Ethnic Identity and social organization of Santhal Adivasis in Eastern India: An Overview

The Santhals are part of a wider culture of tribal communities in eastern India, including the Mundas, Oraons, Hos, and Kharias. These groups belong mainly to the Austroasiatic (Munda) and Dravidian linguistic families and share similar ecological habitats, though their social systems and cultural expressions remain distinct. Santhali, the language spoken by the Santhals, belongs to the Munda branch of Austroasiatic languages. The introduction of the Ol Chiki script by Pandit Raghunath Murmu in the early 20th century has been central to linguistic and cultural revivalism. Santhal society is organized into exogamous clans (paris), each named after a natural element or animal, with totemic rules guiding marriage and social behaviour. Their festivals—Baha (flower), Sohrai (harvest), and Karam (youth)—serve both religious and communal functions, closely linked to seasonal cycles and agricultural practices. Together these and other features comprise Santhal identity and ethnicity, and social organization which is the subject of the present article.