The Oraon, a Kurukh People of the Eastern Plateau

On the forested plateau of Chota Nagpur in eastern India live the Oraon, who call themselves Kurukh, one of the great tribal communities of the subcontinent. Speakers of a Dravidian language in a region of Munda and Indo-Aryan tongues, and heirs to an ancient culture of village, forest, and sacred grove, they are a Dravidian island in the heart of eastern India and a people of remarkable cultural vitality.

From the youth dormitories of the dhumkuria and the earth-worship of their Sarna religion to the spring festival of Sarhul and the non-violent Tana Bhagat movement, the Oraon carry a distinctive and cohesive Adivasi culture. This article traces their origins, language, homeland, society, religion, and traditions, and the story of an ancient Kurukh-speaking people of the Jharkhand plateau.