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The Bonda Tribe, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in Odisha's Malkangiri district, received pucca houses for 1,148 households under a government scheme, with each allocated ₹2 lakh, addressing years of flood vulnerability.
About
- The Bonda Tribe, also known as Bondo, Bondo Poraja, Bhonda, or Remo, is a Munda ethnic group
- It is one of India's 75 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), residing in the isolated hills of Malkangiri district, Odisha, near the borders of Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh.
- Population: Around 12,000 (2011 census), divided into Upper Bonda (more isolated, ~6,700) and Lower Bonda (~17,000).
- Ethnicity: Munda group, Austroasiatic origins; one of India's oldest tribes and 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).
- Language: Remo (means "people"), from Munda branch of Austroasiatic family.
- Society: Matriarchal; women marry younger men (5-10 years junior), hold authority in family decisions.
- Attire: Women wear short "ringa" cloth, heavy jewelry; men wear loincloths, carry bows/arrows.
- Livelihood: Shifting cultivation (millet, pulses), hunting, foraging, handicrafts, barter.
- Religion: Animism; worship nature, ancestors; festivals like Maghyatra with dances, sacrifices.
- Challenges: Low literacy (~6%), health issues, land loss, alcoholism; culture preserved despite pressures.
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