PAHADI KORWA COMMUNITY (Syllabus GS Paper 1 – Indian Society)

Context: As many as 54 settlements of Pahadi Korwa community will be connected through roads in north Chhattisgarh under the Prime Minister JANMAN scheme.

Pahadi Korwa Community

• About: It is one of the oldest and an indigenous tribe of Chhattisgarh. 
• District: Mahuapani is home to over 100 families from the Pahadi Korwa tribe, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).

oFive PVTGs:  Abhujmaria, Kamar, Pahadi Korwa, Birhor and Baiga – with a population of around 1.80 lakh reside in Chhattisgarh

• Lifestyle: It depends on the forests and mountains. The people of the village make a living through hunting, gathering medicinal herbs and practising traditional agriculture.
• Language: The primary language spoken by the Korwa people is the Korwa language, also known as Ernga or Singli.
• Occupation: Pahadi Korwa people depend on small-scale farming, fishing, hunting, and foraging from forests for their livelihood.

oThey practice subsistence agriculture, particularly "jhoonga kheti," which involves clearing forests to grow lentils and other crops.

• Governance: The Korwa tribe has its own local panchayat, where justice is administered.
• Religion and Worship: Their important gods include Sigri Dev, Gauria Dev, Mahadev (Lord Shiva), and Parvati.

oKhudia Rani is regarded as the supreme god of the Pahadi Korwa community.