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amount of money ranges between Rs. 2.5 to the level someone could afford. After
all these negotiations, groom has to pass through the test of ability where he has to
demonstrate few things on demand like breaking a honey comb on a big tree, etc.,
and through this bride’s relative will be satisfied that the groom is capable of looking after their daughter. Nowadays, this procedure is shortening to some extent. On
the day of marriage, just before the actual marriage, both bride and groom will
marry a Mahua tree and Mango tree (symbolic God or Goddess), respectively.
“Dihuri” in the end prays for the betterment of newly married pairs to God. While
in the Kharia Sabar tribal community, child marriage is not allowed, but widow remarriage and Saoraidom melayana (divorce) are permitted.
10.4.5 Death
Kharia Sabar observes different types of death rites as an integral part of their life.
Generally, cremation assigns for married dead body and for an unmarried person,
burial system is observed. On the other hand, if the dead body is of a child, they bury
the child under a banyan tree. Besides, if a pregnant woman dies, then the husband
operates his dead wife and takes out the embryo or unborn child from the womb and
at last buries both of them side by side. Large scale of deforestation and poor economic condition hamper the rituals on a big way. Presently, customary cremation by
using woods is avoided by and large. For such reason presently in all forms of death,
Kharia Sabars are compelled to adopt the burial custom.
10.4.6 Economy
Kharia Sabars were predominantly hunters and food gatherers. They are primarily
dependent on forest and forest products. According to an old aged Kharia Sabar,
they had no connection with the non-tribals. They made their home with leafs. They
lived the life by collecting fruits, roots of trees, and by hunting wild animals. They
were nomadic tribe at that time. Now the situation has changed. They lost their
traditional ecology, and in turn their simple forest-based economy also became
destroyed. A Kharia Sabar nowadays adopts variety of economic activities to procure their minimum requirement of food such as collection of paddy from rat holes
(indur dhan), selling snake skin to nearby markets especially to the local cobbler
(Muchi). Today they are also started to participate as agricultural labourer in limited
number. They also prefer to migrate seasonally to the adjacent districts (pub khata)
like Burdwan, Birbhum, etc. as agricultural labourer. Kharia Sabars have very limited suitable land for cultivation. Besides, they also don’t have proper skill and
basic level of technology in agriculture. They only can do transplantation of rice,
seedlings and harvesting. Poor economic condition of Kharia Sabar tribal community of Purulia district further established through the writing of Aparajit
10 Socio-ecological Niche of Tribes of Purulia District, West Bengal, India
amount of money ranges between Rs. 2.5 to the level someone could afford. After
all these negotiations, groom has to pass through the test of ability where he has to
demonstrate few things on demand like breaking a honey comb on a big tree, etc.,
and through this bride’s relative will be satisfied that the groom is capable of looking after their daughter. Nowadays, this procedure is shortening to some extent. On
the day of marriage, just before the actual marriage, both bride and groom will
marry a Mahua tree and Mango tree (symbolic God or Goddess), respectively.
“Dihuri” in the end prays for the betterment of newly married pairs to God. While
in the Kharia Sabar tribal community, child marriage is not allowed, but widow remarriage and Saoraidom melayana (divorce) are permitted.
10.4.5 Death
Kharia Sabar observes different types of death rites as an integral part of their life.
Generally, cremation assigns for married dead body and for an unmarried person,
burial system is observed. On the other hand, if the dead body is of a child, they bury
the child under a banyan tree. Besides, if a pregnant woman dies, then the husband
operates his dead wife and takes out the embryo or unborn child from the womb and
at last buries both of them side by side. Large scale of deforestation and poor economic condition hamper the rituals on a big way. Presently, customary cremation by
using woods is avoided by and large. For such reason presently in all forms of death,
Kharia Sabars are compelled to adopt the burial custom.
10.4.6 Economy
Kharia Sabars were predominantly hunters and food gatherers. They are primarily
dependent on forest and forest products. According to an old aged Kharia Sabar,
they had no connection with the non-tribals. They made their home with leafs. They
lived the life by collecting fruits, roots of trees, and by hunting wild animals. They
were nomadic tribe at that time. Now the situation has changed. They lost their
traditional ecology, and in turn their simple forest-based economy also became
destroyed. A Kharia Sabar nowadays adopts variety of economic activities to procure their minimum requirement of food such as collection of paddy from rat holes
(indur dhan), selling snake skin to nearby markets especially to the local cobbler
(Muchi). Today they are also started to participate as agricultural labourer in limited
number. They also prefer to migrate seasonally to the adjacent districts (pub khata)
like Burdwan, Birbhum, etc. as agricultural labourer. Kharia Sabars have very limited suitable land for cultivation. Besides, they also don’t have proper skill and
basic level of technology in agriculture. They only can do transplantation of rice,
seedlings and harvesting. Poor economic condition of Kharia Sabar tribal community of Purulia district further established through the writing of Aparajit
10 Socio-ecological Niche of Tribes of Purulia District, West Bengal, India