• Source: Baiga

The Baiga are an ethnic group found in central India primarily in the state of Madhya Pradesh, and in smaller numbers in the surrounding states of Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. The largest number of Baiga is found in Baiga-chuk in Mandla district and Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh. They have sub-castes: Bijhwar, Narotia, Bharotiya, Nahar, Rai maina and Kath maina. The name Baiga means "sorcerer-medicine man".




Demographics



The Baiga tribe is officially recognized as Scheduled Tribes in eight states: Madhya Pradesh (414,526), Chhattisgarh (89,744), Uttar Pradesh (30,006), West Bengal (13,423), Jharkhand (3,583), Bihar (544), Odisha (338), and Maharashtra (333). In Uttar Pradesh, the Baiga population totals 47,393. Among them, the Baigas of Sonbhadra district are recognized as Scheduled Tribes, numbering 30,006, while in other districts of Uttar Pradesh, they are categorized as Scheduled Caste, with a population of 17,387.




Livelihood


The Baiga do not plow the land, because they say it would be a sin to scratch the breast of their Mother, and they could never ask their Mother to produce food from the same patch of earth time and time again: she would have become weakened. The Baiga tribes practice shifting cultivation, called 'bewar' or 'dahiya'.
Live-in relationships are common among the Baiga. If marriage does take place, the man compensates the woman's family for the loss of a working member. This reverse dowry either involves footing the bill of the marriage celebration or offering the woman's family mahua liquor. If divorced, the new husband must compensate the old one for the dowry amount. If the divorced couple have children, the wife has the first right, followed by the husband. If neither wants to raise the child, the community will allot a guardian to the child until age 15.

The Baigas in Chhattisgarh are classified as Particularly vulnerable tribal group(PVTG) by Government due to their declining population and low level of literacy. The Government of India has notified 75 PVTG which reside in 18 states and one UT which are classified on the basis of five criteria and in Chhattisgarh Baigas along with Abhujmaria, Kamar, Pahadi Korwa and Birhor are included in this group. The women of these tribes were not provided reproductive rights like right to use contraceptives but in 2018 on a Public Interest Litigation Chhattisgarh High Court allowed them to have access to contraceptives. The Baigas were found to be highly focused on family planning.




Culture






= Language

=

It is believed that the ancestors of the Baigas spoke an Austroasiatic language, however no trace of it is left now. Some Baigas (specifically those from the Mandla district) have mentioned "Baigani" as their mother tongue in the past: Baigani is now recognised as a variety of Chhattisgarhi influenced by Gondi. Most Baigas speak Hindi, and some of them also know a few local languages such as Gondi and Marathi depending on the region where they live.




= Cuisine

=
Baiga cuisine primarily consists of coarse grains, such as kodo millet and kutki, and involves very little flour. Another staple food of the baiga is pej, a drink that can be made from ground macca or from the water left from boiling rice. They supplement this diet with food from the forest, including many fruits and vegetables. They hunt, primarily fish and small mammals.




= Religion and mythology

=
The Baiga believe their mythical ancestors were Nanga Baiga, the male ancestor, and Nanga Baigin, the female ancestor. They were born from the goddess Dharti Mata, and Nanga Baiga had "great" magic power.
They helped Bhagavan create the world and serve as its guardians.




Forced evictions


Since the 1960s, the Baiga have been the victims of forced evictions at the hands of the Indian authorities. These are often carried out in the name of conservation, in an attempt to protect the tiger populations, but have disastrous consequences for the displaced communities.




Notable people


Jodhaiya Bai Baiga, tribal artist




Notes






References






= Journals

=
Pandey, Devendra Prasad (5 June 2015). "An Empirical Study of the Socio-economic Status of Baiga Tribe of Central India". Economic and Political Weekly. 57 (31): 7–8. eISSN 2349-8846. ISSN 0012-9976. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022.
Reddy, P. H.; Modell, B. (1997). "The Baigas of Madhya Pradesh: a demographic study". Journal of Biosocial Science. 29 (1): 19–31. doi:10.1017/s0021932097000199. ISSN 0021-9320. PMID 9881117. S2CID 32432904.
Prasad, Archana (1998). "The Baiga: Survival strategies and local economy in the Central Provinces". Studies in History. 14 (2): 325–348. doi:10.1177/025764309801400209. S2CID 154166992.




= Bibliography

=
Elwin, Verrier (1938). The Baiga. London: Great Britain. OL 19663593M. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
McEldowney, Philip F. (1980). "The threatened tribal : The Baigas". Colonial Administration and Social Developments in Middle India: The Central Provinces, 1861-1921 (Thesis). University of Virginia. doi:10.18130/v3b04x.




Further reading


Minz, Diwakar; Hansda, Delo Mai (2010). "Baiga". Encyclopaedia of Scheduled Tribes in Jharkhand. Gyan Publishing House. pp. 17–26. ISBN 978-81-7835-121-6.
Ota, A. B.; Mohanty, S. C.; Turk, Khirod Kumar; Nayak, Moushumi; Pattnaik, Kabita, eds. (2021). Baiga (a little known tribe of Odisha) (PDF). Photo handbook. Bhubaneswar: Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Research and Training Institute (SCSTRTI). ISBN 9789380705767. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 May 2023.




External links



THE THREATENED TRIBAL:THE BAIGAS
http://www.tribalphoto.com/pages/tribes/india,madhya_pradesh_baiga.html
Photo essay on the Baiga tribe, Galli Magazine
Ideas of Life and Love from the Tribes of Chhattisgarh

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Sarna
• Imagawa Yoshimoto
• Baiga
• Dangerous Summer (film)
• Kanha Tiger Reserve
• Jodhaiya Bai Baiga
• List of Scheduled Tribes
• Godna
• Arjun Singh Dhurve
• Tribals in Madhya Pradesh
• Demographics of Uttar Pradesh
• Amitabh Bachchan