Bonda Tribe

Bonda Tribe, also known as Bondo, Bondo Poraja, Bhonda, or Remo are an ethnic group of the Munda. According to the 2011 census the population of the Bondo is approximately 12,000 and they reside in the secluded hilly regions of the Malkangiri district which is located in the south-western part of Odisha. This district is situated near the junction of the three states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Bondas are among one of the 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) that can be found in the state of Odisha.

The Bonda tribe is divided into two parts

• Upper Bondas stay in the inaccessible parts of the forest far from the society and they have almost no connection to the outside world.
• Lower Bondas who live in the plains and are accessible.

Only around 6% of the Bondas are literate and their life expectancy is so low that they are classified as a nearly extinct tribe. The Bondas are said to be the members of a group of Austro-Asiatic tribes and are generally believed to be part of the first wave of migration out of Africa about 60,000 years ago. They are said to be the oldest and most primitive tribe of India as they were the first tribe to settle in forests in India.

The language spoken by them is known as Remo which comes under the munda branch of the family of Austro-Asiatic languages. The men of the tribe carry with them various kinds of bows and arrows which are lethal and the women wear various kinds of rings and necklaces around the body and are mostly semi-clad.

Bonda Society

The Bonda is a matriarchal society and this can be noticed clearly as the women are the providers of the community. This matriarchal nature of the society also spills over to the marital norms of the community as the women mostly marry boys who are at least five to ten years younger than them. This norm is in place so that the husbands can provide for their wives when they grow old. The Bonda Society is stark opposite of the Indian Society as the women population is higher than the men.

Though they are generally cut off from the society but recently it has been noted that the Bonda’s have begun taking up jobs of migrant labourers as well as peons and clerical jobs in government offices.

Covid-19 and the Bonda Tribe

During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, 12 tribe members have been found positive of the virus and the district administration has started taking up steps so that the virus does not affect them any further.