Context: Recently, four people from the Bonda tribal community have tested positive for the Covid-19.
Key Points

• PVTGs: Bondas are one of the 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) found in Odisha.
• The Bondas are Munda ethnic group who live in the isolated hill regions of the Malkangiri district of southwestern Odisha near the junction of the three states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh.
• The tribe is one of the oldest and most primitive in mainland India; their culture has changed little for more than a thousand years.
• Their isolation and known aggressiveness continue to preserve their culture despite the pressures of an expanding Indian population.
• There are a total of 75 PVTGs in India.
• Austroasiatic Tribes: Bondas are members of a group of Austroasiatic tribes, they are believed to be part of the first wave of migration out of Africa about 60,000 years ago. They are the first forest settlers in India.
• Culture: The Bondas have retained their identity and culture despite external interventions over the years.
• Primarily forest dwellers, the Bondas used to hunt and forage for food in the wild.
• Matriarchal society: The women prefer to marry men who are younger by at least 5-10 years, so that the men can earn for them when they grow old.
• Unique dressing style: Women are semi clad and wear various types of rings and necklaces around their bodies, while the men carry lethal bows and arrows.
• Language: They continue to speak in their language, Remo, which comes under the Austroasiatic language belonging to the Mundari group.
• The Mundari group of languages are spoken by Munda people.

Division: The Bonda tribe is divided into two groups based on their settlement:

• The Upper Bondas living in the inaccessible forests.
• The Lower Bondas in the plains.

Tribes in Odisha

• Odisha is home to 62 tribal communities, the largest diverse groups of tribal population in India.
• Thirteen of them are PVTGs:  Bonda, Birhor, Chuktia Bhunjia, Didayi, Dungaria Kandha, Hill Kharia, Juang, Kutia Kondh, Lanjia Saora, Lodha, Mankirdia, Paudi Bhuyan and Saora.
• Tribal populations are found in the entire seven districts of Kandhamal, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh, Nabarangpur, Koraput, Malkangiri and Rayagada, and in parts of six other districts.