Bhotada

Abstract

The Bhottadas are one of the major tribes of Odiaha. The name Bhottada comes from bhu, meaning land and tara, meaning chase. Ethnographers believe that ethnically the Bhottadas are akin to the Murias of Bastar, both of whom are sub-divisions of the Gond tribe. They are largely distributed in Nawrangpur, Koraput and Kalahandi districts of Odisha. Their mother tongue is called Bhatri, a semi-autonomous dialect of Indo-Aryan family with an established tribal identity. They are also conversant in local Odia language. The Bhottada habitat is located in picturesque landscapes stretching beyond the mountain ranges in the Nawarangpur district of Odisha and its adjoining districts of Bastar, at about 2000 feet above the sea level. Their material culture is very simple. Primarily, they are settled agriculturists and non-vegetarians. Theydo not practice shifting cultivation. Like other tribes, they are an endogamous community divided into three endogamous divisions such as bada, madhya and sana among whom the bada claims social superiority over other two for their purity of descent. In their society marriage is an elaborate and expensive affair. Their religion is animism with admixture of elements of Hinduism. Goddess Basumata (the Earth Goddess) and her consort, the Surya Debta (the Sun God) are their supreme deities. Now-a-days, due to culture contact, modernization and development intervention their way of life is undergoing transformation. This photographic documentation of the life style of the Bhottada tribe is a part of the series on The Tribes of Odisha published by SCSTRTI. It is hoped that it would be useful for all those who areinterested in the tribal culture of Odisha.