Parenga

Abstract

Odisha, is well known for its large variety of tribal communities dwelling in different parts of the State. SCSTRTI has taken an earnest Endeavour for publication of photo hand books on all the Odishan tribal communities, by presenting their illustrative short ethnography to show the readers a glimpse of their socio-cultural traditions, and customs, institutions, rituals and festivals, economy and changing life style. The Parenga is a little known tribe of Odisha, mainly concentrated in Nandapur, Lamtaput area of Koraput district and are sporadically distributed in Malkangiri, Kalahandi, Sundargarh and Bolangir districts. They are divided into two subgroups (bansha) such as vaishya and putuli. According to them, the nomenclature 'Parenga' has been derived from the term kerang, as they were preparing their apparels out of kerang fibers in the past. Thurston (1909) believed them to be a section of the Gadaba tribe, while R.C.S. Bell opined that they are a branch of Bonda or Didayi. They speak gorum, a dialect of proto Munda family. They are bilingual and conversant with the local lingua franca- Desia (Odia) and Telugu for intergroup communication. As per the 2011 census their population in the State, is 9445. Cultivation is the mainstay of their subsistence economy, which they supplement by allied pursuits like shifting cultivation; share cropping, wage earning, livestock rearing, forestry, hunting, fishing, rope making, khali stitching and carpentry etc. They are polytheists and their religion is an admixture of animism and Hinduism. They have their own traditional community council both at the village level (panchdi) and regional level to deal with their customary matters. Although modernization has influenced their traditional life style, they have kept their cultural identity intact. It is hoped that this book will be helpful to researchers, academician and general public.