Droupadi Murmu a Santhal Women nominated by NDA for President post

Subject: Geography

Section: Human Geography

Santhal People

The Santal or Santhal, are a Munda ethnic group native to India.
Santals are the largest tribe in the Jharkhand state of India in terms of population and are also found in the states of Assam, Tripura, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and West Bengal.
They are the largest ethnic minority in northern Bangladesh’s Rajshahi Division and Rangpur Division. They have a sizable population in Nepal and Bhutan.
The Santals speak Santali, the most widely spoken of the Munda languages.

Origins

The folklore of the Santals claims they came from Hihiri, which scholars have identified as Ahuri in Hazaribagh district.
From there, they claim, they were pushed onto Chota Nagpur, then to Jhalda, Patkum and finally Saont, where they settled for good.

History

In 1855, they revolted in the Santal rebellion, better known as the Santal Hul.
30,000 Santals, led by Sidhu and KanhuMurmu, attacked the zamindars and other outsiders (dikkus) who had made their lives so miserable, as well as the British authorities.
As a result, the British created a 5000 km2 area, called Santal Parganas, where the normal procedures of British India did not apply.
Administration of the community was primarily made the responsibility of the village headman, or pradhan, who was also given the power to collect taxes.
In addition, it was made illegal for Santals to transfer land to non-Santals, allowing them to have legal rights over their land.

Rituals and Customs

A characteristic feature of a Santal village is a sacred grove (known as the Jaher or Santal Sthal) on the edge of the village where many spirits live and where a series of annual festivals take place.
Sohrai is the principal festival of Santal community.
Besides that Baha, Karam, Dansai, Sakrat, Mahmore, Rundo and Magsim are important festivals.
They traditionally accompany many of their dances during these festivals with two drums: the Tamak‘ and the Tumdak’.
Chadar Badar, a form of puppetry known also as Santal puppetry, is a folk show involving wooden puppets placed in a small cage which acts as the stage.
Santal art is noticeable for its intricate carving style.
The walls of traditional Santal homes are ornamented with carved designs of animals, hunting scenes, dancing scenes, geometric patterns, and more.