Ethnographic Study of Bharia/Bharia Tribe

Abstract

The Bharia / Bharia tribe mostly found in the districts of Korba and Bilaspur along with Gond, Kanwar, Binjhwar and Dhanwar tribes. They speak Bhariati dialect which belongs to the Dravidian family of languages. Some of their totemic clan names are Baghania, Neveria, Amoria, Kesharia and Paretia. Cross cousin marriage and bride price custom have been conserved by them. This tribe often involve traditions of ancestor worship or worship of spirits of natural features. In social stratification they consider Gond, Kanwar, Bhumia and Pando as a community equivalent to them. They observe folk dances such as Karma, Danda and Pardhani. In this tribe, both joint and nuclear type families are found which are patriarchal and patrilineal in nature. Authority is transmitted from father to son following the principle of primogeniture in which the eldest son receives major property. Bharia/Bharia women show special interest towards tatooing. In earlier they practiced primitive form of cultivation. But presently their economy is based on agriculture, agricultural wages, collection of forest produce and labour work. Their total literacy rate in Bilaspur district is 52.50 percent and in Korba district is 64.86.