Ho Tribe: History, Culture, Language and Traditions of an Adivasi Community

Context: Recently, members of the Ho tribe in Jharkhand staged a protest to protect their traditional Manki-Munda system.

About Ho Tribe

Ho Tribe is mainly found in Jharkhand’s Kolhan region (West Singhbhum, East Singhbhum, Saraikela-Kharsawan districts).

The Ho are an indigenous tribe in India, mainly located in the Kolhan area of Jharkhand. “Ho” comes from their original language and translates to “human” or “people“. They are among the 32 officially known tribal groups in Jharkhand and belong to the broader Austroasiatic Munda community. They are also found in large numbers in the surrounding states of Odisha and West Bengal.

Manki-Munda System (a traditional self-governance system)

• After the Battle of Buxar (1764), the company signed the ‘Treaty of Allahabad’ with Shah Alam II (1765) & gained ‘diwani rights’ (the right to collect taxes in Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, and Jharkhand).
• In 1793, the British introduced the Permanent Settlement Act. In Kolhan, zamindars began seizing Ho lands and imposing heavy taxes→, which led to tribal revolts (Ho Revolt (1821–22) and Kol Revolt (1831)).
• Wilkinson’s Rules (1837): Wilkinson’s Rules recognised Mankis and Mundas as formal leaders, assigned them governance and revenue roles, and introduced private property through pattas (land deeds), turning collective landholders into ryots (tenants).

Other details about the Ho Tribe

Language and Writing

The Ho language is a Munda language in the Austroasiatic family and closely related to Mundari and Santali. Although the language has traditionally been spoken, it also has an indigenous script called Warang Citi, which was created by Lako Bodra in the 20th century. Though native speakers prefer Warang Citi, the language is also written in Devanagari, Latin, and Odia scripts.

Culture and Religion

The Ho people possess a rich culture with an affinity towards nature. Their religious faith revolves around Sarnaism, an aboriginal religion in which they worship gods and goddesses of nature, including hills, forests, and rivers. Singhbonga, the Sun God, is their supreme god who is considered to have created the world. They have traditional festivals that are linked to their agricultural seasons. The Ho people possess a vigorous social organisation that is patrilineal and patrilocal with a patronymic system of exogamous killi clans.

Livelihood

The main profession of the Ho people is farming, and their principal crops include rice, maize, and millets. They employ settled cultivation, which is a departure from the characteristic shifting cultivation. Apart from agriculture, their economy is supported by animal rearing, forest collection, hunting, and wage employment, especially in the area’s mining sector.

Sharing is caring!