Sorcery Among the Sabar
5.2.1 People and the Area
At present the Sabar, a hunting and gathering tribe of India, is popularly called by various names i.e., Sabar, Sora, Sabara, Savara, Saor, and Saura (Sudhanarao 2017).
The name of the tribe originated from the Sanskrit word Sabara meaning malicious or offensive and known as ‘savage’ (Mallick 2006). The Sabar is one of the Mundari speaking tribal groups who use Savari language to communicate within the group. This group is closely associated with the Kol-Munda linguistic group of Munda Language (Sudhanarao 2017 and Stampe 1965). The Sabar people are dispersedly distributed throughout India.The name of the Sabar people is found to have been mentioned in the Hindu epics such as the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and in various other puranic texts like the Vamanapurana, the Matsyapurana, and the Vayupurana (Sudhanarao 2017; Das 2015 and Mallick 2006). The name ‘Sabar’ is mentioned along with the different divine incarnate forms of Narayana (Hindu God Bishnu). The name is also closely tied with Lord Jagannatha in Odisha. In this case the story started with the death of Sri Krishna (Lord Krishna) by Jara Savara in a forest. The feet of Sri Krishna appeared like the ears of a deer. A Sabar hunter targeted a poisonous arrow towards the ears of an apparent deer thereby killing Sri Krishna on the spot. After this blunder Jara Savara left his Prabha (native area) and settled down in a forest near Kalinga (the erstwhile name of Odisha). Over the course of time the people of the area started admiring him as chieftain. Subsequently a new dynasty emerged through him. It is claimed that Vishwavasu is a direct progeny of Jara Savara (Das 2015). Historically Nilmadhava2 is a murti (icon) of an incarnate form of Lord Vishnu, who was mostly worshipped by Vishwavasu (Das 2015). Further the Ramayan depicts that Sri Rama had met with a pious Sabar woman, namely ‘Sabari’.
Sabari was a princess of King Sabara (at present Chattisgarh), and a great devotee of Narayana (Mallick 2006 and Sitapati 1938). In spite of all this, the Sabar, as it is believed, is one of the ancient forest dwelling tribes of the country.The ancient and mythological anecdotes reveal that the Sabar dynasty travelled a long journey to establish their socio-cultural identity. During the colonial period, they were treated as one of the 'criminal tribes' under the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871 because of their rebellious attitudes and nomadic nature. Furthermore, the Sabar tribe was designated as a Denotified Tribe (DNT) in 1949, after the independence of India as the Act, 1871 was repealed. The Sabar tribe has obtained a new identity as a ‘Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group’ (PVTG) in the year of 2008 in consideration of its members lower literacy rate, primitive subsistence pattern, etc (Gamang 2008 and Reeta 2017). In West Bengal, the Sabar has been identified as the Lodha-Savaras and the Kheria-Savaras in the Midnapur and Purulia districts respectively (Devi 1992, 2002).
The present study has been conducted among the Sabar of Bangthupi village in the Puncha Block of the Purulia district in West Bengal. Cultural homogeneity has been noticed in this Sabar village. The total population of the village is 102 (53 male and 49 female). Educational status of the Sabar people is quite disappointing in this village as 50% of the entire population (51 individuals) were unable to sign their own name (35.84% male and 65.3% female). About 15.68% of the people have crossed the IV standard and children of school going age are almost of the same percentage. The highest qualification is X standard of which 5.66% is male and 2.04% is female. Their major subsistence pattern is gathering and to some extent hunting also. Apart from this, they work as daily labourers to earn their livelihood. Females are also engaged in making handicrafts (brooms, mats, leaf plates, etc.).
5.2.2 Sorcery and the Sorcerer
The term sorcery is predominantly associated with ‘male identity’ throughout the globe.
This is also true for the Sabars of Bangthupi village. Lalu Sabar (name changed) was a renowned male sorcerer of this village. At the time of the interview, he claimed to be 108 years old. He has been practising sorcery for the last 58 years.5.2.2.1 Normal Life of the Sorcerer
The enchanter usually wears dhuti/dhoti (long cotton cloth) and jamah3 (shirt) when he needs to visit somewhere; otherwise, he prefers to use lungi (a kind of cloth tied around the waist ending at the ankle) and the upper part of the body remains bare. He has lots of beaded sud (beads) on his neck, several angti (rings) on his fingers and one luha (thin iron armlet) on the wrist of his right hand. On every full-moon and new-moon night he worships his almighty, he wears specially prepared angti (ring made of Kharai grass (broom grass)) on his right thumb and a black coloured dhuti (long cotton cloth) with golden strips.
He lives alone in a secluded area far away from the village. Some raw materials were seen in this house i.e., mati (clay or mud), baans (bamboo), and khar (straw). The mati (clay) and baans (bamboo) have been used to build walls and pillars of the house. Khar (straw) and large palm leaves were used for roofing. There were no prominent windows or door at all. For illuminating his house, he used aagun (fire) at night. On the four corners of his house he planted eight banana trees and also planted a neem tree behind his living room. Villagers say that these trees help him during sorcery, especially when he performs the rites of exorcism; because each and every time after the completion of the rites of exorcism a branch of neem tree is broken and the sorcerer announces that the phantom or the ghost has been driven away from the victim’s body and it has gone away by breaking the branch of that neem tree.
He starts his day with a cup of salted tea. The villagers generally take three principal meals like lunch, refreshment, and dinner to fulfil their daily food requirements.
The sorcerer is not an exception. Bhaat (cooked rice) is a common item of every meal. At lunch he generally prefers bhije bhaat (wet rice), aar (potato), indur (a kind of rat),4 or machh (fish) and some vegetables. In the evening, the surplus meal is used along with a special dish of jamru sap (a kind of local snake).5 Moreover, the villagers also give him a share of their hunted animals like sosha (rabbit), kachim (tortoise), etc. Bhije bhaat is a staple food for dinner. Jworo (water) of the Kashai River is used for both drinking and household usage. Apart from the food elements, narcotics like biri, taari, and hanriya (a sort of country liquor) also occupy an important place in his daily life. Before worshiping his omnipotent God he undertakes fasting and does not even take narcotics or water until the time he completes his worship.5.2.2.2 Sorcery is Learnt or Inherent
The sorcerer of Bangthupi village under study was born and brought up at Purru village in the Purulia district of West Bengal. His father was a farmer and didn’t have any knowledge of sorcery. While narrating the story of his life the sorcerer said,
I spent a life of a normal human being up to the age of 38 and had a nuclear family. There was a transformation in my life when I met my Guru (teacher) who belonged to the Oraon community of a neighbouring village. He lives in the eastern Himalayas
now. There were five apprentices including myself who started to learn sorcery under the Guru. Our learning sessions continued both day and night. During the training period out of five learners, two died due to uttering the spells wrongly. I practised magic and sorcery for 17 to 20 years. In this village, the wizard also went under the same flow of learning.
The sorcerer commented on some specific conditions relating to his magical practices. He stated that “after completing apprenticeship with the Guru, I started to stay with my family and I did such practises in my native village”.
He narrated that due to his practice of sorcery, one fine morning his eldest son died, apparently without any particular cause. Later, his Guru advised that if he wished to practise sorcery he would have to stay far away from his family and village. So, he left his family and his village and started to live in Bangthupi village. He claimed that an important condition for performing sorcery is that a sorcerer cannot live with his family - he must live alone for the success of his magical prowess. The sorcerer told that he practised the methods of healing at first and later he practised the methods of spirit control (necromancy). During the interview he declined to disclose the secrets of his magical spells.
5.2.2.3 Link with Supernatural Powers
The sorcerer of Bangthupi village usually performs his mystical events twice a week on either Friday or Sunday as per the instruction of his Guru. His activities are mainly spread over areas surrounding the joor (river). In sorcery, divination is usually performed with water-gazing for human beings (Fortune 1932:199). According to the sorcerer studied, he can manipulate everything - plants, animals, and human beings, but not the natural climatic components. He stated, “I need some natural elements or substances to manipulate others”. He used water, soil, etc. with his magical spells to execute the special practices. He claimed, “I must have the spells and the natural elements to accomplish my deeds, if I get both of these things, I can control anything in this world”.
5.3