{"id":346328,"date":"2025-09-16T17:44:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T12:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/?p=346328"},"modified":"2025-09-16T17:44:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T12:14:00","slug":"manki-munda-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/manki-munda-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Manki\u2013Munda system"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify\"><strong>News:<\/strong> Adivasis from the Ho tribe in Jharkhand\u2019s West Singhbhum recently protested against the Deputy Commissioner, accusing interference in their traditional Manki-Munda self-governance system after the removal of village heads (Mundas).<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify\">About Manki\u2013Munda system<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_346362\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-346362\" style=\"width: 280px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-346362\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Source-IE.jpg?resize=280%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Source-IE.jpg?resize=280%2C300&amp;ssl=1 280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Source-IE.jpg?resize=768%2C822&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Source-IE.jpg?w=815&amp;ssl=1 815w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 280px) 100vw, 280px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-346362\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source &#8211; IE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify\">\n<li>The Manki\u2013Munda system is a <strong>centuries-old, decentralised<\/strong> form of self-governance practiced by the <strong>Ho Adivasi community<\/strong> in <strong>Jharkhand\u2019s Kolhan region.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>It revolves around hereditary village <strong>headmen (Mundas)<\/strong> and <strong>regional chiefs (Mankis),<\/strong> handling internal disputes and social matters rather than revenue or taxation.<\/li>\n<li>Each village traditionally has one <strong>Munda<\/strong>, the hereditary head of the village.<\/li>\n<li>The Munda resolves socio-political disputes at the local level, ensuring harmony and custom adherence within the village.<\/li>\n<li>A <strong>Manki<\/strong> is the head of a <strong>Pir<\/strong> (cluster of 8\u201315 villages). If a dispute cannot be resolved at the village level by a Munda, it escalates to the Manki for resolution at the regional level. Before British intervention, the system had no tax or revenue obligations.<\/li>\n<li>With the Permanent Settlement Act (1793), <strong>zamindars encroached on Ho land, triggering tribal revolts such as the Ho Rebellion (1821-22) and Kol Rebellion (1831-32).<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Wilkinson\u2019s Rules (1833): Captain Thomas Wilkinson<\/strong> created <strong>31 rules<\/strong> in 1833 to <strong>codify<\/strong> the Manki-Munda system. These rules <strong>formalized the Manki-Munda system<\/strong> and made the leaders act as agents of the British. While the system seemed to protect tribal autonomy, it integrated Kolhan into British India.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Changes Under British Rule:<\/strong> The population of <strong>outsiders (dikkus)<\/strong> grew from <strong>1,579<\/strong> in <strong>1867<\/strong> to <strong>15,755<\/strong> in <strong>1897<\/strong> due to railways. The <strong>concept of private property<\/strong> was introduced, and <strong>Mundas and Mankis<\/strong> became <strong>raiyats (tenants)<\/strong> with land deeds.<\/li>\n<li>After India\u2019s independence, <strong>Wilkinson\u2019s Rules<\/strong> continued to apply in Kolhan.<\/li>\n<li>In <strong>2000<\/strong>, the <strong>Patna High Court<\/strong> declared the rules as <strong>customs<\/strong>, not formal law, but allowed their continuation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nyay Manch<\/strong> was proposed in <strong>2021<\/strong> to modernize the system but has not been implemented.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Demands for Reform<\/strong>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify\">\n<li>Some members of the <strong>Ho community<\/strong>, especially youth, demand <strong>reforms<\/strong> in the system.<\/li>\n<li>They propose ending <strong>hereditary leadership<\/strong> and allowing <strong>educated individuals<\/strong> (tribal and non-tribal) to take leadership roles.<\/li>\n<li>The lack of <strong>formal education<\/strong> among some <strong>Mundas and Mankis<\/strong> creates difficulties in modern administration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse;width: 100%\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%\">\n<h2>About the Ho Tribe<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Ho tribe is an <strong>Austroasiatic Munda ethnic group<\/strong> primarily located in <strong>Jharkhand\u2019s Kolhan region and northern Odisha<\/strong>. Smaller populations are found in <strong>West Bengal, Bihar, Bangladesh, and Nepal.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The Ho tribe is the <strong>fourth-largest Scheduled Tribe in Jharkhand<\/strong>, following the Santals, Kurukhs, and Mundas.<\/li>\n<li>As per the 2011 Census, <strong>they constitute 10.7% of Jharkhand\u2019s and 7.3% of Odisha\u2019s Scheduled Tribe population.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The tribe speaks the <strong>Ho language,<\/strong> an Austroasiatic language closely related to Mundari.<\/li>\n<li>They have several dialects, including<strong> Lohara, Chaibasa, and Thakurmunda, and a native script known as Warang Citi.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The majority of the <strong>Ho tribe are engaged in agriculture, cultivating crops like rice and vegetables.<\/strong> They are also involved in iron ore mining, contributing to the regional economy.<\/li>\n<li>A large portion (52.8% as per the 2011 Census) of the Ho people follow <strong>Sarnaism, a nature-centric indigenous religion.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Women hold a high status in Ho society,<\/strong> with traditional practices supporting gender equality.<\/li>\n<li>The tribe follows a <strong>bride-price system, with payments ranging from \u20b9101 to \u20b91,001,<\/strong> which, though symbolic, often delays marriages and leads to a female-majority population.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Festivals and Cultural Arts: <\/strong>Key festivals include <strong>Mage Parab<\/strong>, <strong>Baa Porob<\/strong>, and <strong>Sohrai<\/strong>, which celebrate agriculture and the Sal forests.<\/li>\n<li>The Ho tribe is known for its traditional dances, often accompanied by instruments like the <strong>Dama<\/strong> (drum) and <strong>Rutu<\/strong> (flute), which play an important role in their cultural expressions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>News: Adivasis from the Ho tribe in Jharkhand\u2019s West Singhbhum recently protested against the Deputy Commissioner, accusing interference in their traditional Manki-Munda self-governance system after the removal of village heads (Mundas). About Manki\u2013Munda system The Manki\u2013Munda system is a centuries-old, decentralised form of self-governance practiced by the Ho Adivasi community in Jharkhand\u2019s Kolhan region. It&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/manki-munda-system\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Manki\u2013Munda system<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10366,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1566,11212,12039],"tags":[11872,10500],"class_list":["post-346328","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-factly-articles","category-history-and-art-culture-in-news","category-knolls","tag-9pm-daily-factly","tag-indian-express","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346328","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10366"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=346328"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346328\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=346328"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=346328"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=346328"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}