Chuktia Bhunjia

The Bhunjia is numerically small and little known tribe of Odisha belonging to the photo-Australoid racial group. The name  'bhunjia' signifies one who lives on the soil. It is derived from the word 'Bhum', the earth and its depend on. The Bhunjia speaks a mixed dialect of Baiga and Chhatishgarhi. The tribe is devided into two sections: Chuktia Bhunjia and Chinda Bhunjia. The former represents the one particularly vulnerable tribal group. The later section is perhaps the mixed 'Holva' and  'Gond' descent and consider them as the autochthones of hills of Sunabeda plateau. As per 2007 survey, population of the Chuktia Bhunjia in the CBDA, Sunabeda, micro Project area WAS 2269 (male 1124 and female 1145). The growth rate among them during the period 2001-2007 was 3.96 percent. The sex-ratio is 1018 female per 1000 male. The literacy among them is 18.77% (28.77 for male and 9.17 for female). The Chuktia Bhunjia socio-cultural identity is distinct with their sacred kitchen-shed, a small one, built a little away from the other rooms and enclosed around to guard it from the touch of any outsider including their married daughters. If any outsider touches the kitchen shed, it is set on fire and razed down to the ground. Untill a new shed is built, the food is made in a enclosed/open space. The women do not use any other garment  but wear only sarees. They use necklace made of beads and coins, brass and glass bangles, ankelets and ear- rings made od either aluminium or silver. The women folk comb their hair in a very descent manner and dress the hair into a massive bun at the back of the head by using a bulky tassel and fixing pin into it to keep the bun in position. Tattoo marks add the body beauty of the women. Over generation, women both young and old used to beautify their arms and hands with tattoo marks of different designs. Currently the younger generation under the influence of modernization has become disheartend to have such tattoo marks. The men mainly wear a piece of cloth and affluent grop wear under-wear and shirts. As religious injection from supreme deity 'Sunadei' , the tribes men do not use tiles for roofing, cots for sleeping, country husking dhenki for  husking purpose.