The Sautar: In Search of Identity and Livelihood

Sautar is an indigenous tribe residing mainly in West Bengal Bihar Jharkhand and Assam. Sautars belong to the Proto-Australoid racial group. Both men and women of the Sautar community are masters in archery. They are often considered a martial community by the masses. Since they are skilled fighters they were often hired by the commoners during fights. Due to this practice several Sautars were killed.In Bihar Sautar is one of the major communities forming a majority of the states tribal population. The Sautar mostly speak Sautari a member of the Munda language family. In Bihar the Sautars are mostly landless. Though some people from the tribe engage themselves in agriculture.This community has fallen prey to ignorance in the process of socialisation. The ignorance of the Sautar community developed gradually when most of their people were converted to Christianity. Some also became followers of Chauvinism. Due to this religious conversion their original beliefs and culture got destroyed. In the cultural structure of India the cultural identity and values of Sautars were ignored. This book is an attempt by the author to present the few aspects and facts behind the problems being faced by this community.