Munda Culture Analysis

K. S. Singh states three major influences for shaping Munda culture: the Asur, the Hindu and the Christian. Singh declares that Asurs have been credited being with the progenitors of the spirits by both Mundas and Oraons. Here, instead of Munda Culture I would like to say it adivasi culture and I consider these three major affecting factors as; the adivasi (indigenous), the Hindu and the Christian.
According to K S Singh, ‘the evidence of the cults of the Sun and the mother goddess in Tamar dates back to the early medieval age. Culturally, the plains of the Panchpargana were the gateway of Vaishnava influence to the Munda Land.’ He further states that ‘Vaishnavism left an indelible impression in the Mundas. Towards the close of the medieval

Singh observes these influences and argues that the Hindu influence detribalized the upper class Mundas who adopted the Hindu system of caste, polygamy and concubinage. All over the Munda land before the coming of alien zamindars and moneylenders (dikus) in the 19th century, the loom of time had woven the tribals and non tribals (Sadans) in to a culturally integrated community. These communities were the lower castes and backword castes in Hindu system, the Tantis or Swansis (the weavers), the Ghasis (who acted as musician on Munda marriage occasion and as fisherman), Bhogtas (who pound rice), Lohars (blacksmiths), Doms etc. The adivasis in turn, did not look upon them as dikus but accepted as adjuncts of their communal

With introduction of a more direct system of administration in 1834 by the Britishers, the adivasis of Chotanagpur came in contact with the British administration. The first Christian missionaries; the Gossner Evangelical Lutheran mission, the Anglican mission, the Roman Catholic mission, and other Christian missionaries arrived after 1844 in Chotanagpur region. Joseph Bara observes, ‘there was no ready-to-grab attitude among the mundas and the Oraons towards western education and the Christian missionaries till about