Bonda Tribe { 28 images } Created 20 Dec 2018
Bonda women are distinguished more for their masculinity than femininity and as much by their nudity (their clothing consists simply of a tiny skirt) as by their countless colourful beads and wear large and thick brass or aluminium circular around their head and neck.
The Bonda women wear tiny skirts called 'ringa', which they themselves weave at the family loom. Beads cover their naked breasts. Being very fond of ornaments they cover their nudity to a great extent through ornamental devices.
The Bonda or Biby are an ancient tribe of people numbering approximately 5000 who live in the isolated hill regions of the Malkangiri district of southwesternmost Orissa, India, near the junction of the three states of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh. The Bonda are a scheduled tribe of India and are also known as Remo (meaning "people" in the Bonda language), Bhonda, Bondo, or Bondo Poraja. Their language belongs to the Munda subgroup of the Austro-Asiatic language family.
The Bonda are generally semi-clothed, with the women characterised by the wearing of thick silver necklace bands. The tribe is one of the oldest and most primitive in mainland India with their culture little changed in over a thousand years. Their isolation and known aggression continue to preserve their culture despite the pressures of an expanding Indian population. In contrast with many other populations in India, the number of females among the Bondas greatly exceeds the number of males.
The best way to view members of the tribe is by going to one of the local town markets. It is not considered safe to venture into their tribal areas. Bondas still use 'binnimoy protha', i.e. give-and-take policies. Every Sunday they use to go in a market.
They like to put castor oil in their head. Women make worli painting in their house.
Orissa, India 2011.
©Ingetje Tadros
The Bonda women wear tiny skirts called 'ringa', which they themselves weave at the family loom. Beads cover their naked breasts. Being very fond of ornaments they cover their nudity to a great extent through ornamental devices.
The Bonda or Biby are an ancient tribe of people numbering approximately 5000 who live in the isolated hill regions of the Malkangiri district of southwesternmost Orissa, India, near the junction of the three states of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh. The Bonda are a scheduled tribe of India and are also known as Remo (meaning "people" in the Bonda language), Bhonda, Bondo, or Bondo Poraja. Their language belongs to the Munda subgroup of the Austro-Asiatic language family.
The Bonda are generally semi-clothed, with the women characterised by the wearing of thick silver necklace bands. The tribe is one of the oldest and most primitive in mainland India with their culture little changed in over a thousand years. Their isolation and known aggression continue to preserve their culture despite the pressures of an expanding Indian population. In contrast with many other populations in India, the number of females among the Bondas greatly exceeds the number of males.
The best way to view members of the tribe is by going to one of the local town markets. It is not considered safe to venture into their tribal areas. Bondas still use 'binnimoy protha', i.e. give-and-take policies. Every Sunday they use to go in a market.
They like to put castor oil in their head. Women make worli painting in their house.
Orissa, India 2011.
©Ingetje Tadros