Are Indian Tribals Hindus? - Part 4 The Eastern Heartland

V. The Eastern Heartland

Finally, we come to that part of India which is at the centre of the whole question: the region comprising the states of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Orissa. Here we come across the first major “Hindu Category Three” religion followed by a large number of tribals in Jharkhand, spilling over into the neighbouring states: The Sarna religion. As Jharkhand is the core area, we must examine the figures for the three states separately, to get a clearer picture. Also note the fact that this is the part of the Indian heartland where the Christian missionary military apparatus has struck in the deepest (not counting the East, which we will examine later), preying on both the “Hindu Category One” tribals as well as the “Hindu Category Three” tribals (although their modus operandi in the two cases must obviously contain some differences). Hence, there is a three-way division of the tribals into “Hindu Category One”, converted Christian, and (in the column entitled “Others”) “Hindu Category Three”.

The Sarna religion is found mainly among the large Santal, Oraon, Munda and Ho tribes, but has adherents among most of the other tribes as well. We will first see the tribes in which more than a third of the population belong to the “Others” category:

TRIBE	States	Total Population	%age of Hindus	%age of Christians	%age of “Others”	%age of H+C+O
Santal	J	30,48,657	60.67	5.22	34.00	99.89
Oraon	J	16,07,311	31.55	16.45	52.00	100.00
Munda	J	12,05,682	29.51	21.78	48.62	99.91
Santal	O	8,92,456	50.07	1.29	48.61	99.97
Ho	J	8,55,404	8.73	1.75	89.38	99.86
Bhumij	J	2,15,898	58.88	0.81	40.21	99.90
Asur	J	13,576	23.90	15.74	60.28	99.92

Next, the tribes in which the “Others” category is between 20% and 33%:

TRIBE	States	Total Population	%age of Hindus	%age of Christians	%age of “Others”	%age of H+C+O
Santal	WB	28,28,524	65.51	2.56	31.84	99.91
Lohra	J	2,32,742	76.15	2.46	21.23	99.84
Kharia	J	2,05,227	37.61	40.19	21.97	99.77
Binjhia	J	18,688	49.83	22.84	27.14	99.81
Mahli	O	15,705	74.61	1.79	23.46	99.86
Gorait	J	5,401	55.10	21.87	22.79	99.76
Bathudi	J	3,694	74.53	1.84	23.42	99.79

Next, the tribes in which the “Others” category is between 10% and 20%:

TRIBE	States	Total Population	%age of Hindus	%age of Christians	%age of “Others”	%age of H+C+O
Munda	WB	5,17,299	74.15	11.12	14.42	99.69
Mahli	J	1,50,769	78.06	3.07	18.76	99.89
Malto	J	1,11,073	81.42	7.93	10.29	99.64
Chik Baraik	J	61,342	72.14	9.12	18.45	99.71
Gond	J	60,260	78.56	1.56	19.77	99.89
Kisan	J	43,177	74.44	5.31	18.83	98.58
Ho	WB	16,627	85.88	2.00	11.67	99.55
Karmali	WB	11,809	81.40	1.63	15.21	98.24
Birjia	J	7,018	64.41	21.52	13.61	99.54
Saora	J	6,078	78.05	3.67	18.21	99.93
Kui Khond	J	5,533	83.41	2.93	13.05	99.39

Next, we will examine the figures for the other tribes in the three states, first Jharkhand:

TRIBE	States	Total Population	%age of Hindus	%age of Christians	%age of “Others”	%age of H+C+O
Chero	J	95,766	99.09	0.10	0.77	99.96
Bedia	J	95,378	90.55	0.19	9.25	99.99
Karmali	J	67,555	90.95	1.35	7.16	99.46
Sauria Pahadia	J	62,762	81.34	10.44	7.61	99.41
Parhaiya	J	42,553	90.92	2.35	6.66	99.93
Korwa	J	36,259	88.25	2.25	9.09	99.59
Kora	J	29,906	86.83	3.11	9.23	99.17
Birhor	J	11,715	80.16	11.81	7.78	99.75
Baiga	J	5,593	90.27	1.63	7.62	99.52
Banjara	J	632	98.42	0.00	1.42	99.84

Next, West Bengal:

TRIBE	States	Total Population	%age of Hindus	%age of Christians	%age of “Others”	%age of H+C+O
Oraon	WB	8,46,561	75.90	16.02	7.40	99.32
Bhumij	WB	4,08,764	99.32	0.36	0.17	99.85
Kora	WB	1,53,012	93.60	1.87	4.38	99.85
Mahli	WB	1,28,672	90.46	5.85	3.16	99.47
Lodha	WB	96,420	84.11	14.94	0.81	99.86
Bedia	WB	67,067	98.75	0.32	0.85	99.92
Saora	WB	65,471	96.56	1.10	1.21	98.87
Lohra	WB	55,082	90.14	1.76	6.23	98.13
Malto	WB	49,536	90.71	8.82	0.27	99.80
Mech	WB	42,279	62.43	37.28	0.11	99.82
Kharwar	WB	29,140	94.62	3.70	0.63	98.95
Chik Baraik	WB	26,351	91.11	5.56	3.17	99.84
Bhutia	WB	24,084	0.00	0.28	0.00	0.28
Rabha	WB	21,529	85.90	9.82	0.61	96.33
Parhaiya	WB	11,286	97.07	1.45	1.17	99.69
Baiga	WB	10,838	96.37	0.79	0.19	97.35
Gond	WB	8,861	97.02	1.89	0.84	99.75
Kisan	WB	8,643	95.47	3.70	0.63	99.80
Korwa	WB	7,072	92.29	5.06	2.48	99.83
Asur	WB	6,899	92.52	5.61	0.00	98.13
Garo	WB	5,174	44.76	53.94	0.32	99.02
Gorait	WB	4,777	94.43	3.56	1.42	99.41
Chero	WB	3,321	95.48	3.23	0.00	98.71
Hajang	WB	2,274	84.26	7.30	0.84	92.40
Mru	WB	2,228	94.21	3.32	1.53	99.06
Birjia	WB	1,771	93.79	3.78	0.40	97.97
Birhor	WB	1,381	98.26	1.45	0.15	99.86
Chakma	WB	441	75.06	7.48	0.00	82.54

[The percentage of Buddhists in three of the above tribes in West Bengal is noteworthy: Bhutia 99.72%, Chakma 15.87%, and Hajang 7.40%]

And next, Orissa:

TRIBE	States	Total Population	%age of Hindus	%age of Christians	%age of “Others”	%age of H+C+O
Kui Khond	O	15,73,579	82.62	17.05	0.29	99.96
Gond*	O	9,71,000	93.78	1.03	5.09	99.90
Shabar*	O	5,92,000	84.09	15.60	0.29	99.98
Kolha	O	5,68,747	92.57	0.70	6.71	99.98
Saora	O	5,53,983	87.09	12.23	0.65	99.97
Munda	O	5,50,748	73.08	22.95	3.96	99.99
Paroja*	O	4,88,000	98.20	1.61	0.14	99.95
Bhottada	O	4,19,464	95.35	4.60	0.05	100.00
Kisan	O	3,60,328	92.55	6.74	0.68	99.97
Oraon	O	3,60,072	61.16	36.30	2.54	100.00
Bhuiya*	O	3,48,000	99.62	0.11	0.27	100.00
Bhumij*	O	2,50,000	90.77	0.75	8.39	99.91
Kharia	O	2,30,331	68.83	30.57	0.56	99.96
Binjhal*	O	1,60,000	81.73	17.99	0.24	99.96
Bhumia*	O	1,52,000	96.68	3.21	0.07	99.96
Sounti*	O	1,35,000	99.78	0.10	0.06	99.94
Koya	O	1,30,735	96.11	3.77	0.11	99.99
Gadaba*	O	97,000	97.41	2.11	0.38	99.90
Juang	O	49,899	99.59	0.28	0.10	99.97
Mundari	O	43,398	85.09	11.54	3.37	100.00
Mirdha*	O	41,000	98.67	1.31	0.02	100.00
Kotia	O	39,982	99.19	0.20	0.59	99.98
Omanatya*	O	36,000	99.42	0.42	0.15	99.99
Dal*	O	28,000	99.72	0.00	0.24	99.96
Konda Dhora	O	26,920	98.24	1.59	0.11	99.94
Holva	O	19,114	98.20	1.60	0.09	99.89
Matia*	O	18,000	99.97	0.01	0.02	100.00
Kol Lohra	O	17,134	93.77	2.08	3.90	99.75
Dharua	O	16,081	99.88	0.12	0.00	100.00
Pentia*	O	16,000	96.88	2.14	0.98	100.00
Bhunjia	O	15,058	97.80	0.55	1.54	99.89
Lodha*	O	14,000	99.73	0.26	0.01	100.00
Kora*	O	14,000	93.93	1.77	4.09	99.79
Kawar	O	13,716	98.51	1.11	0.24	99.86
Jatapu	O	12,724	82.44	12.02	5.21	99.67
Binjhia	O	11,316	97.86	0.08	2.05	99.99
Bondo Poroja	O	10,238	98.43	1.24	0.28	99.95
Kuli*	O	8,700	98.33	1.14	0.26	99.73
Kol	O	7,934	86.25	12.04	1.56	99.85
Didayi	O	7,647	99.87	0.00	0.12	99.99
Malhar*	O	7,000	98.78	0.12	0.25	99.15
Parenga*	O	6,800	99.01	0.71	0.28	100.00
Bagata	O	6,673	94.89	3.43	1.59	99.91
Gandia	O	5,015	98.96	0.64	0.38	99.98
Kharwar*	O	4,600	96.87	1.03	1.87	99.77
Rajuar*	O	4,300	99.96	0.03	0.01	100.00
Korwa*	O	2,800	97.96	1.02	0.97	99.95
Desau Bhumij*	O	2,600	97.27	0.00	1.84	99.11
Tharua*	O	2,200	95.54	2.27	1.49	99.30
Ghara*	O	2,200	97.02	2.41	0.44	99.87
Baiga	O	2,169	90.73	7.28	1.75	99.76
Mankirdia*	O	2,100	91.17	3.34	5.49	100.00
Mankidi*	O	1,600	90.90	0.29	8.80	99.99
Birhor*	O	1,400	87.81	7.37	4.57	99.75
Chenchu*	O	400	99.69	0.02	0.23	99.94

 

[The tribal names marked with an asterisk (*) represent tribes of Orissa which, for some unknown reason, are completely missing in the Joshua Project figures for Orissa. This mysterious anomaly in respect of the figures for Orissa is in sharp contrast with the otherwise meticulously detailed figures for all the other areas. The figures for these tribes in Orissa therefore had to be gleaned from the figures given in the Joshua Project data for the individual tribes] 

To sum up the data for the whole of India analysed so far:

In the whole of India to the north, west and south of the Jharkhand-Orissa line, the tribals are almost exclusively Hindu Category One (and a few tribes in the Himalayan region, Hindu-Buddhist, or Hindu Category One and Two), and any conversions to Christianity or (in a few areas like Kashmir) Islam are exclusively from Hindu tribals. The only possible Hindu Category Three people are a section of Gonds, but even among the Gonds they number only 5.99% of the Gond population of the Western-Central heartland with Hindus forming 93.21% of the tribe. In almost every state, the percentage of Hindus among the tribals is far higher than the percentage of Hindus among the non-tribal population, so that the tribals are more emphatically Hindu than the non-tribals.

In the eastern heartland of Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal, we find the first important Hindu Category Three religion, the Sarna religion. This is geographically centred in Jharkhand, mainly among some important tribes like the Santal, Munda, Oraon and Ho, and found in some significant numbers in many of the other Jharkhand tribes, with a spill over into neighbouring Orissa and West Bengal. But an examination of the figures (even taking into consideration the large scale conversions to Christianity) shows that Hinduism is still the predominant religion even among the tribals of the eastern heartland of India, certainly in Orissa and West Bengal:

STATE	Total Tribal Population	%age of Hindus	%age of Christians	%age of Others	Total of H+C+O
Jharkhand	70,87,068	39.8	14.5	45.1	99.4
West Bengal	81,45,081	74.6	6.1	17.1	97.8
Orissa	44,06,794	88.2	7.4	4.2	99.8

The percentage of Hindus in the total population of the three states is as follows: Jharkhand 68.57%, Orissa 94.35%, and West Bengal 72.47%. In West Bengal, the percentage of Hindu Category One among the tribals is still more than the percentage of Hindu Category One in the non-tribal population, but in Orissa and Jharkhand (apart from the large scale Christian proselytization) it is less, because of the presence of the Sarna Hindu Category Three religion, the only such case in the whole of mainland India excluding the North East.