Linguistic Survey of India

406

KURUKH.

Kurukb is spoken in the western portion of the Bengal Presidency and the adjoining
parts of the Central ProTinces. The number of speakers is abont half a million^

According to their own traditions the Kurukh tribe originally lived in the Camatic,
,. ^ . * whence they went up the Narbada Eiver and settled in Bihar

Name of the language.

on the banks of the Sone. Driren out by the Muhammadans,
the tribe split into two diTisions, one of which followed the course of the Ganges, and
finally settled in the Eajmahal hills; while the other went up the Sone, and
occupied the north-western portion of the Chota Nagpur Plateau, where many of the
villages they occupy are still known by Mundari names. The latter were the ancestors
of the Oraos [Kurukhs], while the former were the progenitors of the Male, or Sauria
as they often call themselyes, whose grammar is closely coniiected with OraS, though it
has borrowed much of its vocabulary from the Aryan languages in the neighbourhood.*

Mr. Gait, from whose Beport of the Census of Bengal, 1901, the preceding quota-
tion has been reprinted^ further remarks —

* The Caste Table shows the namber of OraSs to be 652,286, and the tribal language is spoken by 543,505
persons. As in other cases, members of the tribe who have emigrated to other districts are more prone to
abandon their original language than those who stay at home. In the north of Ranchi, however, where they
are ranch mixed up with Mnndas, more than 23,000 Oraos have given np their langnf^e and now talk a dialect
of Mnpdari known as Hordlia Jhagar. On the other hand, a few Mnndas (724), Kha]rias (405), Lobars (145),
and Gonds (75) in that district returned OraS as their language. In Singhbhum also, some members of other
tribes speak Ora8, including 806 Kurmis, 115 Boi-disant Rajputs, 74 Tamarias, and 50 Lobars. In Manbhum
72 Santals, 19 Bhnmijsand 5 Muodas were returned as speaking Ora8/

The state of affairs is similar in other districts, and Knruki is accordingly known
under several different names.

The tribe call themselves Kurukt, and their language Kurukh Katha. Dr. Hahn

is of opinion that the word Kuruki * may be identified with the Kolarian horo, man, or may

be derived from the I^ravidian-Scythian word kuruk^ a cryer,' He compares the Surku.

word koro^ man, and, with reference to the second derivation, the name Slavonic, from

slovo, word, voice. I do not know the history of the ' Dravidian-Scy thian' word kurukf

but the derivation does not seem probable. A people may call themselves * speakers,'

but scarcely *cryers.' I am not, however, able to give any certain derivation of the

word. Another common name of the tribe is Orao, with many slightly varying forms

such as Urao, Urang, Aurang, etc* Br. Hahn explains this word as the totem of one of

the septs into which the Kurukhs are divided. According to him Orao is a name coined

by the Hindus, its base being Orgora^ hawk or cunny bird, used as the name of a totemis-

tic sept. Compare, however, Kaikadi urdpdi^ man ; Burgandi urdpo^ man ; urdng^

men. In a similar way Kurukh may be connected with Tamil karugu, an eagle, and

be the name of a totemistic clan. Compare also names such as Korava, Kurru, a dialect

of Tamil, and Kodagu. Hindus say that the word * Orao ' is simply the Indo- Aryan

ufdu, spendthrift, the name being an allusion to the alleged thriftless character of

the people to whom it is applied.

It has already been pointed out that the Kurukhs are much mixed with Muodas.
We cannot, therefore, wonder that speakers of Kurukh have occasionally been returned
as speaking Munda languages such as Kharia, Korvra, Koda, Ho, and so on.

In other cases the name of the caste or occupation is used to denote the language.
Such names are Bhangari, Kisan, and probably also Khendroi,

Uliangari simply means * the language of the Dhangars,' a caste whose business it
is to dig wells, tanks, etc. The word is sometimes tjorrupted to Dhanwari.

Kisan means cultivator, and may, as the denominatioii of a language, connote any
form of speech.

I do not kn )w anything about the names Khendroi and Kachnakhra which are used
in Jashpur and Ranchi rospectirely.

None of these names properly denote the language. Some details about their use
m\\ bo found under the heading Number of Speakers, below. They shoukl all be dis*
carded, and the language will hereafter be throughout spoken of as Kurukh.

The bulk of the speakers of Kurukh are found iu the Chota Nagpur Plateau.

About three-fifths live in the Ranchi district, especiallv in

Area within which spoken. i i i.

the north and north-west. They are further fouod in con-
siderable numbers in the south of Palamau and in the Chota Nagpur States. More than
93 per cent of tlie speakers in the tributary States are found iu Gangpur and Jashpur.
Speakers are further found in s.imU numbers in the adjoining districts of Hazaribagh, Man-
bhum, Singbhum, Bonai, Pal L«thera, Bamra, Rairakhol, Sambalpur, Patna, Sarangarh,
Eaigarh, Sakti, TJdaipur, Sarguja and Korea. Emigrants have brought the language
with them to Jalpaiguri and the various districts of Assam, where it is spoken by coolies
in the tea-gardens.

The principal Aryan language of Ranchi and Palamau is Bihari. The other districts^
within which Kurukb is spoken belong to the areas occupied by Oriya and Chhattisgarhi.
The Kurukhs are everywhere intermixed with various Munda tribes. They are also very
often confounded with them. The Kurukbs are relatively most numerous in Banchi.
They are still numerous in Palamau, Gangpur, and Jashpur. In other districts they are
as a rule rather thinly scattered.

The Kuruki language is essentially the same over the whole area. There is said to

be a separate dialect spoken in Gangpur, called Berga OraS.
No information is, however, available about that forna of
speech. Eurukh has not been reported from Gangpur for the purposes of this Survey.
It is not, however, probable that the so-called Berga OraS essentially differs from other
local forms of the language, which are in reality no separate dialects but more or less
corrupt forms of Standard Kurukh ; in fact, * berga * has been explained as being really
the Hindi word Jtir*f5, corrupt. The corruption is usually due to the influence of sur-
rounding Aryan dialects, and sometimes also the influence of neighbouring Munda
forms of speech may be perceived. On the whole, however, Kurukb is uniform over
the whole area where it is spoken as a vernacular. Varying namai of occupation or
easte, such as Dhangar, Kisan and so on, do not imply any difference of dialect.

The estimated number of speakers in those districts
urn er o e . ^hej-g Kurukh is spokeu as a vernacular are as follows : —

Orisaa Tributary States (Pal Lahera) ...... 295

HaKaribi^h ,.....,... 3,934

EancM ^25,860

Palamau . 30,000

Manbhtim 3,071

Singbbum 3,220

Ouried over . 364,880

BrongBt forwifd .364,310
Jft^pur Stftti •........• 80,000

Kotm Stftto . . 6S

BoDftiStati ........... 500

SMgujft Stftte .......... S8,430

UdaipttrStelf .......... I,ft98

Total Benoai. . . 4O0,W1

Sftmbftlpv 41,000

Sftkfci 1,500

Kftigsrli ........... 5,000

SAmngftrli .,••....•• . 1,511

Btmm ............ 3,750

B&irakhol 547

P»tii» ........... 475

ToTAii Central Pbotinois . . 53,783

GRAND TOTAL . . 463,754

Outside its proper temiofj Kumkb is to some extent spoken by emigrants, ntKMifc
of whom are found among tke ooolies in the tea-gardens in Bengal and Assam. The
following are the reyised figures supplied as estimates for this Surrey : —

Csclm PlfciM • ^>251

lAmrmp 200

Danang ........... 1,^00

Kowfcttf . 475

8i1»Mgsr 1,850

L»kMmpui ' 3,150

Total Assa^ . • • 8,8M

Wpatgnri i3'W4

Sbfthftbid . .260

OlisMpwam ^»^00

Bhagalpur > ^^^^^^

Total Bkkoal 31,400

QBAK D TOTAL 40,226

The estimated number of speakers of Kurukh U home and abroad is, therefore, as
follows:—

Kiimkik ifokexi »t tioate bj • • « • . . 463,754
CsraUl ipoken ftbco»d 1»f « . . . . . 40,2'^

Total .... 503,980

The figures returned at tho last Census of 1901 show a eosiaderahle increase in tht

number of speakers, and it wiU be of interest to add them for oomporison. They art

as follows : —

Assam 10,791

Bengal 544,9S4

Burdwan ,........• 471

Birbkum .......«.* 30

Miduapora . . ........ So4

Hooglj .......... 1,630

Carried orar . ^397 556,715

KT7RUSH. 409

_ . Brought forward . 2,397 656,715

¥°^ 1,720

24-Pargana8 2,244

Calcutta '2Q0

Nadia .*!... 82

Mnrshidabad ' , .on

K'J*''*'" . 6,485

^JP^\ 4,673

i*^P"«:^" 68,828

Darjeehng j^^^

?*«»P" .'531

^i"" 470

Shahabad ... . , . . ^ ^ ggo

Bhagalpnr . . . 2,984

f"™*« 2!250

^'''^^ 2,157

bonthal Parganas ••.•,..,. x 744
Balasoro •..•., , 12

Angnl and Kbondmals •••..,.. 1 126
Hazaribagh ••••.•,.,. 2 930*
^^c^i •.-...... $U,77B

Palamau 21,606

Manbhtim ••...••.., $$Q

Singbimm 6^973

Kuch Bihar ....,,,,,. 4

Orifisa Tributary States ..,...,, 2,941*
Cbota Nagptir Tributary Slates 103,708*

Toxkt BwrnkL . . 544,924

Central Provinoes 54 006

Ifagpnr .-.....,.. 1

Bilaspttf 171

Sambalpnr ••...,.... 30,000 ♦

Sakti 9

Baigarh 4,312

Sarangarb .,.*.,,.,, 885

Bamra 15,704

Rairakbol • • . . . 1,402

Sonpur 805

Patna 666

Kalabandi •.•••>.•.. 51

ToTAi, CiNTRAL Pkoviitcis • . 54,006

GRAN0 TOTAL . . . 609,721

It ^ill be seen that there is a lai^e increase in Jalpaigtiri, and that Kurukh has
hsm returned from several districts where it had not formerly been reported to be spoken.
This state of affairs is due to the greater accuracy of the last Oensus» and probably not to
a real increase in tha number of speakers. If we compare the figures from those
districts where Kurukh is spoken as a yemacular, we will find that there is a marked
decrease orer almost the whole area.

The number of speakers has increased in Singbhum, the Chota Kagpur Tributary
States, Bamra. Rairakbol, and Patna. It is not, however, possible to decide whether the
increase is real or only apparent. The speakers of Kurukh have formerly been often
returned under Tarious Mimda dialeoia, and it has not always been possible to correct the
old flgures. Thus, no sp eakers of Kurukh were returned for this Surrey from the

• After adjnttinents.

So

410 DEAVIDIAN FAMIIiY.

Gangpur State, whereas, in 1901, 93 per cent, of all the speakers of Eunikb ^n the Chota
Nagpur States were found in Qangpur and Jashpur. The reyised figures from Bamra
were 3,750 for Kurukh, entered as a form of Kora, and 13,669 for MundM. In 1901
the corresponding figures were 15,704 for Kurukh and 6,023 for Musidaii. We can
safely infer that several speakers of Eurujkh were formerly entered under Mundari, and
that the same is certainly the case in other districts. On the whole we are apparently
justified in saying that the number of speakera of Kurukh is decreasing.

In the preceding tables no reference has been made to the Tarious names under which
Kurukh has been returned.

The name Dhangari has been returned from the following districts : —

Shababad 250

Obomparan .••>.•••••... 5,000

Bbagalpnr 12,966

Maubbum 1,071

Sakti 1,000

Eaigarb 5,000

SatuDgarli ..»••. « 604

Total . 25,891

In Bhagalpur the speakers are also locally known as Kols.

Kisan is the name under which Kurukh has been reported from the following

districts :—

Sambalpmr 22,000

SaraBgarb . 907

Bamm 3,750

Bairakbol 547

Total . 27,204

The 20,000 speakers of Kurukh in the Jashpur State haye been returned as speaking
Khendroi. Finally in the Census of 1901, 466 speakers of a language called * Malhar *
were discovered, of whom 414 were returned from the Orissa Tributary States, 60 from
Hazaribagh, and 1 from the Chota Nagpur Tributwy States. The yery meagre materials
which are available and which are not worth publishing seem to show that Malhar is
only a corrupt form of Kurukhi and the figures have therefore been included in the above
table.

Kurukh is, to some extent, spoken by Mu^das and othezi,. and in the old returns
it has continixally been confounded with various Mun^ dialects.

We find Kurukh return^ under the name of Khapa from-*^

PalLabera ............. 295

Bonai . ............ 820

Sambalpmr ............ . 6,000

Totkh . 6,615

i^rom Sambalpur we find 9,000 Kuruldi sp^kkers returned under the name of Kor&t
and similarly 2,950 Korwasin Hazaribagh have turned out to speak Kurukh. The same
is the case with 476 individuals in the Fatna State who were reported to speak Ho.

a t is of BO use to enlarge upon the distribution of the speakers of Kurukh between the
Tarious so-called dialects* The different names do not connote different forms of the lan-
guage, but are due to the fact that the names of castes and occupations have been entered
as connoting Tarious dialects. The table 407 and ff. therefore includes all the figures
entered under the Tarious headings mentioned aboTC,

I am not aware of the existence of any old authority dealing with KuruMi. The
Authorities. following is a list of those which I have come across :—

MasOH, F.,— 2%c Talaing Language. Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. ir, pp. 277-288.

Contains a list of words in Oraon, etc., reprinted in the BritiBh Burma Gazetteer, and in the

Kevne de Lingnistique, Yol. xvii, pp. 167 and ft
Batsch, Bet. F.,— JnV Grammar and Voeabularif of the OrSon Languaga. Journal of the Asiatic

Society of Bengal, Vol. xxxv, 1866, Special Knmber, App. E, pp. 251 and ff.
ClMPBELi., Sir GiORaE,— ^pflctmtfn* of Languages of India, Calcutta, 1874, pp. 94 and ff.
Flu, Rev. O,, '^Introduction to the Ursun Language, Calcutta, 1874.
HiHH, Riv, Fbbb., — KuruMk Grammar^ Calcutta, 1900.

„ ^RuruMk (OraSyEnglish Dictionary. Part I, Calcutta, 1903.

„ -— EwrwM Folk'lore, OoUeoted and tranBliterated, Calcutta, 1905.

Kurukh is not a literary langimge and has no written character. The gospels in

Kuruldi have been printed in Deyanagari type in Calcutta.

Language and Literature. ^* . , . . , , ., ^ -^ ^^ ^

The translation is due to the Kev. F. Hahn, who has also
published a biblical history, a catechism, and other small books in the language. Hi&
Kurukh grammar has already been mentioned in the list of authorities. It is the principal
source from which the remarks about Kurukh grammar which follow hare been taken.

LINGUISTIC SURVEY OF INDIA

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