Tribes of Odisha: peoples of the hills and forests

01 · Overview

Who are the tribes of Odisha?

Long before the kingdoms of Kalinga and Utkala, Odisha’s hills and forests were home to the peoples now called its tribes (adivasis). Their gods, crafts and customs run deep in Odia culture — the worship of Jagannath itself is widely traced to tribal roots — yet each community keeps its own language, land and way of life.

• Scheduled Tribes62 communities
• Population (2011)About 95.9 lakh · 22.85%
• Share of India’s tribalsAbout 9%
• Largest tribesKandha, Gond, Santal
• Vulnerable groups13 PVTGs
• Scheduled AreasLarge parts of the state under the Fifth Schedule

02 · Geography

Where Odisha’s tribes live

Tribal communities live mainly in the hilly, forested interior along Odisha’s northern, western and southern borders, and in the Eastern Ghats. Large parts of these districts are Scheduled Areas under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution.

• The northMayurbhanj · Keonjhar · SundargarhHome of the Santal, Ho, Munda, Oraon, Kolha, Bhumij and Bhuyan, and the Juang of the Keonjhar hills.
• The southKoraput · Rayagada · Malkangiri · NabarangpurParaja, Gadaba, Koya, Bonda, Didayi, Dongria Kondh and Gond communities of the Eastern Ghats.
• The central hillsKandhamal · Kalahandi · GajapatiThe heartland of the Kandha, and of the Saura in the Gajapati and Rayagada hills.
• The westSambalpur · Bargarh · BolangirGond, Binjhal, Kisan and other communities of the Mahanadi uplands.

03 · Speech

Tribal languages of Odisha

Odisha’s tribes speak dozens of languages from three of India’s great language families. Many people are bilingual in Odia or in a regional link language such as Desia in Koraput.

• Austroasiatic (Munda)Northern & southern OdishaSantali, Ho, Mundari, Kharia, Juang, Saura (Sora), Gutob (Gadaba) and Remo (Bonda).
• DravidianCentral & southern hillsKui and Kuvi of the Kandha, Gondi, Koya and Kurukh of the Oraon.
• Indo-AryanLink languagesDesia, Bhatri, Sambalpuri and other regional speech used across communities.
• Ol ChikiSantali scriptCreated by Raghunath Murmu of Mayurbhanj; Santali was added to the Eighth Schedule in 2003.

04 · Profiles

Major tribes of Odisha

A short introduction to some of the best-known communities. Each is far more varied than a single paragraph can show.

• Kandha (Khond)Kandhamal · Rayagada · KalahandiOdisha’s largest tribe, speaking Kui and Kuvi. Their earth goddess is Dharani Penu. Subgroups include the Dongria and Kutia Kondh.
• SantalMayurbhanj · Balasore · KeonjharOne of India’s largest tribes, with Santali literature in the Ol Chiki script and festivals such as Sohrai and Baha.
• GondNabarangpur · Sundargarh · western OdishaA large central Indian people, many of whose communities once ruled small kingdoms.
• Munda & HoSundargarh · Mayurbhanj · KeonjharMunda-speaking peoples of the north; the Ho celebrate Maghe Parab.
• OraonSundargarhKurukh-speaking farmers of the north-west, known for Karma and Sarhul festivals.
• Saura (Sora)Gajapati · Rayagada · GanjamHill farmers famed for their ritual wall paintings (idital) and terraced fields.
• BhuyanKeonjhar · SundargarhA hill people of the north; the Paudi Bhuyan are a PVTG. Their 19th-century risings are a landmark of resistance.
• Bonda (Remo)Bonda Hills, MalkangiriA small PVTG known for women’s bead and metal ornaments and shaved heads.
• JuangKeonjhar · DhenkanalA Munda-speaking PVTG of the Keonjhar hills, known for their Changu dance.
• Paraja & GadabaKoraputPeoples of the Koraput plateau; Gadaba women weave cloth from kerang fibre.
• KoyaMalkangiriDravidian-speaking people of Odisha’s southernmost district.
• Kolha, Kisan & BhumijNorthern districtsAgricultural communities of Mayurbhanj, Keonjhar and Sundargarh.

05 · Special protection

Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups

Odisha has 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) — more than any other state. These small communities, identified for their declining or stagnant populations, low literacy and pre-agricultural livelihoods, receive special development support through dedicated micro-projects.

1. 1Birhor
2. 2Bonda
3. 3Chuktia Bhunjia
4. 4Didayi
5. 5Dongria Khond
6. 6Hill Kharia
7. 7Juang
8. 8Kutia Kondh
9. 9Lanjia Saura
10. 10Lodha
11. 11Mankirdia
12. 12Paudi Bhuyan
13. 13Saura

06 · Belief

Faith, rituals and festivals

Most tribal religions centre on the earth, the village and the ancestors. Each village has its own shrine and priest; spirits of forests, hills and rivers are honoured with offerings at the turning points of the farming year. Over centuries, tribal traditions and Hindu worship shaped each other — most famously in the cult of Jagannath, whose wooden image and Daitapati servitors are widely linked to Sabara origins.

• KarmaMunda, Oraon & others · BhadraBranches of the karam tree are worshipped with night-long singing and dance.
• Sohrai & BahaSantalSohrai honours cattle after the harvest; Baha welcomes the spring flowers.
• Maghe ParabHo · MaghaThe Ho community’s major festival of the new year.
• Chaita ParabKoraput region · springA hunting and spring festival of the southern hills.
• Pus PuneiMany communities · PausaWinter harvest festival celebrated across western and southern Odisha.
• NuakhaiWestern OdishaOffering of the new rice, shared by tribal and non-tribal communities alike.

• FaithTribal Origin of the Cult of JagannathThe Sabara roots of Odisha’s great deity.Read article →
• GuideCult of JagannathaHistory, rituals and significance.Read guide →
• FaithMahima DharmaThe faith of the Kandha poet Bhima Bhoi.Read article →

07 · Hands & feet

Arts, crafts and dance

• Saura iditalWall paintingRitual paintings of figures, animals and trees made for the spirits.
• DhokraMetal castingLost-wax cast brass figures, made by artisan communities of the tribal belt.
• KapdagandaDongria KondhEmbroidered shawls made by Dongria women of the Niyamgiri hills.
• Kerang clothGadabaCloth woven by Gadaba women from forest fibre.
• Bonda ornamentsBondaLayers of bead necklaces and metal neck rings worn by women.
• DhemsaSouthern OdishaLine dance of the Koraput region, also spelt Dhimsa, performed by many communities.
• ChanguJuang & othersDance to the changu, a broad frame drum.
• ChhauMayurbhanjThe vigorous martial dance of Mayurbhanj, performed without masks and rooted in tribal and folk traditions.

The Odisha State Tribal Museum and the SC & ST Research and Training Institute in Bhubaneswar hold major collections of tribal art and ethnography. For Odisha’s wider crafts, see Culture of Odisha.

08 · Against the Company and the Crown

History and resistance

As British rule pushed into the hills in the 19th century — with new revenue demands, forest laws, police and missions to suppress customs such as the Kandha meriah sacrifice — tribal communities fought back. The Kandhas of Ghumsar rose under Dora Bisoi and Chakra Bisoi; the Bhuyans of Keonjhar under Ratna Naik and Dharani Dhar Naik; and in the Quit India movement Laxman Nayak of Koraput was hanged for leading his people.

• Kandha · 1830sGhumsar Rising under Dora BisoiResistance in the Ghumsar hills.Read article →
• KandhaKandha Rising under Chakra BisoiA long struggle in the Kandha hills.Read article →
• Bhuyan · 1867–68Bhuyan Rising under Ratna NaikKeonjhar’s first Bhuyan rebellion.Read article →
• Bhuyan · 1891–93Bhuyan Rising under Dharani Dhar NaikThe second Bhuyan rising.Read article →
• 1857Revolt of 1857 and Surendra SaiSambalpur’s war, fought with tribal allies.Read article →
• 1942Quit India Movement in OdishaIncluding Laxman Nayak’s movement in Koraput.Read article →
• 1930s–40sThe Prajamandal MovementPeople’s movements in the princely states.Read article →

09 · Today

Land, forests and rights

Much of Odisha’s mineral wealth lies under tribal land, so questions of development and rights are central to tribal life today. The Constitution’s Fifth Schedule protects Scheduled Areas; the PESA Act (1996) gives village assemblies a say over local resources; and the Forest Rights Act (2006) recognises the rights of forest-dwelling communities. In 2013 village councils of the Dongria Kondh in the Niyamgiri hills, consulted after a Supreme Court ruling, rejected a proposed bauxite mine — a case followed around the world. Dams, mines and industries have also displaced many communities, and tribal districts still lag in health and education.

• MiningEconomic Growth or Environmental Fallout? JSW in KeonjharIndustry and its costs in a tribal district.Read article →
• DisplacementIndravati’s Forgotten VillagesCommunities left behind by a dam project.Read article →
• HistoryBritish Relations with the Princely StatesThe Garjat states of the tribal hinterland.Read article →

10 · Complete index

All articles on Odisha’s tribes

Every article on this site about tribal history, faith and life. Type below to find one quickly.

No article matches that search. Try “Kandha”, “Bhuyan” or “Jagannath”.

Sources & further reading

1. Census of India 2011. Primary Census Abstract: Scheduled Tribes, Odisha.
2. Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI), Bhubaneswar — publications on the tribes of Odisha.
3. Elwin, Verrier. Bondo Highlander. Oxford University Press, 1950.
4. Elwin, Verrier. The Religion of an Indian Tribe (the Saoras). Oxford University Press, 1955.
5. Eschmann, A., H. Kulke and G. C. Tripathi (eds.). The Cult of Jagannath and the Regional Tradition of Orissa. New Delhi: Manohar, 1978.