Halbi
Halbi or Halba is a tribal community of India. It is mostly found in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
The word Halba is derived from word hal ("plough"). The Halba were farmers and landlords. The Halba tribes were one of the major and most influential tribal groups of the state of Bastar in the 17th century. Halbas are spread over different parts of India like Maharashtra, Gujarat and mainly in the Vidarbha (part of Maharashtra state) from Bastar. Halba tribes were active in the politics and military of Bastar State. The goddess of the Halba tribe is Ma Danteshwari. The language of the Halba tribe is Halbi, which is a combination of Hindi, Chhattisgarhi, Odia and Marathi. The Halba/Halbi tribe has no sub-castes. The Halba tribe is included as a Scheduled Tribe in India but Maharashtra has done injustice with Halba, Halbi people. There are no facilities for this Tribal people. They are not getting their constitutional rights. They are still untouchables and backward in education, jobs, politics, government because not getting their constitutional rights.
References
- Gell, Simeran M. S., The Ghotul in Muria Society. Singapore: Hardwood Academic Publishers, 1993.