The Lodha people (often honorifically Sabar and Savar)[1] are a Scheduled Tribe and particularly vulnerable tribal group of India, inhabiting primarily West Bengal and Odisha. Lodhas of West Bengal mostly live in the Paschim Medinipur and Jhargham districts. A section of the Lodha has converted to Islam, and formed a distinct community called the Lodha Muslims.
Demographics
As per 2001 census, Lodhas numbered 84,966 and formed 1.9 per cent of the scheduled tribe population of West Bengal. They had a literacy rate of 34.8 per cent.[2] As per the 2011 census, the Lodhas population is 108,707 and 9,785 in West Bengal and Odisha respectively.
| Census year | West BengalTemplate:Efn | Template:Tooltip | Odisha | Template:Tooltip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901[3] | 8,173 | — | ||
| 1911[4] | 7,403 | — | ||
| 1921[5] | n/a | — | ||
| 1931[6] | 11,001 | — | Template:N/a | — |
| 1941[7] | 11,641 | 5.8 | Template:N/a | — |
| 1951[8] | 8,346 | -28.4 | Template:N/a | — |
| 1961[9] | 40,898 | 390.7 | 2,370 | — |
| 1971 | 45,906 | 12.2 | 3,891 | 64.2 |
| 1981 | 53,718 | 17.0 | 5,100 | 31.1 |
| 1991 | 68,095 | 26.8 | 7,458 | 46.2 |
| 2001 | 84,966 | 24.7 | 8,905 | 19.4 |
| 2011 | 108,707 | 27.9 | 9,785 | 9.9 |
The Lodhas of Odisha are primarily found in Suliapada and Morada blocks of Baripada sub-division of Mayurbhanj district of Orissa.[10]
Focus
Lodha means piece of flesh named after their ancestor. Lodhas have been in the focus of anthropologists and social activists.[11] During the early period of their rule, the British government in India oppressed the tribal people of Jungle Mahals, who were traditionally dependent upon the forests for a living. They had revolted but were ruthlessly suppressed. Having been deprived of their livelihood and without any alternatives, they took to criminal ways of life and were subsequently branded a criminal tribe. They should properly be labelled as uprooted rebels. Lodha titles are Nayek, Mallick, Digar, Sardar, Bhokta, Kotal, Dandapat, Bhunya etc. These titles were also used by the Sabars.[12] One of the most important research on the Lodhas was done by a Calcutta University faculty, Prabodh Kumar Bhowmick.[13][14] Much later, researchers from the Department of Anthropology at Vidyasagar University have done empirical studies on the development scenario of the Lodha tribe in Mendinpur district[15][16] who were by that time declared as a 'Primitive Tribal Group' (PTG) by the Government of India.
See also
Notes
References
- ↑ PROBLEMS OF TRIBAL IDENTITY: A Case Study of Savara & Lodha Tribes of West Bengal, Ghatak, Proggya(January 2011).
- ↑ West Bengal: Data Highlights the Scheduled Tribes. Census Commission of India. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
- ↑ Census of India, 1901: Bengal (4 v.){{#if:Commissioner|, Commissioner}. Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India(1902)
- ↑ Census of India, 1911, Vol. V; Bengal; Part II.-Tables
- ↑ Estimated Population by Castes, 4 West Bengal - Census 1951.
- ↑ Tables, Part II, Vol-V, Bengal & Sikkim - Census 1931.
- ↑ Census Of India 1941, Vol-IV, Bengal - Census 1941.
- ↑ The Tribes and Castes of West Bengal, Land and Land Revenue Department - Census 1951.
- ↑ Tables on Scheduled Tribes, Part V-A (ii), Vol-XVI, West Bengal & Sikkim.
- ↑ Mayurbhanj, Tribal languages, festivals and culture. Retrieved 26 September 2009.
- ↑ Rise of anthropology in India: a social science orientation, Volume 1 By Lalita Prasad Vidyarthi{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}(1978)
- ↑ Ghosh, Binoy, Paschim Banger Sanskriti, (in Bengali), part I, 1976 edition, pp. 201-203, Prakash Bhaban
- ↑ Rehabilitation of a 'Denotified Community': The Ex-Criminal Lodhas of West Bengal. RAIN({Template:Date).
- ↑ The Lodhas of West Bengal. A Socio-Economic Study{{#if:Bhowmick|, Bhowmick}. Punthi Pustar Publishing(1963)
- ↑ Lodhas of West Bengal : A Case Study. Tribal Tribune({Template:Year).
- ↑ Ground realities of Development among the Lodhas in West Bengal. South Asian Anthropologist({Template:Date).
Further reading
- Lodha. tribal.nic.in. Scheduled castes and scheduled Tribes Research Training Institute, Bhubaneswar. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
External links
Template:Scheduled tribes of India Template:Scheduled tribes of West Bengal Template:Authority control