Kutia Kondhs  are generally found in the Phulbani district.In the Kondh language the word Kuttia means a pit or a hole.They inhabit in the Belghar and in the villages like Bulubaru, Madalkuna, Rangabaru, Tuakela, Deogada, Talampadar, Ushabali etc.and in the nearby areas. The head of each village is called ‘Jani’. They obey and perform all the traditional festivals directed by jani.

Love for Art : In the different times of the year they worship the deity (Penu) as per set rules and offer worship and promise sacrifices. In their social life each possesses more or less some sort of art acumen. The festivals they observe accompany the promises they make for sacrifices to different deities . For the same a sacrificial post is used.It is seen that in those posts various designs are carved. These express their love for art and paintings. The young ladies of the Kutia Kondhs have always fascination for putting on dresses and ornaments. During the festivals they enjoy dancing and singing and sometimes  decorate their house by painting their door jambs and walls.

Art

The art presentation on the door jambs and walls seem to be inferior than the Dongaria Kondhs.These Jhoti paintings are very general in nature. In the language of  the Kutia Kondhs picture is called “Tikangkuda” . For each festival they sweep the wall clearly some how or other and over it draw cross lines paintings in rice powder paste through a stick brush.At places they spill rice  powder paste by their finger on the wall which resemble that of the rice plants with ripe rice bunch. Alongwith the same they role graphite stone  with water and apply drops of the same through their finger on the wall.

In the outer wall and door jamb of the house this type of painting is visible.In their pictures branches, flowers, creepers, etc are marked by their absence.

Only the women folk prepare these Jhoti paintings. There is no special paraphernalia in beginning the Jhoti art. The painting is also devoid  of any subject.

Another sample of the kutia Kondh Painting is tattooing of the body.Step their own bodies they engrave different  designs . Their love for art is exemplified in this body decoration.They believe that when man dies the tattoo will  go with him to heaven.With that belief the male  and female both willingly tattoo their body.

Some opine that tattooing is a liking with the Kondhs and as such they are called Kutia Kondhs from the meaningless wall paintings they paint and tattoo flowers, leaves, branches, quadrangles etc. on different parts of the body in a well-developed manner.In various parts of the body, such as face, arm, lower arm, breast, foot and thigh etc. they tattoo and get immense pleasure in so doing.

Thus the tattoo may be taken as a hobby art of these people and that may be considered as such.In these tattoo signs they express their excellence in art creation.Some scholars have said that the tribal women tattooed their body solely for the purpose of ornamentation. Some others say that they were tattooing on the body to be identified in the life after death.

Tattooing in different parts of the body is a painful work. They get much pleasure in drawing different figures daring pain only to enhance the beauty of the body at the cost of hurting their person. In this case the women outstep the men for the love of art. They bear much pain with ease. On the face and on both the hands much of tattooing is seen. In the tattooing process they sing various songs. By that way they forget pain to the muse of the song. They believe that no one take anything with him after death but he or she will take the art of tattooing to heaven. This indicates that how they intimately love art. The intimacy of tattoo with the way of life is honourably mingled with the folk belief and they can not forget or separate it even if they could try.

From the words of the people many thing come out relating to tattooing.In the past during the invasion of the Moghuls, Maratthas  and  the English the tribal women were raped at random. To escape such torture the tribal women willingly deformed their faces taking resort to tattooing. If  there is no truth in this supposition  then why they  were tattooing in  the face and hand in an artful fashion ? The time period of this event is now a thing of the past. Then why they are inducing their offsprings for tattooing till this date ? From another investigation it is known that the tradition  of the  art of tattooing is not from the date of the foreign invasions of the historical period subsequent to the Moghuls  but it exists from a very long time . The song which is sung during tattooing operations is found not in a proper background alongwith its summary. Besides this it is difficult to know why male members were tattooing although the women were disfiguring their faces. So the above imagination is surely baseless.

The process of tattooing is a different affair. First of all, straw is brunt and it is added with castor oil to be in a liquid form. Then with a needle branches, flowers, creepers, etc. are pricked as per designs . On the same this liquid is poured. During this time there is severe pain which is to be endured. To ward off  this pain other friends sing song . For eight to ten days the pain remains in the body . Just before the marriage or from the childhood some girls tattoo themselves with keenness. The love for art is their main fascination they believe that and by this the beauty of the body is enhanced.

The art found engraved in the sacrificial post of the Kutia Kondhs is also mysterious . But if one asks them the meaning of it he does not get all the answers easily . In the middle of each village one such sacrificial post is there.

In conclusion this much can be said that the entire Jhoti art of the Kondhs can not be estimated so easily. If proper research is not made in a large scale then many facts will remain unexposed. Jhoti art is a part of their life and there is no doubt about it. To maintain  the environment in tune with the preparation for neat and cleanliness it is absolutely  necessary to print the walls with Jhoti and they are quite conscious  of  the same. The tribal art is the first identity  of art civilization  of the tribals. By Jhoti art they welcome the ancestors and visitors and their invisible invitation draws the incoming person to that house.

The santals are one of the most primitive and colourful among the major tribes of Orissa . They concentrate mostly in the districts of Majurbhanj,Balasore & Kenojhar .They are also seen in the state of Jharkhand & West Bengal.The santals  are living in above districts of Orissa where oriya is the predominant  language.Hence they are by necessity  bi-lingual and use santal language which is a branch of the Austric (munda) family of language and is genetically related to the munda language.

The santal with a very large population as the figure for the 2001 census is not yet available

VILLAGE :

The santal region begins with the border area of Balasore district and spreads out all over in the villages of Mayurbhanj district.They live in majority at the northen side of the district in Rairangpur subdivision. There are hundreads of santal villages such as: Chatani, Majhigaon, Sanaposhi, Bhatchhatra, Charpani, Bisoi, Balgarda, Matial, kadapani, Badapani, Makhana, Punsi, Pathuria, Katasa, Kudua, sanjhudi, sudia, Lahabadia, Kundura, satagarh, Bijatola & Mahubhandar etc.Besides,some villages are also in the area of Rairangpur like- Nimadini,Binjhua,Bahalda & Tiring.They have also developed a script which is known as “Olchiki” invented by Pandit  Raghunath Murmu,Santals are primarily agriculturists.They cultivate the dryland and grow vegetables in small area.Their houses are very attractive with spectacular multicoloured  paintings and drawings.In everypart of the house their  is a specially with is not found among other tribes.

The santal villages are generally small,their houses settlements are in bothsides of the village road such as arranged in rows.There are no windows of houses.They believe the spirit or the ghosts are very harmful.They have no more household items except most utilities . The walls are washed in yellow clay with neat and clean.Most of houses never have verandahs.

LIFE STYLE :

Santal men & women both  are labourious .They spend most of their time in the fields & forest for collecting fruits  and hunting.They take  Chickens,Goats,Pigs,Buffalos etc.Handia (rice liquid) .Bear is their most favourite drink.As one enters the santal village in the time of any ceremonial event one can see all of men & women are drinking together handia and enjoying their life.

Like other tribal communities the santals are fond of dancing singing and playing with music instruments such as flutes,changu,Madal(Drum).All social and religious ceremonies are celebrated with appropriate songs and dances in which all,irrespective of sex and age participate.

They believe in many super natural begins of which the Thakur is considered supreme.There are numerous spirits like Bonga.They have a common place of worship called “Jahara” which is situated at the out-side of the village in a groove of sal tree and it is here that all religious ceremonies are performed.Before worshipping they smear the place with coedung water and paint jhoti on the ground surface.

The deities are Marangburu,Jahara era,Monekofukiyeko which are represented by stone slabs installed under the sal tree of the sacred groove.

AWARENESS OF ART :

Although they live in tiny villages,their houses look very beautiful ,one can consider for himself after seeing the village.All the houses are well designed and made of architectural rules.The houses are very long in size and walls are washed with various colors of earth mixed with cowdung water.

The santals use various types of artistic ornaments like Paijump,Ring,Khadu, Haramala, Sankan, Musan, Bolful, Tankamala (a kind of chain made with coins) Baju,furi, Pagar etc.They enjoy their life with songs, music played in every day.The songs are by the females at the time of group dance.

We see their art knowledge is not observed in only wall painting but they have various craft knowledge also such as house making,decorated wood carving of house-hold objects.At the time of visit we met to a santal artisan  of the village Pather Khamb .He told us something (Silpasastru) .He is 48 years old. He showed his own hand made items which are house utilities made of wood.

Another skilled artisan also showed us some doors, windows, door panels and other agricultural equipments. Those objects looked very pretty and finishing, which are based on rural art.

We spoke to a santal old man who was 70 years old,and a real artisan of wood carvings. He also have made some houses which are based in architectural plans. He know about measurements of houseplans, we saw his  carved doors pillars, windows which are called its traditional names such as, Sing Bandha, Brushav Bandha,Dhawja Bandha  and Gaja Bandha etc.

WALL PAINTINGS:

There are colourful paintings on the washed wall , pictures of flowers, creepers, elephants, peacocks, etc. They are applied with bright colours around the sides of the main entrance door.The inner side of the wall is painted with white colour.The verandahs are very plain but wel smeared which look like the masonry building wall from far.

The santal women are very skilled to wash the wall various earth colours.They collect above colours from forest and mix with cowdung water, brunt straw, for black, red earth, yellow orche . The entire wall is washed with yellow earth colour straight black line.

They have a deep knowledge of smearing and do it carefully with selected colours of own choice.The decoration of wall paintings is very attreactive. A visitor can be pleased after seeing the beautiful wall suface which is full of flowery designs around the doors.Their house verandahs  are so high and the steps are closed to door lable entrance.

The santal women do the paint icons nothing for the purpose.They paint whenever they feel the necessity.But they are very sincere to smear the walls beautifully with different earth colours.In the painting no themes are required  and not necessity of the pictures of spirits, God, Goddes and other deities . Although now a days they worship to the Hindu Gods & Goddess.

The wall paintings are generally drawn by only women.Which icon is known as Chietah (picture).Her profession is hereditary and she passes her knowledge and techniques of paintings to her daughter.There is not requiring any ritual preparation for paint on the walls.

TECHNIQUES &  MATERIALS:

The materials required for the painting are simple and available in the local market (Haat). The blue colour used for  the flower leaves is collected from robin blue powder,red from Alata,white made from the rice powder, Yellow from termoric. The santal female painter buy the colours from village market and prepare herself.Brushes are generally made out of Khajur palm twigs the end of the stick is beaten by the painter while brushing the teeth to  make it fibrous .The paintera often  tie cloth at the top of a bamboo thick and use it’s the brush.They are not used for line drawing but chalk is used for making the preliminary sketches of flowers,animals and birds.

After meeting and talking to several peoples we realized that they know also about craft such as wood carving , mat weaving, small bedshead etc and make all types of house parts like-wooden beam(decorated) polks , roofplate, rafters and other domestic wooden utility items as narrated before.

The santals are proud of their heritage and work for maintaining their group solidaring and identity.

The soura  tribe is one of the most primitive and major tribes of orissa. They have a radial affinity  with the proto Austrialoids division of the Austric language family.They have also developed a script which is known  as soura sompen – Guru Mangei Gomango.

COUNTRY AND THE PEOPLE:

According to the census (1981) the souras population was around three lakhs seventy thousand at that time .The soura region begins from south Orissa in the districts of Ganjam ,Koraput and Rayagada. Another location is Chandigarh area,as are approches,from Berhempur on the Berhempur R-Udayagiri road leading to Paralakhemundi.The road then streches out to Gunupur which has the most density of soura villages.

The largest concentration of the tribes is in the district of Rayagada and it’s nearest villages like Putasing , Patilli, Ragintal, Talana, Digarjang, Talasing,Gundurba, Apaising and some tiny villages situated on the hill top of Manigulu.Besides in the district of Gajapati thereare some villages likeChandragiri, Jagannathpur, Sagada,  Kankorda, Baunsuni, Chakadhar etc.

They are primarily agriculaturist-About 50% are agricultural labourers and 41% are cultivatiors.They cultivate the dry lands in the foothills and grow vegetables in small areas of their  homestead land.According to the social existence,they are divided in to various flocks viz : Savara, Lanjia soura, jadu, Mane, Raik,Sarad,Kindal,Arasi, Juari, Kancher, Kurumba, Sadha,Jara and Kampo.  The duty of all the fluks is to provide for their own food and clothes.They are in title of Gamango, Dalabehera, Karji and Savar.

LIFE STYLE:

The lanjia soura is one kind of most primitive tribe among the soura caste.The soura villages are generally small.Even five to ten houses can make a village.The villages on  the hills  has a fairly well defined  boundary with stone piled walls running around , which reflects their artistic sensibility.

The soura houses,which are small and rectangural in ground plan are grass thatched and mud walled. The plinth of the houses is raised high to allow free drainage.The village head Gamango lives in the biggest house.The dress of soura man is very simple.His loin cloth hangs down in two strips,the one at the back being longer.The women wear skirts of coarse cloth touching the kness.

The souras practise two types of agriculture,shifting cultivation of the hill – slops bagl and terraced cultivation in the gentle slops of the foot hills.

They eat vegetables grow in kitchen gardens and fruits,roots,leaves and other edible materialscollected from forests. They rear chickens,pigs,buffaloes and now a days in the plains,goats and cattle.Handia (juice of rice – water) is their favourite drink.Soura festivals and ceremonies, in fact their entire  life is intimately connected with agriculturaloperations.

RITUAL AND ART:

The souras  are narrated in old myths as connected with lord jagannath of puri temple. In the soura socities the house owner propritiates the ancenstarl spirits and the village shaman or kundan who are the high gods of the soura culture by

painting icons for them.As far as the village level ritual is concerned, the souras worship icons of sahibosum, Mamosums, Jammolsums, Sardasum, Eargsum and other village goddesses.

They please  their god and goddesses through the worship,when they are need to fulfill their wants.When they clean the forest they called stungsum, Edangsum, the god of wood – cutting. When they begin their cultivation they pray to Lobosum.Their best god is Maprusum,which means Mohaprabhu Lord Jagannath.

All religious works are based on their traditional costumes .They offer the first ripe grains or first grown vegetables and fruits to deities .The tradition is practised even in urban societies,Icons are painted for the occasion of first-eating ceremony which is known as adurs.They are drawing of icons associated with agriculture is another important ritual.

AWARENESS OF ART:

The icons or wall paintings play a major role in the life of souras from birth  till death and even beyond.They are famous for their painting which is called  in their language ‘Idital’.It has grown outof  the very basic structure of soura life and social system.The general idaes is that an icon is drawnto propitiate and please the gods and ancestors so that they may spare the members of the householdfrom their indvidious attentions,anger and malevolence.There are various  types of icons which aredrawn for various purposes.Each type of icon is dedicated to a particular god or goddess and the world  in which the deity resides is depicted  elaborately.

They preserve their wall paintings for long days ,they need not  smear always.

UTILITIES OF ICONS:

During festive occasions,the souras paint icons in their house.Besides,the souras do paint icons for the purpose mentioned below:

a)Icon for health,welfare.

b) Icon for child birth (for easy delivery)

c) Icon for appearing spirits.

d) Icon for fertility and harvest (to increase the fertility of the soil,to produce good crops,  offering of  first grown fruits vegetables and grains)

e) Icon for dead (mortuary ceremony)

f) Icon for welfare of the village.

g) Icon for these who have been abroad.

h)  Icon for festive occasion.

i) Icon for marriage and birth aniversary.

The themes of  the icon have been mixed up to form a few prototypes.They also paint whenever they feel the necessity,sometimes inside and on other times outside their houses,which are devoid of  spirit invocation.Any kind of pretext is enough to prompt a souar to paint an icon. They know all the gods and goddeses of the whole are invisible.They come down by the power of praying.They wander in the universe  with their ancestors.They paint and invite them through prayers.The main painter is called ‘Kundang’.He paints the icons according to the occasion.

It is seen in the wall painting the scene of ancestors wandering in the forests,hunting,dancing and enjoying their life in the socities.In the Idital the above incidents are painted by the village painter kundang. The Iditals are generally drawn by the Kundang.The professional painter occupies a special position in the soura society. There is a ceremony of investiture.Buya the village priest organises a ritual.

In the village putsing,it was mid day.We enquired a painter sombaru Karji and told  to paint on the wall .He told about his painting and draw with a chalk the first sketch to show the painting start. Then we listened to  all  the fact ,behind the painting .He painted inside wall attached with kitchen room,Nobody can see that painting . He had painted the time of consercation  of a ne w house  in the village

a few days before.He said , anybody who finishes a new house is compelled to draw an Idial by Kudang.

After completing the house the household invite the kudang.The kudang comes to new house after taking bath.Previousely the house wives prepare the rice paste(white liquid colour) for painting .After offering the puja,he strats painting on the seduded place.

before start the painting work kudang is ordered to keep a chicken and newly vegetables or fruits for offering to god of ancestors.

PROCESS OF PAINTING WORK:

At first kudang do the borders of painting.Then he divides the thick lines in  to some part rectangulary.At that time the house wives sing songs in mode of buzzing.The kudang himself is drowned with dreams when he does painting.At the time of feeling tired he drinks a few drop liquor and after finishing he sleeps near the painted wall.

THE THEME:

It has been said before that the kudang draws a square size of border,then divides into three or four parts.First he draws the group of men and women in dancing poses.Then gradually draws the trees, lizard, snakes, frog,deer, horse,elephant and many kind of birds animals and reptiles.Besides the man on the horse or elephant,vehicles,even aeroplanes are shown in their pictures.The whole painting looks so beautiful on the surface of wall which is applied mixture of  cowdung or red earth.

CONSECRATION OF THE ICON:

Soura believe that the icon is most beneficent for them.So the house owner and all family members are worship the icon.At the time of consecration,all members of the house drink and dance with pleasures.A cock is offered as a victim to the icon.After offering the cock,somebody prepares a kind of food and after offering to the deity of painting all family members take themselves. Thus the consecration ceremony is completed.

Henceforth,they believe that palce is sacred and they  keep the household items and other utilities near the icon like – rice,onion,lemon supported with hanging ropeshelf.They offer the thrased vegetables,fruits to the icon deity . The icon is the one’s most tutelary deity and respectable for every body.

WORLDLY  FAITH:

When anybody gets ill,the old man of the family is laid as a supplicant against the icon . Another members holds a winnowing fan with mixed r ice and turmeric powder and sing with buzzing sound while turn round her hand in mixtures.

They are fond of storing house utility goods near the icon.The clothes are kept on a hanging rack against the wall on the top of icon . An outside visitor can not see the icon because that icon drawn inside the room which is very dark.So nobody can see without help of light .There are some stories behind the icons.Because the icons are drawn according to necessity of their life style.

PICTORIAL ANALYSIS:

We see in view of drawing methods ,these icon’s line drawing s are based on geometrical forms.The forms are very easiest to draw and the composition of themes are very simple ,but  such in brief outline are some of the main principle of drawing  among  primitive peoples . These fundamental  forms are really based an the similarity of the child art.In childhood the sense of art remain secretly in coy.That

is self discovered in the time of an opportunity .That icons  are similar to the primitive art or cave art . The pre-historic man who had drawn on the rock -surface as such as todays icon painting is also seemed in Idital the soura wall painting.

The wall painting  drawn in every villages have some different motifs which are not similar to each other .The putasing area of Rejingtal village gives us interesting motifs of duelas with bows and arrows and with axes .The painter of above area like icons crowed with a large number of  painting.The painter of alangada prefers a plain background.It has a hunting  scene well concieved ,where hunters with spares,axe and stick.

Another painting have concal roofs on the top with borders around , borders are double-lined with rows of hill motifs.Each corner of the border has a circular flower motif.Monkeys walk on the slope of the icon.Inside the space the row of dancers and in one of them painting of horse riders is done The soura icons of  seranga area have retained the archaic  values inspite of  modern influences.The motifs like shrines topped with peacocks. monkeys, automobiles, elephants and hunting scene occupyplaces of significance in the paintings.

In the village  Angada we noticed on the wall a large shrine flanked by smaller shrines .The styleof dancing figures are well structured ,the blank spaces in between the torsos of the dancers formingbe-hive motifs.        An experienced  artist ‘s painting is linked by everybody and he may draw directly on the wallwithout any sketch.There are some new artists who are inexperienced they also do that painting inabsence of kudang.So wherever the wall paintings seemed very crowed or deformed.

The pictures are based on line drawings only which line are very easy to mean the properobjects like -peacock,monkey,deer,tiger,man and women etc.But in that case the river,mountain,rainingnowhere is drawn.

COLOUR APPLICATION  & MATERIALS:

All lines are drawn with white colour in the icon.The white colour prepared from the powder of white rice other colours are available in the locality.The red orhre used for the background is obtained from the red clay.In plain areas souras buy geru or dhau available in the village markets.This is mixed with water and smeared over the wall with help of a cloth.The major pigment for the icons is white instead of rice white, they also use the betel-lime sometimes. besides white,chrome.yellow,red,utramarin blue and black are also used.The yellow orpimentsare available in the local markets.

Brushes are made out of khejur palm twigs.The end of the stick is beaten by the painter whilebrushing the teeth to make it fibrous .It has a hairy and and is preferred by the painters.Now a days in some town neighboured villages,the painters purchase the company made brushes.But they neither use scale nor any geometrical instruments for the paint.

CONCLUSION:

The word Idital suggest writing rather than painting and it might be argued that icons belongto literature rather than to art.The styles of painting are mainly line drawings.So the kudang naturallyis written on the wall as directed by his dreams .In one sense they are graphic messages to the spirits,they tell a story The recite a prayer of praise and flattery.In another sense however they might aim at giving the spirits earthly ‘houses’ in which they can reside.

Although they are still put to ritualistic uses,their contents are rapidly changing.Now a daysthey do not use the painting as a deity after practising to be taken the medicines course of their illness.

The traditional method of curing diseases and warding off evils through painted icons have been given up.The concept of superior or laser god s have now entered in their minds and have started believing that the Hindu gods and goddesses are more powerful then their own.

Most of mordern artists observe their motifs to using this in their creative painting,prints and various handicrafts designs.In a democratic setup these ventures will go on .But it is a matter of regret that,the benifits of all these devlopments do not reach the souras who are not well aware for their creative potentials and quite ignorant of the economic of art.