Banjara Adivasi
The Banjaras are very small tribe. They are mostly found in the Rajmahal sub-division of Sahebganj District of Jharkhand.
Family
The Banjara family is patriarchal. Father is treated as head of the family. The family is nuclear in structure. It consists of Husband, Wife and Un-married children. After marriage, the daughter leaves the house of father to live in the house of Husband's father. The sons establish separate family after the marriage. But, sometimes, the married sons share the property of father equally to look after the aged parents.
Marriage
The usual form of marriage in the Banjara is monogamy. Bigamy and Widow re-marriage is also permissible in special circumstances. They practice tribe endogamy and clan and village exogamy. The marriage mates should not be relative up to three generations from father or mother side. Cousin marriages are strictly prohibited.
Death
The Banjara is aware of the fact that, death is a universal phenomenon and all living things have to die one day. But they believe that there is difference between deaths. The death of old persons is taken good because their old body transformed into new ones or they get salvation. But, premature death is not taken as good. Premature deaths occur due to accident, murder, suicide, burning etc. The souls of persons meeting un-natural deaths become malevolent spirits. They remain un-satisfied and wondering till the rest of their life. As they are dissatisfied, they cause harm to pregnant women, children, brides and grooms.
The post-death custom is burial of the body, with head pointing towards north. Infants and even pregnant women, who meet with accidental deaths, are similarly buried in the ground.
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