TRIBAL RELIGION

Religion

Religion is a universal institution and is an inseparable part of society. It is intricately interwoven with all other aspects of human life. Émile Durkheim described it with the ethereal statement that it consists of “things that surpass the limits of our knowledge” (1915). He defined religion as “a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, set apart and forbidden, beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community, called a church, all those who adhere to them”. Some people associate religion with places of worship (a synagogue or church), others with a practice (confession or meditation), and still others with a concept that guides their daily lives (like dharma or sin). All of these people can agree that religion is a system of beliefs, values, and practices concerning what a person holds sacred or considers to be spiritually significant.

Taboo

Taboo is a word taken from a Polynesian word Tabu, “to forbid” is used to designate all the restrictions communicated through verbal don’t dos’ and is generally associated with ritualistic behaviour.

Indian Tribal Religion

The tribal religion in India happens to be the most primitive form of religion found in human society. The following are the significance of tribal religion in tribal society.

  1. Mana:

Mana is a supernatural power that is different from the physical force which acts in all kinds of good and bad and controls the disturbance. Mana is a supernatural power that is used to control many natural phenomena in man life.

Definition of Mana

  1. According to Edward Codrington, Mana is a force altogether distinct from physical power, which acts in all kinds of ways for good and evil, and which is of the greatest advantage to possess or control.

  2. According to Majumdar, Mana is a belief in an understandable, impersonal and material thing having some supernatural power and to which people bows for control and peace.

  3. According to Max Müller, Mana is an attempt to define certain natural phenomena in terms of an impersonal power. The high mountain, the river, the thunder and all other natural phenomena according to the tribal people, act with the power of Mana. This power acts both for good and for bad. It is connected with the soul, the ghost of the departed man and the living being. The Ho and Munda tribes of Chhota Nagpur call it Bonga.

  1. Bonga:

Bonga is a type of Mana. Ho and Monda tribes use this word and say that it is a mysterious and impersonal power at the back of some natural calamity. According to these tribes, Bonga is a mysterious and impersonal power at the back of rains, tempests, colds, floods, epidemics, storms and wild animals. Everywhere activity is due to the power of Bonga. In this regards everyone tries to be safe from these activities and they perform Bonga. Thus Bonga is a form of Mana.

  1. Animism:

Animism is the work of E. B. Tylor and may be found in his “Primitive Culture” first published in 1871. The notion was a part of a theory of primitive religion that endeavoured to account for the spiritual existence of animals, plants and even on the occasion of man and inanimate objects. Animism is essentially a belief in the existence of some supra-physical being within the body of every living being. This super-natural being survives even after the collapse of the physical body in which it is contained. After the death of a person, this so-called super-natural being is freed from physical limitations and can wander anywhere without being restricted by time and space.

Tylor, animism is essentially a belief in the spirit of the dead. Tylor argued that early men had a need to explain dreams, shadows, hallucinations, sleep, and death. The need to understand such a phenomenon led to the belief in the existence of the soul or an indwelling personality. When a man dreamt and saw in his dream, a person who was dead, then this was the man’s spirit or soul visiting him. Similarly, to dream of oneself in another place was one’s own soul parted from the body in sleep.

Tylor was criticized for being so certain about the logical mind of the primitive people or identifying a philosopher in the primitive men. However, we cannot entirely overlook the role of this aspect, rather it could have been formed one important part in developing religion.

  1. Animatism:

Animatism is the most widespread idea in tribal people as compared to animism. According to animatism, there is some impersonal power behind every material thing besides living things. In Indian tribal religion materials like bones, stones and feathers are worshipped to bring peace and prosperity. For example, in the Bihar tribe stones and feathers are considered to have magical power. The stones are considered as the children of the earth mother. Even among the Ho people believed in an all prevailing life force and were behind to please this spirit for their own benefits and betterment. Their chief deity based on this belief is known as ‘Sing Bonga’. So, animatism is the faith is material things have a living soul.

  1. Naturalism:

The German scholar and Indologist Max Muller was the main propounder of the theory of naturism. The primitive man was inspired by the natural phenomena to find out the reason behind some natural calamities and catastrophes. The origin of religion according to Max Muller lies in this attempt to explain and describe the reasons behind and implications of natural phenomena.

For example, the Munda would go to the tops of hills and throw down stones of all sizes and shapes, so that the rumbling sound of stones falling would resemble the rumbling of thunder and they believe that rains would follow. The Ho would burn faggots so that some may cover the sky resembling cloud and they believe this symbolic cloud is capable of bringing real cloud and rain.

Thus, the outward events that affect life have been explained and accounted for by primitive people on the basis of knowledge that they gained through experiences and gradually this helped them to develop religion.

  1. Immortality of Soul:

Many of the people of the Indian tribal religion believe in the immortality of the soul. They have faith that the soul of a dead person remain in the body and for this purpose there observed the funeral rites twice. The second time rite is considered more important than the first time. The living soul of the dead person requires food etc. for a sufficient period of time. Among Naga and Nikobar islands the skull of a man is placed in a wooden statue believing that the soul of the person would pass from the skull to the wooden statue and skull to the wooden statue and make it able for worship and they made every effort to fulfil all its needs. In south India, in Kerala, the statue of a dead body is worshipped only once a year. In the Naga tribe, the soul of the ancestors is worshipped at the time of sowing and in need of rain.

  1. Faith in Re-Birth:

This is another belief present in the Indian tribal religion. According to this faith, the soul of a man after death remains alive and enters into the body of some animals, birds or any other living thing. This is practiced in Naga, Anir, Kamar, and Gond tribes.

  1. Magic:

James Frazer made a detailed analysis of magic and religion in his book ‘Golden Bough’. He believed in the process of evolution of human knowledge and attempted to explain the evolution of culture through the evolution of magic, religion and science. From his point of view, the stages of development of human civilization correspond to magic, religion and science. The most primitive men explained and controlled natural happenings around human beings with the help of magic and gradually came religion and science. Frazer categorized magic into – Homeopathic magic and Contagious magic.

  1. Homoeopathic or Imitative Magic: It is based on the principle of ‘Law of similarity’ i.e. like produces like. For example, the Khond believe that for rain human sacrifices are essential. As the tear rolls down from the sufferer’s eyes and blood comes out of the wounds, the rain will come in a similar way. The casual connection between two events is sought but it is established in an irrational and imaginary condition. Effigy burning is also a way to show the same principle as the pain of the effigy is understood as on the pain of the real person concerned.

  2. Contagious magic: Is is based on the ‘Law of contact’. This implies if something is directly associated with a person or an animal it becomes a part of him or it and that should not be visited by any other as it may cause harm to the latter. This association is extended to clothing, nail and hair-trimmings, utensils, personal effects and so on. It is for this reason primitive people used to give all the belongings of the person after his death along with the dead body.

Frazer opined that all the magical rites found in primitive society are based on these two principles. Frazer designated all these as sympathetic because to him the cause and effect relationship is a ‘sympathetic relation’.

  1. Taboo:

The word ‘taboo’ has been taken from Polynesian vocabulary, meaning ‘to forbid’ and ‘forbidden’. Taboo is used to designate all the restrictions communicated through verbal ‘Don’t do’s’ and is generally associated with ritualistic behaviour, which a member of a primitive society has to submit to. In every group of tribal people, some behaviour is forbidden so that social order remains intact. These are almost like verbal laws which were having three major functions –

  1. Protective taboo: It is generally applied to weak children, women or old people so that they do not fall into any problem. In some cases, men also remain away from certain places, actions or objects so that they can be secured to a certain extent. Among some of the tribes, the killing of a particular animal is forbidden because those animals are useful for society, and those should be protected and the entire group can be protected from being led towards danger due to the loss of that animal. For example - the tribal chief is tabooed so that no person can touch him or come in contact with him, as it protects against harm.

  2. Productive taboo: They are those which are mainly connected with agricultural production. If the women are not allowed to touch the plough it may indicate that this particular agricultural work cannot be done properly without physical strength which is available in men only. Thus, for perfection in production, such productive taboos are made. For example - When the new crop is tabooed before it is ceremonially offered to the goddess of corn, it is the productive taboo.

  3. Prohibitive taboo: Protective and prohibitive taboos are almost the same. Prohibitions are made to protect people from some evils or to protect that particular animal or plant from the interference of man. For example - A Kharia woman who is married outside the village cannot enter the cattle shed of her parent’s house or of any other’s house; this is prohibitive taboo to safeguard the animals from any disease or other harm.

  4. Totemism:

The concept of totemism as a form of religion was first formulated by John McLennan, in an article “The Worship of Animals and plants” (1869-1870). The term Totem is derived from the Obijbwa word ototeman, meaning “one’s brother-sister kin”.

Totemism implies a tribal social organization of the sib or clan pattern which is associated with a form of supernaturalism consisting of some typical attitude towards animals, plants or some other natural objects. Totem is related both to religion and clan organization.

Regarding the religious aspect of totem, many scholars have their opinions and writing.  Tylor opined totemism emerged in the form of religious worship and ancestor worship. Emile Durkheim took totemism as the most elementary form of religious life and suggested that it was the clan worshipping itself and the collective emblem of society and worship of society is the source of totemism according to him.

An association between human groups or individuals and specific animals or plants entailed ritualized observances and sometimes eating avoidances. James Frazer argued that totemism existed were ‘savages’ had no knowledge of the role of the human male in conception.  Herbert Risley pointed out, in India, the religious aspect of totemism is almost dead to a considerable extent, and the social aspect is more operative.

Most of the explanations in relation to the origin of clans among Ho, Munda and the Santhal conclude that totems originated out of necessities at a time when human help failed to provide required relief. For example, Hansda clan with a totem duck, Pansia clan with totem pigeon etc.

From the above discussion that Indian tribal religion is the most primitive type of religion and is passing through different stages and evolving. Those activities and rituals performed by them are to fulfil their needs and desires in their social life.

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Sources:

  1. Little, W. (2014, November 6). Introduction to Sociology – 1st Canadian Edition. Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/introductiontosociology/chapter/chapter-15-religion/.

  2. Here is your short essay on Tribal Religion. (2011, October 15). Retrieved from http://www.preservearticles.com/social-science/here-is-your-short-essay-on-tribal-religion/13471.

  3. Indian Tribal Religion. (2013, December 7). Retrieved from http://studylecturenotes.com/indian-tribal-religion/.

  4. The important features of Indian Tribal Religion. (2015, June 29). Retrieved from http://www.publishyourarticles.net/eng/articles2/the-important-features-of-indian-tribal-religion/2113/.


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