Virus breaches another wall, four Bondas test positive

News: Four people from the Bonda tribal community have been tested positive for the Covid-19.

Facts:

• Bondas: They are classified as the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) who live in the hill regions of the Malkangiri district of Odisha.
• Origin: They are members of a group of Austroasiatic tribes and are believed to be part of the first wave of migration out of Africa about 60,000 years ago.
• Language: The Bondas speak in their language, Remo which comes under the Austroasiatic language belonging to the Mundari group.
• Primary Occupation: They are primarily forest dwellers who hunt and forage for food in the wild.
• Dressing Style: They have a unique dressing style—women are semi clad and wear various types of rings and necklaces around their bodies, while the men carry lethal bows and arrows.
• Matriarchal Society: The women prefer to marry men who are younger by at least 5-10 years so that the men can earn for them when they grow old.