Anthropological Study of Bhatra Tribe

Abstract

Bhatra tribe is a prominent tribe of Bastar region. They speak Bhatri dialect which belongs to the Austric family of languages. Their total literacy rate was found to be 49 percent. They have 3 subcaste, the Pit, Aminait and Bhatras, who rank one below the other. Their clan is totemic and families are patriarchal, paternal and monogamous. Their kinship indicates relationship through blood and marriage which is categorised into avoidance and joking relationship. They considered Panka, Lohar, Ganda and Mahra as inferior than themselves in their interracial relations. The traditional caste panchayat system is prevalent in them. The religious practices of Bhatra tribe includes worship of Phoolmati Mata, Sheetla Mata, Hinglagin Mata, Pardeshin Mata, Dulha Dev and local deities in various occasions. They observe festivals such as Amus, Nuakhani, Diyari and folklore and folk dance such as Dandari Nach, Bihav Geet etc. The economy of Bhatras is based on tubers collection, agriculture, forest produce, hunting/fishing and labour work. Most of the families are landholders. They use less chemical fertilizers for agriculture. The main crops are maize, madia, kosra, urad, kulthi and paddy. A large part of the total annual expenditure is spent on food and religious rituals. Various welfare measures initiated by the government and the impact of education have brought significant development in Bhatra tribe.