Virtual tour of Chuktia Bhunjia of Sunabeda Plateau at Odisha State Tribal Museum

Bhubaneswar, July 17: The ST & SC Development Department has taken up virtual tour to Odisha State Tribal Museum on every Sunday. The visitors can visit the life and culture of the Chuktia Bhunjia of Sunabeda Plateau this Sunday by opening the Facebook and Twitter pages @stscdev, @scstrti, said Director, SCSTRTI, Prof. (Dr.) A.B. Ota. A hilly region covered with dry deciduous forests, the Sunabeda Plateau of Odisha is home to the Chuktia Bhunjia community. Agriculturists, who also hunt and collect forest produce, the Chuktia Bhunjia are best known for the unique construction of their homes and the sacred observances associated with the kitchen. The women wear sarees while the men wear cloth with a shirt over them. The women folk use necklace made of beads and coins, brass and glass bangles, anklets and earrings made of either Aluminum or Silver. They comb their hair in a very decent manner and dress the hair into a massive bun at the back of the head by using a bulky tassel and fixing a pin into it to keep the bun in a position. Tattoo marks add to the body beauty of the women. The supreme deity of the Chuktia Bhunjia is known as Suna Dei. She is installed in a shrine at the village. Three ritual functionaries like Pujari, Chhatriya and Kataria are associated with the worship of the Suna Dei.