Chapter 21 - Rituals and festivals of indigenous people of Chota Nagpur plateau of West Bengal: A positive correlation with the environment

Abstract

Nature and indigenous people have a deep, intricate relationship for centuries. The environment always played a pivotal role in the lives and livelihood of the indigenous people. Tribes perform festivals to worship their God or Goddess that is usually devoid of any idol. Instead, they worship natural elements like air, land, rock, mountain, forest, water, etc. Their festivals and rituals primarily recycle around the agricultural season. Purulia, Bankura, and parts of the West Midnapore district of West Bengal are parts of the Chota Nagpur plateau and serve as habitat of many tribal communities. Tribal festivals and rituals are prevalent in these areas and celebrated throughout the year since time immemorial. Tribal communities of this region worshipped the environment and natural resources through most of their traditional practices. They also perform various rituals in sacred sites in forests called sacred groves. The present study tries to explore the relationship between tribal festivals and environmental conservation in this region.