship with the Sisters and brothers of his wife. There is a marriageable relationship with the sister of his wife. In the same way the sister of the husband and the brother of the wife can have the relationship. Wife cannot call the husband by name. She can call him by the father of the son/daughter. Like that the ladies in the neighborhood also address a man as ‘the father of son/daughter.
Sometimes the husband calls the wife by her name. But this is prohibited. Just as one address ‘yaar’ to a friend, in oraon language ‘Sangi’ or ‘Sahiyari’ is used. In the oraon community of Chhotanagpur this kind tradition is called as ‘Sahiyaari’. The people of this relationship mingle in a festival day.
Besides these, in this Karam festival also they do this. When they have this kind of relationship they exchange their feelings. When the men has relationship with men, that is called Sangi and when the relationship is between a man and woman it is called Sahiya.
Politeness Expression:
In the oraon community, the guest get very important respect people give special respects to the family members and others. According to age and relationship, there are different addresses. On this basis, people give respects to those whom they meet on the way or coming to the house, and they accept the respect from them also.
When somebody comes to a house, first of all he is asked to enter and into the house and for his sitting a mat is given. After his sitting, the house owner’s wife with the other members of the family will bring water in a tumbler and oil in a small vessel with a plate, and they smear oil on the leg and wash it. If she considers him as father-in-law she will not wash his legs. But she gives water for washing.
After this washing, the guest gives money to the lady money to show has her gratitude. If it is an elder man, keeping the left hand an the elbow of the right hand washing the leg. The guests, man or woman, keep the hand on the head of the person who washes the legs and bless them. If the guest is of the same age or equal in status, they keep the articles near the person.
This is same for both man & women. The person who doesn’t follow the regulations is prohibited from entering society/associations. In this way, the social togetherness is very carefully maintained.
Tradition of Kurux (The way of life):
The oraon of Chhotanagpur have been living there since ages. They reside in the hilly region and have built houses the re. They do not make any discrimination like caste, creed and have lived together harmoniously. They have a lot of respect and brotherly feeling within themselves.
The oraon have a very simple way of life and their skin tone is on the darker sight. One can recognize them very easily due to their dark complexion. They have curly hair and in order to look beautiful, they decorate themselves. Ornaments are worn around the neck, on the hands and legs. However, sometimes they are mistaken to be the kurux tribe but due to their extensive jewelry then stand apart.
The oraon ladies use ornaments around their neck, hand and leg. These oraon tribes are different from the kurux.
The oraon continue to be hunter gathers and even their lively hood by hunting which is also their means of food. They also practice agriculture, where they woke up at 4 o’clock in the morning, both men and women go to the fields and start their work. While the men plough the field the women remove the weeds. This has been their general practice. In this way the tradition of oraon tribes goes on.
Oraon people living together is from the village only. There are many reasons for this social association. Marriage, religious, birth, death etc. are the reasons why they had a social togetherness. For the fulfillment of these, here people establish a social associations. In the village if anything happens, the people of the village join themselves and do all the activities together. In these the associations is for male who are in the age group 35 and above; and the other is for the young of the age group of 14 – 25. The boys and girls will have their own associations. These are called as ‘ ’. These houses are constructing with mud. Nobody can burn these houses. In the village there is a religious place also. In these places occasionally celebrate festivals.
For these, there will be, to make the festival very successful. They will celebrate well and make happy the good and goddesses. This traditions is continuing till today.
In the village, there may be the associations of male, female and adults, these are being run by one important leader of the community. This person is called as ‘Kotwar’.
In these associations there are a lot of rules and regulations ; and all these are run strictly by him. If a person, do not follow the rules and violate it, the person is kept away from the society, till the person confesses his mistakes. Nobody, keeps any relationship with that person. Moreover, he cannot sit, stand or talk to anybody. Sometimes, if necessary, financial fine may also be taken from him.
The person who doesn’t follow the regulations is prohibited from entering society / associations. In these way, the social togethers very carefully maintained.
Consonants:
The consonants are distributed under the following classes. Latter, which frequently interchange exhibited together.
| Gutturals | k | kh, kh | g | gh |
| Palatals | c | ch | jy | jh |
| Cerebrals | ṭ | ṭh | ḍ, r | ḍh,rh |
| Dentals | t | th | d | dh |
| Labials | p | ph | b | bh |
| Liquids | l | m | n | r |
| Sibilants etc. | s | h | w |
Gutturals - k and g have the same sound as in the English words keep and game. ‘kh’ and gh differ from the corresponding unaspirated consonants only by the very sight h sound which terminates them, a rule which holds good of all aspirates (1).
‘kh’ though totally different in pronunciation from ‘kh’ is really the same latter, as is proved by the facility with which they interchange (z).
Vowels:
Every oraon vowel is of two kinds, long and short. In Hindi e and o ask always long : this is not the case in oraon. Case should be taken to give vowels their proper quantity, as the quantity of a vowel is frequently the role, or the main, difference between one oraon word and another.
The following is a list of characters and key-words used to show the pronunciation.
ā̵ ----------- as in -------- Father, khā̵ṛ, river a -------------------------- bat, khall, field
ō -------------------------- F abbe, erna, to see, ‘pēsnā̵’ to order. Not unfrequently, however, ē is given a sound half way between a in fate and a in case the chief point is that the round be well prolonged.
e ---------------------- as in bet ‘eṛna’ to call; pesnā̵, to pick up ί --------------------- caprice, alί, woman, binkō, star i ------------------------ bit ‘adige’ to her, antilē, then ō ------------------------- as in ------ both. ‘corō’ Sparrow, cottōmouse.
O never takes the sharp sound which it has in English and French. The oraon o, though as short in quantity as in the word box, always retains the flat sound which it has in the English words bag, both, this kaon ‘I will go’ ‘bar’ or, they will come.
ū ------------------------- as in --------- bture. ‘belūr’ bockhead ; ‘pūrnā̵’ to become delevious. u ------------------------- as in ---------- bull, ‘muccnă to close; uinā̵ to put.
Diphthongs:
Any vowel followed by, and pronounced in one syllable with, the y or w sound is called a diphthong. The name of diphthongs is extended to the cases in which y and w are sounded e and o respectively.
In oraon nearly all vowels short as long, nasalized or not can be mated into diphthongs. Ex tainā, teinā, to send. Vinā to place ; baioy thou wilt came Ambrāy Mango – grive, khōynā to measure, lēwkhnā, to bend down, pūȳdnā to blossom, bhāwri circle, urāw ; oraon, poēnā (For pōȳna) to rain.
Nasalized vowels and diphthongs:
It frequently happens that words. which in one or more oraon village, are pronounced with some strongly nasalized vowel, are uttered with a pure vowel – sound in other parts of the oraon speaking country.
Nasalization is symbolized by-putting the sing ~ above the affected vowel or diphthongs.
Long a and o. when nasalized = (ā ō) are pronounced as an and on in the French words puissant, bon. eg: manyā, above, muwā ghost; hō also; ōyba ana to bellow.
The Noun:
1) Probably history of the oraon noun. The evolution of the oraon noun in the past is necessarily a matter of uncertainly. The following conjunctures, based on a survey of its present day lexigraphy and syntax, are offered to the student as likely to help him in reducing to order and accounting to himself rationally for a mass of heterogeneous facts, which might otherwise appear confusing.
First epoch –
In the origin, all oraon nouns consisted of roots pure and simple, devoid of any formative suffixes. These ‘root-nouns’ are monosyllabic and invariably ended in one consonant or more.
‘ āl. man khēkn ‘i’ (1) earth ‘ mukk ’ woman ‘neir’ snake ‘ pell ’ gire amm water ‘ kukk’ head
Second epoch –
Many of those root-nouns, especially those denoting persons, of the female sex and domestic animals, came in time to be lengthened by a long vowel. Thus a new set of nouns, disyllabic and constituting secondary roots, was introduced into the language. As they inherited the full substantive value of the original nouns. They, as a rule, brought the latter into discuss.
kukk - ō boy Dharm -ē God all - ā dog paeg – i oldman add - ō bullock pace - ō old woman.
Third epoch -
The need of lexigraphical numbers on the one hand, and the convenience on the other hand of having some characteristic for names of persons, led next to the adoption of two suffixes. Names of men and women are given the suffix –S in the singular, and the suffix –r in the plural. (1) it is from that time that the full forms ‘alas’ man; ‘paegir’ old man; ‘kubbos’, boy; etc. are to be dated.
Names of irrational and in animate beings were left untouched, both as regards form and range of meaning. But the significative power of such noun forms of the 1st and 2nd epoch as denoting individual persons. ‘Al’ For instance, become hence forward unable to convey the concrete ideas ‘a man’ the man, and one of its two signification that of ‘man’ (generically and universally) (?)
Fourth epoch –
In one point the last reform proved a failure. The letter –S as a suffix to names of women in the singular was dropped and these names reverted (For that number only) to their 2nd epoch form.
It may be noted here that, as the letter –d (ending ofād: she, it) had not been utilized in the linguistical reform of the 3rd epoch, it come later on to be selected as a mark of slight emphasis for names, not of women only (be it observed), but of irrational and inanimate beings as well. Thus ‘paceod’ the old woman : ‘nerrad’, the snake.
Model of Deolention:
Nom. Kuppas boy (1) the boy Voc. Kukko boy Gen. Kukkosgahi Of boy Of the boy Dat. Kukkosge to boy to the boy Acc. Kubbosin (a) boy the boy Abl. Kubbosti by, From boy by, from, the boy Loc. Kukkosint ˉi Out of boy Out of the boy Kukkoshū in boy in the boy Singular
Nom. Kubbor Some (boys) the boys boys Voc. Kubbōrō - boys ! - Gen. Kubhorgahi of (some) boys of the boys of boys Dat. Kubborge to (soem) boys to the boys to boys Acc. Kubbōrin (some) boys the boys boys Abl. Kubborti by from boys by, from the by from boys boy Loc. Kubborinti from among from among from among (some) boys boys boys Kubborinti in (some) boys in the boys in boys Plural
The following are given as matter for practice. ‘Alas’ the man ; plural ‘alar’ ‘Dharmes’ God ; plural ‘Dharmer’ ‘Paegis’ Old man ; plural ‘Paegir’ ‘Bisua’ Merchant ; plural ‘b ˉi sur’
Collective plural:
(a) It is Idiomatic to attach the plural sign –r to a group of similarly related nouns, each of which stands in the singular number.
Ex. - Emhai pacco Paegirahi erpā ; our old folks, house. ‘I Kuboi Kubboargahi calan ; the behaviour of this boy and this girl.
(b) l - guṭṭhiar : as a plural sign (instead of -r) conveys the notion of a loose collectivity, the elements of which may be rather heterogeneous. Thus ‘haiggutthiar’ will mean either the clergy, or the priest with his family, his assistants and hangers on.
(c) ‘ –bagar ’ is the usual plural sign in alluding to one’s own family relations. ‘Engdābagar’ plural of ‘engdas, my son and : ‘engdābagar’ (plural of engdas, my son and : engdā, my daughter) means my children. ‘Nambai babbābagar, our father and his people (brothers and friends). When speaking of somebody else family folks, it is polite to use ‘gutthiar’ instead of bagar. Which has to the oraon ear too homely a ring.
(d) ‘jātyar’ (properly the plural of jatyas’ a man of this or that caste) is also used as a plural sign, and then imports, together with the idea of collectivity, distinct reference to special nature or character.
‘āljātyar khi’ū talnar’, men are mortat ‘B ˉi sūj ātyar thabnar’, merchants are a cheating set.
Numerals:
Cardinal Numbers:
The oraon system of counting is the vigesimal one. The numerals upto 20 constitute the units : are higher figures are expressed by scores and parts of score, with regard to the manner of enouncing the units it is necessary to distinguish between abstract and concrete numeration.
1) In abstract numeration, i.e. when used without any accompany –ing noun, the units are enounced by their Hindi names.
1) Ik 9) nau 2) dui 10) dās 3) t ˉi n 11) egārā 4) cār 12) bārā 5) pāe 13) tērā 6) char 14) caudā 7) Sāt 15) pandrā 8)āth 16) sōrā
Reflexive Pronouns:
1) Reflexive pronouns of the first and second persons. When it is desired to lay stress on the fact that a pronominal subject of the first or second person performs a certain action is identical with its subject, the subject or the object is rendered by the emphasized form of the personal pronouns. First or second person.
These Reflexive pronouns are as follows.
(a) ēnim or ˉi nim myself ēmim or ˉi mim, ourselves
ninim, thyself (person spoken to excluded)
nāmim, ourselves
(person spoken to included)
nimim, yourselves
Demonstrative Pronouns and Adjectives:
Pronouns - The oraon demonstrative pronoun has three slightly – different forms. One of them may be called ‘Proximate form’, the other two remote forms.
The Verb:
1) The oraon verb possesses, like the Greek Verb, three voices : Active, Middle and Passive. The same set of inflectional endings serves for the three corresponding conjugations. As a consequence the oraon voices differ from one another by mere modifications of the verbal base, or Radical, common to all three.
Nothing could be plainer, more removed from complexity, than the conjugation of the middle and passive voices. This feature of simplicity is conspicuously absent, however from the conjugation of the active voice, in the later, alternations of the Radical are both numerous and of varied types, a different set of such alterations affecting each different group of tenses or persons. Moreover, in the conjugation of almost any particular verb, two or three of these sets are found combined together, while no apparent low seems to govern these combination themselves.
However, all these modifications of the Radical have one common feature. The almost invariably occur at the end of the Radical, and mostly, consist of intercalations between it and the flections. It looks as if, varied as the devices are, they had but one subject, to prevent the Radical from ever uniting immediately with its flections.
Active voice:
2) From what has been said it will be seen that the mastering of the oraon conjugation, to be methodical, presupposes some analytical knowledge of the changes to which verbal bases are liable.
Which then are, in connection with alternation, of the radical, the conjugational types. Recurring most frequently? which tenses or persons does each of those alternations affect. Any how can the student recognize, from the appearance of any verb he must casually the special category to which its conjugation belongs?
A first general reply to these questions is provided by the Table in the following paragraph.
Consonants:
A. Contrast:
Evidence for contrast leads us to posit the following system of consonants for Dhangar – Kurux.
p t ṭ c k ph ṭ ṭh ch kh b a ạ j g bh ạ ạh jh gh m n (mh) (nh) r x̣ (rh) 1 w y h (wh) (yh)
Figure –1: Dhangar – Kurux consonants of the total of 14 consonants 29 have been found of occur in the speech of all speakers. Who contributed data. The remaining 5 consonants – shows in parent these in figure –1 have been found to occur in the speech of a (mostly educated) few. The consonant system consists of 20 stops, a sibilant, two clear and two breathy nasals, one clear and one breathy alveolar vibrant, a uvular vibrant, a lateral, and 5 aproximants, 2 clear and 3 breathy.
Now Parameshwar has lost his voice what shall be dawn. At last tortoise, said that I will go to bring the mud. It I cannot bring kindly excuse me. The tortoise has said this out of fear of curse. Parameshwar said how will go bring mud without a basket. Crab legs to hold the mud and the tortoise has its back to carry mud. Even then, they could not bring. Tortoise said that “I will try” Parameshwar said “You go”. What the tortoise will do. It went inside the water. It ate mud to its stomach full and came up. When Parameshwar asked it “Where is the mud?” That time tortoise vomitted the mud in his hand. When ‘it’ was spread and dried, it became earth. Then Parameshwar created creatures in earth, water, plants and trees. He saw that the earth is formed. But in his mind a thought came. On the earth plants, trees and animals are there. But above all to rule there is a need for human being. He took mud from the earth, made a form of a human being, dried and blew air form his mouth and gave to the form.
With one human being it world will not be good. Thinking that he put the man into deep sleep and took a rib from the right side and made a human. If Parameshwar takes came of them, they will live for a long time. He showed sun light. But duck and eagle thought that these human forms will rule then and hence they wanted to break that mud form. To protect then Parameshwar kept a dong also along with them. But it was disturbing all the time. He could not do anything. He took the life back. That is why people die. Otherwise man will never die. This is the belief of the people.
It is said that when he created earth and the sky, it was fully darkness. But he filled the earth with water. He made aquatic animal to living water.
How to keep the other creatures which can not living in water, in other words for creating land he sent crab to bring mud from inside the water. The crab jumped into the water. Even though it has no basket, it digged mud with its leg and brought mud holding it with its fingers. While coming the whole mud dissolved in the water. It reached Parameshwar with empty hand. Parameshwar, asked “Where is the mud”. The crab replied What will I do? while coming from the bottom, the mud dissolved in the water. That time Parameshwar got angry and cursed. “You look very straight but actually you are very complicated. So because of this behaviour, from today you will go zigzag. From that day onwards the crab goes zigzag and looks spread.
Now he was thinking whom to send. That time the tortoise came and said with courage, “I will go my lord and do the work”. Parameshwar said “You go inside the water, oh! tortoise and dig again and again and bring mud on your back”. Thinking all these things the tortoise came back to Parameshwar, feeling it had brought all the mud. While coming up all the mud got dissolved from its back.
On this Parameshwar asked “Where is the mud?”. The tortoise told him, “I was bringing mud on my back, but while coming all the mud got dissolved in the water, so what will I do? Out of shame, its head, face, eyes, ear and other things were hidden. From that day the tortoise hides it’s head in seeing the human being”.
Belief Systems:
The religious belief of oraong people is Parameshwar. Oraon peoples “Supreme is only Parameshwar”. Besides this, nothing is powerful and hei s the only omnipotent and omnipresent.
As per the folklore, the beginning of oraon people can be go and from that. This is going on for a longtime and no written material is available, and this comes by traditions. Their spiritual faith and religious work are the religious scriptures. Parameshwar only taught them these practices. These are prescribed by Parameshwar and are being carried on by the ancesters.
Note :
(i) As per the oraon religion, every living being has its own behavioural, Spiritual and natural differences. It is tied with the cultural life of them.
(ii) Even today, there is puja and sacrifice for Parameshwar. For that white egg and White animal and birds are taken.
(iii) In oraon religion only one belief is there, and no man-woman, husband, wife, belief is there.
Copyright CIIL-India Mysore