Manki-Munda System and Ho Tribe | 15 Sep 2025

Source: IE

Why in News? 

Adivasis from the Ho tribe in Jharkhand’s Kolhan region protested against alleged administrative interference in the Manki-Munda system, with tensions driven by vacant posts, hereditary inefficiencies, and calls for reforms.

What is the Manki-Munda System?

• Manki-Munda System: It is a centuries-old self-governance framework of the Ho adivasi community. 
  • Each village is led by a hereditary Munda, responsible for resolving local disputes, while a group of 8–15 villages, called a pidh, is overseen by a Manki, handling cases unresolved at the village level. 
  • The system is decentralized and purely socio-political, with no role in revenue collection, land management, or taxation.
• British Intervention: Post-Battle of Plassey (1757) and Buxar (1764), East India Company gained diwani rights, introducing taxation.
  • Permanent Settlement Act (1793) forced zamindars to extract land revenue, seizing Ho lands, triggering Ho (1821–22) and Kol (1831) revolts.
  • To manage the region, the British co-opted the Manki-Munda system instead of suppressing it. 
  • Captain Thomas Wilkinson (1833) codified the system in Wilkinson’s Rules, formally recognising Mundas and Mankis and integrating them into colonial administration.
  • This introduced private property and pattas, transforming collective landholding to individual ownership and led to demographic changes with influx of outsiders (dikkus).
• Post-Independence: Kolhan largely retained Wilkinson’s Rules, with courts recognizing them as valid customary practices until Mora Ho vs State of Bihar (2000), in which the Patna High Court clarified they are customs, not formal law, but allowed continued practice.
  • 2021 Jharkhand initiative (Nyay Manch) proposed reform, but not enacted. 

What are the Key Facts About Ho Tribe?

• About: The Ho or Kolha are an Austroasiatic Munda ethnic group of India, concentrated mainly in Jharkhand’s Kolhan region and parts of Odisha, with smaller populations in West Bengal, Bihar, Bangladesh, and Nepal. 
• Language: Speak Ho language, an Austroasiatic tongue related to Mundari. 
  • It is written in Devanagari, Latin, and Warang Citi (native script developed by Lako Bodra).
• History: Ho presence dates back around 4000–3500 years, with migrations from Southeast Asia.
  • They took part in the Kol uprising (1831–33) against exploitative non-tribal landlords (dikkus). Also active in the 1857 revolt under the Raja of Porahat. Traditionally resisted Mughal, Maratha, and British incursions.
• Society & Culture: Strong self-governance through the Manki-Munda system in Kolhan.
  • Rich festival traditions like Mage Parab (creator god festival), Baa Parab (festival of flowers), Sohrai (agricultural festival), and Jomnama Parab (harvest).
  • Dance and music central to culture; performances held in the akhra (village ground).
• Economy & Forests: Over 80% of the Ho people are engaged in agriculture, and they were among the first adivasi communities to adopt settled farming, with some also involved in mining activities.
  • Strong dependence on sal forests. The community strongly resists replacement of sal with teak plantations.