Abstract
The present work engages with a comparative study of the Oraon Folklore and their Rock Art for assessing how both these genres seemingly record the geo-cultural history of Oraon origin, their forced migrations and their current state of habitations in another Indian state Jharkhand. It attempts to establish a relation between archaeological data available in the form of rock art supplemented by written accounts and local traditions wherever possible. Based on field works, personal interactions with local inhabitants, especially on important events like, marriage, festivals, rituals etc., and archeological scrutiny of rock art available in the Oraons’ previous habitation, i.e., the Kaimur Region in current Indian state of Bihar, the paper attempts to expose the historical value and cultural parallelism of Oraons’ folk narratives and rock art. The paper strongly believes that both these genres conspicuously display the cultural history of a marginalized tribe that has undergone several historical and cultural ordeals. Besides this, the paper also offers, for the first time, an English translation of Oraons’ oral folklore, adhering to the interdisciplinary approach of this paper. However, most significantly, the paper in its attempt to trace the continuity of rock art in this Kaimur Region also becomes an addition to the domain of ethno-rock art studies.
Highlights
The Oraons and their paradise comprising of vast and ample forest resources were invaded by another alien tribe, the Kharwar, who hailed from the surrounding areas of the Kaimur region, i.e. the Chhotanagpur region which was once in Bihar but in Jharkhand state
The stories, events, and the timelines of the Oraons as found in their folklore seem to match with the existing rock art found in the Kaimur region, which spans into the border of existing
When we look at the pictographs found in the Kaimur region as well as central India regions, we find the visual depiction of this festival
Summary
The Oraon tribe, that lives in the Chhotanagpur region of the Indian state of Jharkhand. Range in the present state of Bihar Such claim of the Oraons can be verified from their vibrant folklore, which describe how their original place of habitation, i.e. the Kaimur region, was once a paradise for them. Of the historical Karushdesh and current Kaimur region in India, the paper attempts to deconstruct the traditional approach of historiography It demonstrates how both tangible proofs and oral or intangible facts can be combined, compared and analyzed to hit upon the cultural historicity of a place and its people; in this case, the Oraons. Bertelsmann, another German scholar Lydin lake Schwadbe (1983) wrote a book on Oraon tribes – Die Munda and Oraon in Chota Nagpur: Geschichte, which was published in Berlin by Wirtschaft and Gesellschaft Akademic-Verlag. Bhikhu Tirkey has published a book in 2011 Oraon Sarna: Dharm Aur Sanskriti, Jharkhand Jharokha, Ranchi in Hindi He has described his observation with thorough explanations of each and every aspects which were largely absent in the existing literature
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