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The Saora Tribal Language
Script Calligraphic Fonts, Art and Culture in Odisha |
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| Paper Id :
17864 Submission Date :
2023-07-18 Acceptance Date :
2023-07-22 Publication Date :
2023-07-25
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| Abstract |
The Saora Language script calligraphic fonts development
standardization of Saora Sompeng script and Saora language script, art, and
culture in the region where Saora communities are living. At the same time,
publication needs a folk story, local culture, and individual story in the
Saora language script calligraphic fonts is the major aspect of this language
which could be helpful for the development of this language. |
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| Keywords | Saora Language Script, Art and Culture. | ||||||
| Introduction | The Saora is a south ‘Munda’ language of the Austroasiatic
language of the Saora people, an ethnic group located in the eastern part of
India, mainly in the states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. Saora contains very
little formal literature but has an abundance of folk tales and rich
traditions. Most of the knowledge passed down from generation to generation is
transmitted orally. Like many languages in eastern India, Saora is listed as
‘vulnerable to extinction’ Saora-speaking people are resided in Odisha and
Andhra Pradesh. The Saora (alternative names and spellings include Sora, Saura,
Savara, and Sabara) are a Munda ethnic group from the eastern region of India.
Also, they live in southern Odisha and north coastal Andhra Pradesh as well.
Since early this century, some Saora communities have migrated to the tea
gardens of Assam for temporary wage labour and some have remained there. More
recently they have migrated to road-building and building projects in Arunachal
Pradesh and other parts of India. In Odisha, the Saora’s mainly live in
Gajapati, Rayagada, and Bargarh districts. They are also existing in the
Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, and Visakhapatnam districts of Andhra Pradesh. In the
census, however, some Saora’s are classified under Shabar or Lodha, then for
another very different Munda tribe. They inhabit blocks of Gunupur, Padmapur,
and Gudari in the districts of Rayagada. Their highest community is found in
the Puttasingi area, approximately 25 km away from Gunupur NAC. Although they
are close to the assimilation process, some interior GPs like Rejingtal,Sagada,
and Puttasingi have Saoras who still retain their traditional tribal customs
and traditions. Since early this century, they are known by various names such
as Savara, Sabara, Sora, and Soura. They are concentrated in parts of Gunupur
adjoining the blocks of Gumma, Serango of Gajapati district. However, the
written language in Saora is not followed by all. They practice shifting
cultivation, with a few gradually taking up settled agriculture. |
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| Objective of study | The Present Study aims to Odisha had promoted the Sora script through its patronization of the Saora language script calligraphic fonts development standardization of the Saora Sompeng script and the Saora language script, art, and culture in the region where the Saora communities are living. The study has explored the present time. |
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| Review of Literature | Mangei
Gomango Gomango
was born on 16 June 1916 in Marichaguda, Jeypore Estate, British India. He is
regarded as the inventor of Soura Lipi(script). The Saura script Sorang Sompeng
was developed by Mangei Gamang in 1966 for spreading the language. As a mark of
respect, people called him “Pandita Sabara” (scholar). Mangei
Gomango (16 June 1916 – 1980), popularly known as Pandita Sabara Mangei Gamango
was an Indian language activist who is said to have devised the tribal language
of Rayagada district. He has been awarded by Odisha Sahitya Akademi. The
temple of Matarabnam in Marichaguda played a great role in the invention of the
script. It is believed that there the Sorang Sompeng alphabet came to him in a
vision on 18 June 1936. He was a poet, Ayurvedic scholar, and a reformer too.
In 1936, he established a press in Puthasahi of Gunupur sub-division for
spreading the script he invented the Saura alphabet. Gidugu
Venkata Ramamurthy Gidugu
Venkata Ramamurthy (1863-1940) was a Telugu writer and one of the earliest
modern Telugu linguists and social visionaries during British rule. Gidugu
Venkata Ramamurthy gave a social base to Telugu literature and rendered
services to the tribals, especially the Savaras, in the Parlakimidi area of the
Srikakulam agency area and tirelessly worked for the development of tribal
languages. He gave Savara language a script and prepared lexicons. During his
research for the Savara language, he had to travel in the forests resulting in
excessive use of quinine due to which he became deaf. Developed language script
and prepared lexicons for the ‘Savara’ people (Munda tribe) Sora-English
Dictionary Savara Patalu. Prof.
Khageswara Mahapatra Conducted
the ‘Tribal Language Study Projects’ sponsored by the Ministry of Welfare at
the Academy of Tribal Dialects and Culture, Government of Odisha, and prepared
monographs on 20 tribal languages; Kui, Kissan, Didayi, Koya, Santali, Oraon,
Kharia, Juang, Gadaba, Saora, Lanjia Saora, Ho, Bathudi, Bonda, Mundari, Desia,
Kuvi Kondh, Gondi, Prenga and Sadri with the following contents in each volume: I. Grammar, II- Texts, III- Dictionary in three formats: 1.
Odia- Tribal Dialect, 2.
English- Tribal Dialect 3.
Tribal Dialect- Odia/ English Conducted
a major research project on the survey and study of Tribal Odia Dialects
sponsored by D.P.E.P. Participated
in many national and international seminars/conferences held in India and
abroad, such as Austro-Asiatic Linguistic Conferences, Sino- Tibetan Linguistic
Conference, Anthropological and Ethnological Science Congress, South-Asia
Language, and Linguistic Conference, All India Linguists Conference, All India
Oriental Conference, etc. and symposia/workshops organized by UGC. Research
Associate in the Munda Language Project sponsored by Chicago University (3
years during 1963-69). Dr.
Mahendra Kumar Mishra Former
State Coordinator, MLE program, Odisha Mangei Gomanga, the inventor of Sora
script Sora Sompen in Maricha Guda has been used by the Saora people for their
ethnic solidarity. Dr. Mahendra Kumar Mishra’s contribution to the field of
indigenous education using folklore is another area of concern. His forthcoming
book is Saora Folk Literature to be published by Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi. Folklorist
and National Consultant on Multilingual Education Curriculum Designer and
Teacher Trainer philanthropies. For
School Community Linkage and using local knowledge in primary education for a
Culturally responsive, community-owned, child cantered and teacher-supportive
classroom through storytelling festivals, art, and crafts music and dance,
traditional games, nature books, and villages project are implemented in
Odisha. Gregory
D.S. Anderson The
Munda verb typological perspectives the Munda verb is a unique book on the
typology of the verb in the Munda language family, and the first of its kind on
any language family of the Indian subcontinent. The author painstakingly works
out nearly all the details of the morphology of the verb in each modern Munda
language and offers a description of the typology of the Munda verbal systems both
individually and collectively. The author uses a large amount of data from modern Munda languages, as well as an extensive cross-linguistic corpus offering comparisons from genetically unrelated languages such as Fox, Amele, Kinyarwanda, Luyia, Takelma, Tonkawa, Burushaski, or Tangut where relevant. Points of note include the unusual incorporation system of south Munda Sora and the elaborate and complex system of verb agreement attested in the Kherwarian Munda languages. Further, the author discusses models for a Proto-Munda verbal system and problems in its reconstruction at various points throughout. This book is of great interest to specialists working on the Munda languages, South Asian linguistics, language typology, historical linguistics, and scholars of both morphology as well as syntax. |
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| Main Text |
Oral Tradition: Oral tradition is rich depository practices by the Saora community. Basically, their story tellers are known are Kata Birmar, and singers are known as Kin Kinmar. Ranai is a local field where they are singing the song to celebrate. The origin and narratives of the myth’s spells by their priest Buyang. Everywhere the folklore is juxtaposed with regional idea and thought. The Saora has introduced by the Govt. of Odisha from Class I to Class V in primary schools under Multilingual Education Program (MLE). The Saora primers have been written by the eminent teachers from Sora community. Dr. Mahendra Kumar Mishra, the former state coordinator of MLE program Odisha has guided the eminent writers of Saora primer, such as Enam Gomanga, Philip Sabara, Ghasi Sabara, and Injuram Sabara. Mangei Gomanga, the pioneer inventor of Sora script ‘Sora – Sompen’ in Maricha Guda has been used and popularised by the Saora community for their ethnic solidarity. History The Saora language has rapidly climbed and a lot of people speak this language for decades while before it crashing down. In fact, in 1901, one hundred fifty-seven thousand spoke this language and it rise till one hundred sixty-six thousand in 1911. After ten years this number marginally increased to one hundred sixty-eight thousand and kept increasing. Also in 1931, the speaking figures are jumped to one hundred ninety-four thousand. Moreover in 1961, the numbers are highest at two hundred sixty-five thousand speaking before crashing down in 1971 when speaking numbers dropped back down to two hundred twenty-one thousand.
Photo1 : Map of Proto-Munda, Saora
Photo
2 : Traditional Classification of Munda Languages Grammar From the beginning the Saora language
has more and less a complicated grammar in terms of verb system. Sometimes a
verb has capacity to compact the complete sentence into just a single word.
Both Saora language and linguistics uses grammatical devices,
including agreement of subject and object, order of word, and noun compounding
to showcase. It is seen as a predominantly nominative-accusative language.
And once again it differs from the other languages with lack of a passive
structure. Saora language has some complex grammatical cases
whenever we use it for writing. A few examples are as follows: 1. Nominative 2. Accusative 3. Locative 4. Instrumental 5. Comitative 6. Benefactive 7. Genitive In addition to Saora language, like
many other Munda languages, uses relator nouns to link the
nouns with the other parts of the sentence in order to provide a more specific
meaning, called compounding. These monosyllabic nouns that enhance meaning
are called semantic relator nouns and are used widely in Saora.
Also, it has a combining form for every noun in addition to the full form of
the noun. The combining form allows the noun to be attached to a verb root
to create a more semantically and complex word, which is similar to compounding
in other languages as well. Saora contains prefixes, infixes,
and suffixes to form its affixation but only uses its suffixes to change the
possession of nouns. The combining form is the form seen when the noun is
being used with a verb or another full formed noun. The full form is the
form seen when the noun is standing alone or functioning not
in tandem with other parts of speech. Some templates of Saora combinations
between nouns and verbs are as follows: Verb + Combined Form Verb + Combined Form + Combined Form Full-Form + Combined Form Full-Form + Combined Form + Combined Form An example of a full-form noun shortened into the
Combined Form is as follows: mənra, the full form of man, and
it transforms into the combined form word --mər . The two—indicate
that a noun (full or combined) or verb has to precede the combined form noun;
that is the combined form noun cannot stand on its own. Although by no means
conclusive, a few general guidelines about the combined form are that it
depends on where the combination with the verb or other noun is to take place.
If the combined form is to an infix, then its resulting form will be different
from, if it were to be combined as a prefix. Vocabulary Saora borrows
words from the surrounding languages like ‘Telugu’ and ‘Odia’. An example of a
word borrowed from Odia is kɘ'ra'ñja' which is a tree name and
from Telugu mu'nu', which means black gram. Moreover, within the
Munda family itself most words appear to be mutually intelligible owing to
minor differences in pronunciations and phonology. ‘Kharia’ and ‘Korku’,
two other Munda languages, share mutually intelligible words with Saora. For
example, the number 11 in Kharia is gholmoŋ, in Korku it
is gel ḑomiya, and in Saora it is gelmuy. Each
11 in each language looks and sounds remarkably similar to the other 11’s. This
phenomenon is not just contained in numbers but rather a great deal of
vocabulary is mutually intelligible among the Munda languages. Within the
Austroasiatic language, more knowledge about Saora vocabulary
can be found. The Mon-Khmer language which encompasses
the languages primarily spoken in Southeast Asia has lexical cognates with
the Munda. That means that some words found in Saora are of
direct proto-Austroasiatic origin and share similarities with other derived
Austroasiatic languages. Words that relate to the body, family, home, and
field, as well as pronouns, demonstratives, and numerals are the ones with the
most cognates. Numerals System The Saora numeral
system uses a base 12, which only a few other languages in the
world. Ekari, for example, uses a base
60 system. For example, 39 in Sora arithmetic would
be thought of as (1 * 20)+ 12 + 7. Here are the first 12 numerals in the Sora language. English: one two three four five six seven eight
nine ten eleven twelve Sora: aboy bago yagi unji monloy
tudru gulji thamji tinji gelji gelmuy migel Similar to how English uses the suffix from the
numeral ten after twelve (such as thirteen,
fourteen, etc.), Sora also uses a suffix assignment
to numerals after 12 and before 20. Thirteen in Saora is
expressed as migelboy (12+1), fourteen as migelbagu (12+2),
etc. Between numerals 20 and 99, Saora adds the
suffix kuri to the first constituent of the numeral. For
example, 31 is expressed as bokurigelmuy and 90 as unjikurigelji. Writing System of Saora Script Fonts It is believed that there is ‘Sorang Sompeng’ alphabet came to lime light in 18 June 1936 invented by Mangei Gomanga. He was a poet and ayurvedic scholar as well as a social reformer. In the same year, he established a press in the Gunupur sub-division of Rayagada district for spreading the script and Saora alphabet.
Photo
3: Saora Alphabet, Script Saora Sompeng The Saora
language has multiple writing systems. One is called Saora Sompeng, a native
writing system created only for the Sora language. It was developed in 1936 by
Mangei Gomango. Saora is also written in the Odia alphabet by the bilingual
speakers of Odisha. Similarly, Telugu is used bybilingual speakers living in
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Finally, the last commonly used script to write
Saora is the Latin script. The Saora language has multiple
writing systems. One is called ‘Saora Sompeng,’ a native writing system
created only for the Sora language. It was developed in 1936 by
Mangei Gomango. Saora is also written in the Odia alphabet by
the bilingual speakers of Odisha. Similarly, Telugu is used by bilingual
speakers living in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Moreover, the last commonly
used script to write Saora is the Latin script. Saora Idital Idital is the home of spirits and deities. The mural depicts images of ancestors and gods on different levels and according to the hierarchy of positions. The objects and images drawn in the Idital are Sonums in the form of humans, elephants, horses, dogs, snakes, trees, guns, archers, gunmen, and even vehicles such as bicycles, cars, buses, and trains having the mythical and religious linkages with the tradition of Lanjia Saoura’s. The various types of images of peacock (maaraa) is frequently seen in the ritual art. There is also a sacred pot called daanki, it is hanging before the icon is used for keeping rice, pulses, and other crops with the meaning to give food to the ancestors and gods.
Photo
4: Saora rituals Idital The
pot is called Sonumdung which means the food pot of the Sonums. Many in-house
rituals are performed near the icon out of which the first harvesting festivals
of Raganabdar (red gram) and udaanabdar (mango) are compulsory to perform near
the Idital. The art is regarded as sacred in Saora religion which represents
the house of deities and spirits. Saora
Culture
Sora is spoken by the Sora people, who are a part of the Adivasi, or tribal people, in India, making Sora an Adivasi language. Sora is found in close proximity to Odia and Telugu-speaking peoples making a great deal of Sora people bilingual. Sora does not have much in the way of literature except for a few songs and folk tales which are usually transmitted orally. Sora religion is a mix of traditional shamanistic rituals and the surrounding Hinduism predominant in surrounding populations. One particular Sora ritual has to do with death. Sora retains a unique shamanistic view on the subject of death. It is said that people who die from murders, suicides, or accidents are said to be taken, in a sense, by the Sun spirit. These people, called usungdaijen, are then said to reside in the Sun itself after death. Sora uses spirits to explain many phenomena. For example, if a girl in no relationship has a headache or a migrane, it is said that the Pangalsum spirit, or Bachelor Spirit who contains the souls of men who have died before wedlock, has placed a wreath of flowers tightly around the girl head as a symbol of claiming her as his wife.
Photo
5: Saora rituals Idital and women priest (kudanbou tadugsum) Apparently, there is hardly any tribe that has such
complex religious beliefs and practices and such an elaborate and dynamic
pantheon of countless deities and spirit-both benevolent as that of the Lanjia Saora. They are worshipped with fear
and anxiety and offered sacrifices to provide safety and well-being of the
people Religion Permeates all aspects of their life
Sonnum or Sunnam is the general
name for the Saora deities and spirits. They have no concept
of a supreme deity. But all the various aspect of their environment are
associated with some gods or other. The gods are different from one another in
terms of composition, character, and nature. Some gods are benevolent, some
gods neutral, and some gods are malevolent. |
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| Conclusion |
In India, many regional languages have disappeared due to a
lack of awareness at the state level as well as national level and
international levels. Saora is one of the languages in India which continuously
struggled for preservation, development, and standardizationsince a long time
ago. Not only the Saora people but also many NGOs, independent research
scholars, the anthropologist trying their best effort to keep alive and preservation
of this ancient and rich language. Also, it may be noted that some social
activists have worked for awareness and organizing workshops for the
standardization of the Saora Sompeng scriptand Saora language and culture in
the region where Saora communities are living. The Saoras are the indigenous,
autochthons of India in the sense that they had been long settled in different
parts of the country, particularly on the plains and river valleys, and other
fertile areas. Many of the Saoras were in a food-gathering economy and a few
were perhaps on the threshold of a real food-producing economy. On the whole,
they were in all respects primitive, wild, and under developed. At the same
time, publications need folk stories, local culture, and individual stories in
Saora language script. Grammar is the major aspect of this language which could
be helpful for the development of this language. |
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| References | 1. Mazumdar, B. C. The Aborigines of the Highlands of Central
India. Calcutta: 1927. |
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