Territorial identity and boundary negotiations among Santhals

Santhals are the third-largest tribal community in India with a population of nearly 6.5 million. They are by far the largest tribal community in the Chhotanagpur region. However, despite inhabiting a contiguous geographical region, three state boundaries cut across them splintering their homeland. The present study, conducted via in-depth interviews of the region’s tribal intellectuals, is an attempt to synthesise the narratives of territoriality within the Santhal tribe, juxtaposing it with the political boundaries of the region. The lack of territorial unity is even more distressing when contrasted with the glory of Santhal Pargana, an autonomous region that they won for themselves in the colonial past. Coupled with their strong sense of cultural affinity, this has instilled a sense of territorial identity among Santhals that fails to find expression. Their migration to the Chhotanagpur region is shrouded more in myth than in history, as people have appropriated different regions to represent ‘Champagarh’ or ‘Hihiri-Pipiri’. The Santhal settlements of ‘Damin-i-Koh’ and the subsequent struggles of the Santhal rebellion have reinforced Santhal Pargana as a matter of territorial pride for the community. In independent India, Santhals threw their weight behind the Adivasi identity and Jharkhand movement. To their chagrin, they failed to meet their ideals of a tribal state. In recent years, Santhali identity has undergone a tremendous resurgence; narratives of Santhali unity evoke the golden age ‘Chae-Champa’ and the valour of Sedo-Kanhu. Social practices and literary expressions are being revived to supplement the budding national fervour. Santhali intelligentsia recognise the necessity of political autonomy, and it is perhaps only a matter of time until their cultural assertion finds expression in political struggle.