Asur Adivasi

The Asur are one of the primitive tribal groups (PTGs). They are found in the districts of Gumla, Lohardaga, Palamu and Latehar of the Jharkhand state. They have been iron-smelters. The modern Asur tribe is divided into three sub-tribal divisions, namely Bir (Kol) Asur, Birjia Asur and Agaria Asur. The Birjia are recognized as a separate schedule tribe which come under the P.T.Gs.

Traditionally, the Asur have been iron-smelters and slash burn cultivators. Thus, they have been nomadic. But forest acts and regulations have snatched away their traditional rights over the forest. This has affected their practice of iron-smelting and shifting cultivation. Now they are settled in villages.

Culture

The material culture of the Asur is found embedded in their household possession, their household possession includes utensils, furniture, war weapons, hunting implements, iron-smelting implements, baskets, dress, ornaments etc. The Asur erect their house with the help of mud, wooden poles, bamboo, leaves, grasses and tiles. The house is rectangular in shape. Each house consists of one or two rooms with a balcony. There is door and wooden gate and no window.

They have earthen pots, aluminium utensils, iron utensils and some utensils of bronze in their houses for the purpose of cooking, serving food, storing water and grains. They have different types of baskets for storing and carrying things. They have axe, knife, Bhala, Ber, Kudal, Khanti, Khurapi etc for collection of forest produce, hunting animals and for protecting themselves from the enemies. Their musical instruments include Dhol and Flute. They purchase earthen pots and metal implements from the Haat.

The men wear Dhoti and have a Gamchha on their head or shoulder. They wear ganji and kurta when they have to go out of the village, they use plastic shoes or slippers at the time of going to market or to some other villages. The women wear Sari, Saya and Blouse. Previously, they used to cover their entire body with the same sari without Blouse and Saya. The children wear Pant, Ganji, Shirt, Frock and Salwar Suit in late childhood. In early childhood, the children wear Ganji or Shirt only. They purchase clothes from the local Haat.

The Asur women are fond of ornaments which they wear in fingers, wrist, neck, ear and feet. The ornaments are made up of bronze, steel, glass, thread wild seeds and imitation of gold and silver. Now-a-days tattooing is not so popular.

They prepare mats, baskets, ropes, and rope carpets from the leaves, grasses and chops available in the forest. They also weave umbrella and winnowing tray. They also make wooden containers.

Family

The family of the Asur is nuclear in structure in which father, mother and unmarried children reside together. The family name and succession is transferred from the father to the son. The inheritance rule is patrilateral.

The head of the family is father. But, he does not take decision alone. He seeks suggestions from the wife and the young children at the time of finalizing a decision at family level. The married sons and daughter establish a separate family after marriage.

The husband-wife relation is very sweet but it becomes bitter on development of extra martial relation. They live together, work together, eat together and spend time together, and even take care of children and struggle hard to raise the family income. Wives look after household chores, cook food and take care of kids.

Relationship between parent-children is healthy and they extend every possible love to their children. They try to fulfil their wishes within the limit of their earning. Beating children is rare, they scold as punishment. They are scolded when they are involved in pre-marital relation with the girl of the other tribe or of the same clan because they practice the rule of the tribe endogamy and clan exogamy. Even the children love their parents very much; they extend full cooperation in household chores and also work in the forest, field and even go to earn wages with the parent. In the childhood, they play together, eat together and sleep together.

Now they maintain relation through visits, invitation, gift, presentation etc. on festive and ceremonial exchange. They maintain relationship reciprocally. The relation between siblings becomes bitter at the time of division of property. But conflict is resolved in the village level community Panchayat.

The Asur also maintain good relationship with the families of other tribes and castes living in the villages. The relationship with the families of other tribes and castes becomes sour due to adultery, rape, theft and destruction of property.

The Asur also maintain good relationship with the neighbouring villages with whom they work in the forest and exchange talks.

Thus, the Asur are peace loving and they consider cooperation at all levels. Not only with own family but also with other families they seek cooperation and extend cooperation. Reciprocity is the main means for maintaining inter family relations. Invitations, services, loan, gift, presentation etc. are exchanged reciprocally between the families.

It is true that side by side the cooperation, one also finds the existence of conflict. The Asur are also not exception.

They have Husband-wife conflict, brother-brother conflict, inter family conflict, inter tribe conflict, and inter village conflict. These are important forms of conflict in the Asur society. Village level conflict is settled in village Panchayat and inter-village level conflict is settled in inter village Panchayat.       

Marriage

Marriage is very important ritual and come essentially in the life of every individual. Only physically disabled are not able to get married. The Asur follow the rule of monogamy, but in case of barrenness, widower and widow hood, they follow the rule of bigamy or even Polygamy. Window re-marriages are permissible. At the time of marriage, they follow the rule of tribe endogamy. Those who do not obey these rules are thrown out from the community but are allowed after paying seven times feast to the community members.

The ways of acquiring mate in the Asur society are by bride price. The marriage by bride price is negotiated through the father of the boy and the girl. At the time of negotiation the father of the groom approaches the father of bride. They sit together and settle the bride price in the form of cash and kind, the bride price in cash is very nominal. The dresses of the bride's parents, brothers, sisters are to be paid along with rice, pulse, and vegetables or goat to feed the members of the Barati and the Sarati parties.

When the bride price is settled, the Baiga priest is called to fix a suitable date of marriage. Before the day of marriage, the bride and the groom have to observe beautification rituals. On the day of marriage, the bride and the groom go through purifictory bath. They wear new dresses. The groom sits on the palaki. The female kins perform white magic for successful marriage and married life. The male kins accompany the groom to reach at the house of the bride in the form of the Barat Party. When the Barat Party reaches the bride's village, the male kins of bride side welcome them. They embrace the members of the Barat Party and offer garlands of forest flowers. They are brought at a suitable place for the night halt, rope carpet & mats are spread to make them sit. They are asked to wash hands, feet and mouth. Then Lakatho sweet, fried grams, Dalmot and Handia are served to them as hospitality. After few hours, the groom is brought in the courtyard of the bride for the purpose of marriage. A special seat is prepared for the purpose of marriage. The groom puts vermilion in the forehead of the bride and the marriage ritual ends. The female kins and companions perform dance and all members present there offer good wishes for successful married life to the couple, then each member shares Handia and marriage feast. 

In the morning, the Vidai of the bride and the groom is done by presenting new dresses, money and gifts. The members of the Barat Party are offered breakfast and Handia then the Vidai is done.

But for the continuation of the blood, marriage is essential. Without marriage, children can not be reproduced legally and without reproduction blood can not be transmitted from one generation to the next. Thus, in each generation marriage and blood play significant role in the kinship system. Through reproduction, not only blood, but family name, clan, lineage, descent, property and succession are also transmitted. The clan is patrilineal, lineage is patrilateral, descent is patrilineal, residence is patrilocal and inheritance of property is also patrilateral in the Asur society.

The Asur practice clan exogamy. Intra-clan marriage is a taboo because clan members are related through blood. They also treat cousins as blood relatives. Hence, marriages with cousins are not allowed.      

After marriage, an individual has paternal kins, maternal kins and affinal kins. Maternal and Paternal kins are consanguineal kins.

The Asur have clan like Benga, Indawar, Toppo, Khusar, Kerketta, Thithaio, Barwa, Barwa, Baghnar, Dhan and Hiran.

The marriage continues the blood relation. Although the bride is brought from other clan, she is treated as blood relative because through bride, reproduction takes place and blood relation is transmitted.

After marriage, not only the husband and wife are tied in kinship but the husband is tied to all maternal and paternal kins of wife so maternal and paternal kins of wife and husband also come under kinship bond with each other. Thus, marriage brought several families under kinship bond.

The Asur use classificatory and descriptive kinship terminology. The kins follow the rule of avoidance, joking at the time of behavior. The husband is a new entrant in the family of the wife, so he has to behave avoiding Sas, Sasur and Jethani. Similarly, the wife has to avoid the Sas, Sasur and Bhainsur. The husband folows the rule of joke with Sala, Sali and Sarhaj. The wife follows the rule of joking with Devar, Nanad and Nanad's husband. The husband and the wife do not take the name of each other at the time of reference. They refer their children at the time of behaviour like Ram's father, Saru's mother etc. Samadhi-Samadhi, Samdhin-Samdhin and Samdhi-Samdhin also behave following the rule of joking.

Birth

Birth is treated as very pious occasion for the couple, family and the community. After the birth the couple is treated as fertile and marriage is taken as successful. The birth transmits the blood from one generation to the next. Thus, the progeny of the family is transmitted. The community members become pleased to know the addition of the family member. The birth takes place generally in the house with the help of a Kusarain who assists the woman and the child. The birth brings pollution for a period of five days. On the 6th day, the rooms, courtyard, clothes, utensils etc. are washed.

The woman wears a clean sari and covers the child in the same. She goes to the abode of family deity to seek blessings. They also seek the blessings of elder female members who are invited to participate in the purifactory rituals. A feast is also organized.

They believe that evil spirits attacks on the mother and the child in the delivery room. So, to get rid on spirits, they perform white magic like putting a thorny plant at the gate, lighting lamp round the clock and putting a knife by the side of the mother and the child.

The navel is cut with a bamboo blade and all delivery wastes are buried at a lonely place. After birth, child naming ritual takes place after a month. Food serving ritual occurs when the first tooth erupts. Mundan and ear boring are held after 2 and 3 years. Marriage takes place when children attain the age between 15 to 25 years.

                                                 Death

The Asur are aware of the death reality. But a distinction is made between deaths. Natural death during old age is taken as good. Because it provides occasion for a change of old body into new one through rebirth. They also believe that it provides the occasion of old persons to join the abode of the family deity. But unnatural death in childhood and young age is taken very bad.

They remain wondering and dissatisfied till their rest life. They attack on pregnant women, children and cattle. The Asur burry their dead body. The death brings pollution for 9 days. On 10th day purificatory feast is given.

Economy

The economic activities of the Asur are iron-smelting, shifting cultivation, hunting, and collection of food, collection of other MFP, fishing, and demonstration of animals, agriculture, labour and service. The Asur are iron-smelter since time-immemorial. They had knowledge of iron ores and iron smelting. They used to prepare charcoal from green salwood on the bank of rivers tanks, and Nala. They used to smelt iron ore and supply iron to Lohara for the preparation of iron-tools. But now only a few families know this technology. Almost all families have given up this economic activities because they are facing problem is getting green salwood due to forest Regulation and acts.    

They were also hunters and gathers. But forest regulations and Acts have deprived them from this economic activity. They were also shifting, cultivators, but it has also been banned by the Government. Now they do some collection of forest produce, fishing on the bank of river and tank.          

Now-a-days, they have some plots of land over which they do the cultivation of crops. They have their own house.

Asur individuals are also engaged in Government jobs as 4th grade staffs and school teachers.

The income of Asur family is not sufficient to meet the basic needs like food, clothes, medecines house etc.Naturaly, and they are bound to take loan. Nearly all Asur families are under some kind of debt. They take loan from the local traders and shopkeepers for meeting expenses of daily domestic need, the money lenders are called as mahajan they repay the loan with interest from their wages.

The Asur men, women, children and aged visit the local Haat to sell and purchase things, the medium of exchange in the Haat is money. The Haat takes place once or twice in a week on fixed days. Generally marketing is done by the women. Women also avail credit facilities.

Political Organisation

The Asur has their traditional community level Panchayat. The head of the Panchayat is known as Mahto. The post of Mahto is hereditary. The other office bearers of the community Panchayat are Bagia, Pujar and Gorait who are also religious specialists. All heads of the families are members of the community Panchayat. The community Panchayat looks after the traditionally laid down customs. The community Panchayat is held at Akhara. The day and time of the Panchayat is announced a day before. The Panchayat decides the case related to endogamy, exogamy, inter tribal marriage, intra clan marriages, rape, adultery, premarital, and extra martial sex relations, divorce, division of property, theft and damage caused to the property.

The decision was taken unanimously and both parties have to obey the decision. It is the duty of the community members to punish a guilty by participating in the Panchayat. Again, it is the responsibility of the Panchayat members to get the decision implemented. If any family does not go obey the decision, the family is asked to shift anywhere and leave the village within few days. No body accepts food and water from its members. No body goes for martial relation. If any body wants to come back in the community, he has to pay a fine in the form of community feast seven times.

Emergence of modern Gram Panchayat, Thana, police and court is weakening the functioning of the community Panchayat. Some of them also go to Thana and court for justice.

The Asur are participating in the democratic process now-a-days. They exercise their franchise at the time of election of Gram Panchayat, MLA and MP. They know the name and symbols of some political parties. But they are neither members nor supporters of any political parties. They cast votes as per community decision. If they deicide not to cast vote, they do not go to the polling booths. They also cast their vote by taking money from the candidate for community feast.

Religion

The Asur religion is a mixture of animism, animatism, naturalism and ancestral worships. They also believe in black magic like Bhut-pret and witchcraft. Singbonga is the chief deity of the Asur, other deities are Dharati Mata, Duari, Patdaraha and Turi Husid. They celebrate festivals like Sarhul, Karma, Dhanbuni, Kadelta, Rajj karma, Dasahara Karam,

Khalihani Puja, Goraiya Puja, Deothan Puja, Kharoch Puja, Phagu and Pitar Puja. They offer sacrifice of goat, chicks, duck and eggs at the time of worship to please the deity. The worship is held at community level, sacred specialist is called Baiga. He is assisted by Deori.

The Asur also believe in witchcraft. They go to the Ojha to get rid of the attack of Bhuta-Preta. They also have faith in Dain. To neutralise the evil effect of Dain, they go to the Ojha (witch doctor).

Some Asur have adopted Christianity. They visit church and celebrate Christian festivals.

Woman

The Asur women are laborious. They are respected in the society. As a daughter their value is not less than son. The birth of both sexes brings equal joy in the family. As a wife, they are the assistant and helper to the husband. As mother, they are breast feeder and protector to the children. They are the first teacher and inculcate the good habits, cooperative behaviour and social virtues in the children. They have knowledge about food medicine and serve to the family members on the occasion of illness. They are the manager of the family expenditure; work hard to maintain the family. But being women, they have to observe a number of taboos during the pregnancy and nursing period. They are also tabooed in some kind economic activities like ploughing, roof making and climbing on trees for collection of forest produce.

They do not participate in community Panchayat. They also do not take part in sacrificial rituals. But in family decision they play significant role. For the peace, prosperity and happiness of the family they observe fast and Vrata.

Children

The Asur children are the future hope of the socitey. They co-operate their parents in the household chores. they play games like Kabadi, chika, Dol-Pata, Goti, Chor-siphai, Bagh-Bakari, Barah Gotia etc. They are enrolled in the schools run by the Government. But non-attendance and dropouts are prevalent or large scale. As a result, the educational status of the Asur children is not promising. The children are also sent for earning little wages in forest, field, construction sites etc. Thus, Asur Children also contribute in the family income.

Youth

The Asur Youth enter into family life in the age of 15 to 25 years soon after marriage. Soon after marriage, the husband-wife establishes a separate house and start struggling hard to maintain the family. They reproduce children for the continuity of progeny. The birth of child provides the status of youth as father and mother. As father and mother, they become more responsible. But the Asur youth have to face the situation of unemployment. Because, they possess little land, they do the collection forest produce in the forest. But agriculture and forest do not provide them employment opportunities for more than six months in a year. The rest six months of the year, they are dependent upon wage- earning.

For earning wages, they go in forest, field, construction sites, brick kiln. They do  migrate other places in search of work. They consider themselves lucky when they get work regularly. In the payment, they are also exploited. They are not paid as per Government Minimum Wages Act. Contact-with outside world has influenced the life style of the youth. But insufficient income is developing frustration in youth. Many pathological problems like personality disorganisation, family disorganisation, crimes, sex trade, beggary etc. have reached among the youth. This is harmful for the smooth functioning of the society. 

Aged

The Asur aged do not want to become burden upon their young generations. They do some kind of job till they breathe their last. They lie in bed only when they become physically quite disabled. In old hood, they perform work like looking after kids, Bar land, thrashing field and household belongings when young members go out of house for work and marketing. The aged prepare rope, rope carpet, baskets, and umbrella etc for use in the family chores. They benefit the young generation by their experiences and suggestions. They have ritualistic value and are worshipped  on the occasion of ceremonies and festivals. the young and children seek blessings of the aged on the occasion of marriage and festivals. 

Development

After independence our central and state Government have launched schemes for economic and educational development of the P.T.Gs. The Asur have also been benefitted by them. But the developmental efforts have not brought desired result in the Asur society. They are still backward and far away from the mainstream of development

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