Jharkhand Identity and Culture

by 

Vijay Prakash Sharma

Cultural identity is the identity or feeling of belonging to a group. It is part of a person’s self conception and self perception and is related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social group that has its own distinct culture. In this way, a cultural trait is both characteristics of the individual but also of the culturally identical group of members sharing the same cultural traits (Ennaji 2005,19-25).

Cultural trait- A cultural trait is a learned behavior of values, traditions, symbols and meaning that are passed from one generation to another within specific community of people. These cultural traits are learned, transmitted, based on symbols, changeable, integrated, ethnocentric and adaptive. The cultural traits represent Cultural identity of a people.                                                                                                                                                         

Before we discuss the cultural Identity of Jharkhand, we need to know what culture is. Anthropologists consider culture as abstract values, beliefs, and perception of the world that lie behind people’s behavior, and which that behavior reflects. These are shared by the members of the society , and when acted upon they produce behavior considered acceptable within that society. Cultures are learned through the medium of language, rather than inherited biologically, and parts of culture function as an integrated whole (Havilland 1981, 26).

Culture is based on symbols. Leslie White considered that all human behavior originates in the use of symbols. Art, religion, and money involve the use of symbols. Most important symbolic aspect of culture is language. Now let us examine different possible aspects that may represent Cultural identity of Jharkhand.

Jharkhand-as a political entity

Jharkhand-as a political entity emerged at Adivasi Mahasabha created by Ignes Beck in 1938 and Jaipal Singh Munda joined the party in 1939 subsequently become its president. He was educated in England and become popular leader of the tribes. Jaipal Singh contested election to the state legislators in 1946 but lost it. There after he raised the first slogan for separate Jharkhand from Bihar.