Birhors

The pictures feature a community of hunters-and-gatherers that identified as Birhors (“forest people”) – another Mundari-speaking group. They lived in temporary settlements, moving around as resources become available (forest resources for own consumption and trade, but also wage labour opportunities). One such temporary settlements was close to the village where I stayed. As a rule, Birhors did not intermarry nor ate together with the Hos and Mundas even though they spoke the same language and had same clan (kili) names. Their nomadic live-style kept them at the margins of society including government programs and services. State interventions that were attempted while I was there clashed with the Birhors’ own lifestyle and value systems.