Cultural Mapping of the Santhals, Jharkhand

The Jharkhand Chapter through their project sought to unfold the hidden secrets and truths of the culture of Santhals. Documenting the seven dances of Jharkhand like Daantha, Sarpha, Dasai, Dhonger, Singrai, Langre, Rinjha

The project has crossed several stages during which the oral traditions of transforming the culture has come across that has been the primary tool of the Santhals.

The Santhal Habitat pattern, food habits, musical instruments and ornaments used and the culture and social lifestyle has been covered.

Various festivals that are related to the dance of Santhals also have been covered. The Santhal dances and the nomenclature have a very close relation with the festivals.

Each festival like Baha and Sohrai   is followed by the dance performance named after the festivals which is a remarkable process. The project has also captured Oral History and literature as seen by Jashmi Murmu, a representative of the community.

The aim of documenting these dances was to protect them from extinction and promoting them to the community. The larger goal was to make government and non government bodies aware of the Santhal culture and motivate them to take initiatives in developing the community economically while keeping their creative expressions intact.