Rapid Fire
Dongria Kondh Tribe
- 15 May 2025
- 2 min read
The Dongria Kondh are a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) residing in Odisha’s Niyamgiri Hills and are known for their spiritual bond with nature, and distinct culture.
- Dongria Kondh Tribe: They worship Niyam Raja, the deity of the hills, and follow practices like Podu (shifting) cultivation
- They speak Kui, an ancient Dravidian language, and pass down ancestral wisdom through oral traditions (no script) of songs and dance.
- They have a number of sub-tribes, such as the Kovi, Kuttia, Languli, Penga, and Jharnia (protector of streams).
- Land Rights and Legal Victory: In the 2000s, the tribe strongly opposed Vedanta’s mining operations on their land.
- This resistance culminated in a landmark 2013 Supreme Court judgment that upheld the Gram Sabha’s constitutional right to reject mining projects in their area.
- PVTG: is a sub-classification of a Scheduled Tribe that is considered more vulnerable than a regular Scheduled Tribe.
- India has 75 PVTGs, with the highest number (13) in Odisha, followed by 12 in Andhra Pradesh.
- Niyamgiri Hill Range: It is located in Kalahandi and Rayagada districts of Odisha, is bordered by Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary to the northwest and Kotgarh Wildlife Sanctuary to the northeast.
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