SARAT CHANDRA ROY

INDIAN ANTHROPOLOGISTS
SAMUEL VARGHESE
BIOGRAPHY
Sarat Chandra Roy (4 November 1871– 30 April 1942 ) was an
[1]

Indian scholar of anthropology. He is widely regarded as the

'father of Indian ethnography ', the 'first Indian ethnographer', the
'first Indian anthropologist,Father of Indian Ethnology POSTGRADUATE IN ENGLISH LITERATURE
In 1892, he graduated in English literature from Scottish Church
College. He earned a postgraduate degree in English from the
same institution, and subsequently studied law at the Ripon
College. He was deeply moved by the plight of
the Munda, Oraon and other tribal groups, who were subjected
to the continued oppression by an apathetic colonial
administration who had little knowledge of their
customs, religions, customary laws and languages. Keeping all
OFFICIAL INTERPRETER IN
this in perspective, he decided to spend years and decades RANCHI COURTS
among tribal folks to study their languages, conduct
ethnography, and interpret their customs, practices, religion and
laws
MAJOR BOOKS AND JOURNALS
BOOKS
THE MUNDAS AND THEIR
COUNTRY (1912)

THE ORAONS OF CHOTA

NAGPUR (1915) JOURNAL CONTRIBUTIONS

THE BIRHORS (1925) MAN IN INDIA, THE FIRST

ANTHROPOLOGICAL JOURNAL
ORAON RELIGION AND IN INDIA WAS STARTED BY HIM
CUSTOMS (1927) IN 1921.
THE HILL BHUIYAS OF
ORISSA (1935)

THE KHARIAS VOL.1 (1937)

THE KHARIAS VOL.2 (1937)
THE MUNDAS AND THEIR COUNTRY(1912)

S.C. Roy firstly studied the Munda tribe of Chota Nagpur. He undertook study
on their customs, beliefs, traditions, life-ways and dialect. In His book Munda
and their Country he traced the origin of the tribe utilising folklore, language
and prehistoric evidences.
Funding was made available to him by the Government of Bihar under Sir
Edward Gait, the then Governor of Bihar. Unlike other anthropologists, he
emphasized that knowledge of history of a tribe helps to understand culture
better. In his book, he provides an ethnographic detail about their physicality,
material culture, religion, festivals, spiritual world, folklore and culture.
He also records the long history of the Mundas right from the Vedic society to
the sixth century B.C., its early and medieval history, and finally the modern
history covering the period up to the Birsa insurrection.He discussed details of
the coming of the Christian missionaries, the contribution of Chota Nagpur to
the first struggle for independence of India in 1857, the institution of
Zamindar and agrarian disturbances, the Birsa insurrection and other events
of the British period. The reconstruction of the tribal history of the Mundas
based on documented sources was as a matter of fact the first attempt in the
history of Indian anthropology
MUNDA MAGIC PRACTICES

ONE MAGICAL METHOD OF RAIN MAKING PRACTISED BY THE MUNDAS IS FOR THE MEN OF THE
VILLAGE TO ASSEMBLE IN THE EARLY MORNING ON TOP OF THE HULL AND FROM THERE THROW
DOWN STONES OF ALL SIZES SO THAT THEY FALL DOWN WITH A RUMBLING NOISE SUPPOSED TO
RESEMBLE THE RUMBLING OF THUNDER; AT THE SAME TIME A RUMBLING SOUND IS ALSO
PRODUCED FROM ABOVE THE HILL BY BEATING A DRUM. THEY GO ON THROWING DOWN STONES
AND BEATING DRUMS FOR THREE OR FOUR HOURS AND THEN THEY COME DOWN TO THE FOOT OF
THE HILL ,WHERE THE VILLAGE PRIEST OFFERS A BLACK GOAT TO THE SPIRIT OF THE HILL. RAIN IS
EXPECTED TO FALL BEFORE LONG.
Some MUNDAS seek to kill or injure their enemies by a magic process known as ban (arrow-shot)
which is as follows- a cotton seed is sown on the ground and it is manured with the ashes of a tree
struck by lightning . When the cotton plant grows two feet in height, the stem is cut down and
made into a bow, and with this bow an effigy of the person to be killed is shot at. It is believed that
this arrow shot will cause the person to die represented by the effigy
It took him 12 years of rigorous research before his first and acclaimed book The Munda
and their Country was first published in 1912.
 OROANS OF CHOTA NAGPUR

His book The Oroans of Chota Nagpur explains social organisation of

the tribe. He also mentioned about the prevalence of youth
Dormitory, the village panchayat and the Paraha system and
explained function of dormitory in social and economic life of the
Oroan

fThe Oraons are one of the largest tribes in South Asia numbering 17,02,663 Persons at
the 1971 Census, about half of them live in Bihar mainly on the Chota Nagpur Plateau the
remainder are in Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal . They speak a Dravidian
language known as Kurukh. Orans are closely related to the neighboring Munda tribe and
the headman of an Oraon is called Munda. Though there are no subcast among the
Oraons, the Kudas and Kisans having their distinct occupations tend to marry among
themselves, beyond this Oraons observe Village and clan exogamy. Boys and girls marry
after puberty between 16 to 20 years. This follows a period in which both sexes sleep in a
youth dormitory, boys are branded on the arm before being admitted to this institution,
dormitory provides a pool of agricultural labour that can be hired when necessary. Small
minority follow the tribe are Christian and the Great majority follow the Hindu form of
worship
YOUTH DORMITORIES
• Youth dormitories, are traditional institutions in the Oraon tribe that serve several
purposes:
• Socialization: The dormitories are a place for young boys and girls to come together
and socialize with each other. They provide an opportunity for young people to form
friendships, build relationships, and learn from each other.
• Education: The dormitories are also used for education and training. Older members
of the tribe, including elders and community leaders, teach younger members about
the tribe's customs, traditions, and beliefs. They also provide practical skills training,
such as farming, hunting, and gathering.
• Rites of passage: The dormitories play an important role in the tribe's coming-of-age
ceremonies. When a boy or girl reaches puberty, they are expected to move into the
dormitory and undergo a series of rituals and ceremonies that mark their transition
to adulthood. These ceremonies are designed to teach young people about their
roles and responsibilities within the tribe.
• Spiritual development: The dormitories also serve as a place for spiritual
development. Young people are taught about the tribe's spiritual beliefs, and they
are encouraged to connect with the divine in their own way. The dormitories are also
used for prayer, meditation, and other spiritual practices.
Initiation into youth
dormitories ADMISSION INTO THE DHUMKURIA.

ONCE EVERY THIRD YEAR NEW BOYS ARE ADMITTEDINTO THE DHOMKIRIZ. ON THE DAY OF THE MEW MOON IN
THEMAGH {JANUARY-FEBRU-ARY),
THE DHUMKIRIA BOYS GOOUT AFTER BREAKFAST TO SOME NEIGHBOURING JUNGLE,WITH THEIR BOWS AND
ARROWS, THEIR AXES AND SPEARS,THEIR STICKS AND CUDGELS. TOWARDS EVENING THEYRETURN TO THE
OUTSKIRTS OF THEIR VILLAGE WITH SUCH GAME THEY MAY HAVE SCORED.

THERE, THE YOUNGER BOYS CLEAN AN OPEN SPACE AND DRESS THE MEAT OF THE ANIMALS OR BIRDS
KILLED IN THE CHASE. IN THE MEANWHILE, THE OLDER BOYS HOLD A CONSULTATION AMONGST
THEMSELVES AND DETERMINE WHICH BOYS OF THE VILLAGE MAY BE NEWLY ADMITTED INTO THE
DHUMKURIA. WHEN THEY HAVE COME TO A DECISION, THEY KEEP APART FOR EACH BOY TO BE NEWLY
ADMITTED A FEW SMALL PIECES OF FLESH CLOSED UP IN AN ENVELOPE MADE OF SAF LEAVES STITCHED
TOGETHER WITH SPLINTERS OF WOOD. THE REST OF THE FLESH IS EITHER ROASTED OR FRIED AND IS
EATEN BY THE PARTY. THEY THEN ENTER THE VILLAGE AND AT THE HOUSE OF EACH BOY TO BE NEWLY
ADMITTED TO THE DHUMKURIA, LEAVE A LEAF-ENVELOPE CONTAINING MEAT AND INTIMATE THEIR
DECISION AS TO THE ADMISSION OF THE BOY. THE EATING OF THAT MEAT BY THE BOY APPEARS TO BE THE
FIRST STEP TOWARDS A ‘UNION’ OF THE BOY WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE DHUMKURIA, THIS UNION’ IS
COMPLETED A FORTNIGHT LATER WHEN ON THE DAY OF THE FULL-MOON ‘ERA-MOKBOT' OR (PUMA-MASI)
IN MAGH, THE BOY IS FORMALLY ADMITTED INTO THE FRATER- NITY BY BEING ALLOWED TO EAT INSIDE.
MAN IN INDIA JOURNAL

Man in India is a journal on anthropology with a focus on

South Asia Its scope includes biological and sociocultural
anthropology, archaeology, linguistics and folk culture.It is the
first anthropological journal to have been started in India and
was started by Sarat Chandra Roy in 1921. It has been
publishing for over 100 years
The journal aimed to promote the study of anthropology in
India and to provide a platform for scholars and researchers to
share their findings and insights into the social and cultural
diversity of India. Over the years, the journal has published
articles on various aspects of Indian society and culture,
including religion, language, caste, kinship, and gender.Today,
"Man in India" is still in publication and is considered to be one
of the leading journals of anthropology in India.
LEGACY OF SC ROY
Roy strongly emphasized the need to utilise anthropological knowledge and perspective about various tribes to resolve the
administrative problems faced by poor and down-trodden tribes in India. He wanted to provide anthropological training to
administrative officers, judicial, forest and excise officers so as to promote tribal welfare. He has shown that timely
intervention by anthropologist can curb stress and strain condition in society. He played a pivotal role in resolving problems
between Munda tribal people and police officials at time of non-cooperation agitation (1921).
Besides these, he has made valuable contribution to field of Physical anthropology and Prehistoric archaeology. In 1920,
Principles and Methods of Physical Anthropology was published based on readership lectures given in Patna University
between January and March 1920. He made significant contribution to prehistoric archaeology by excavating Asura site. He
made exploratory investigations at the site and found stone temples and sculptures, cinerary urns and columns of sculptural
atones which were attributed to Asura people.
Anthropology is frequently accused of being the study of ‘Primitive Society.’ Yet, this is because “primitive society exhibits
the ground-plan on which the more complex structure that we call civilization has been built up” (Roy; 1937: 249). Such
studies should be followed by studies of complex and advanced societies. Different cultures at various levels of complexity
should be analyzed, compared and comprehended (Roy; 1937: 249).
On the issue of charismatic figures, he says:“It is on these horses of thought, action and feeling, who with their kindling
ideas and
throbbing words, and inspiring message and example, act as levers to lift society to higher
levels by introducing new ideals and viewpoints, it is on them that the measure and standard
of a people’s culture depend.” (Roy; 1937: 252)

According to Roy (1937) anthropology is for use, for nation-building in a positive sense, for fellow-feeling among human
beings and for writing the eternal history of humankind.