Jaunsari

“Jaunsari” is the biggest tribal group from Uttarakhand. They live in the Jaunsar region of Uttarakhand comprising of Kalsi, Chakrata, Vikasnagar, Sahaspur regions mainly in the Dehradun District.

They consider themselves as descendents of Pandavas popularly known from the epic ‘Mahabharat’. ‘Mahasu Devta’ is considered as their main deity among other gods they worship.

Their important dance forms include ‘Harul’, ‘Taali’, ‘Naati’, ‘Jheta’, ‘Raaso’ and ‘Mandauna . Women from this community attire themselves in their traditional outfit of ‘Ghaghra’, ‘Kurti’ and Dhaatu’ complimented with their traditional jewellery of ‘Naath’, ‘Uttarayya’, ‘Tungal’, ‘Bulat’, ‘Onthi’, ‘Kada’, ‘Kangute’ and ‘bunde’

Tharu

People from the Tharu Tribe are majorly found in Uddham Singh Nagar’s Khatima and Sitarganj regions. Tharu Tribal community consider themselves as descendants of Veer Shiromani Maharana Pratap. ‘Tharu’ as a tribe gets its name having their ancestors migrated from Rajasthan’s ‘Thar’ desert region.

People from the tribe have always been involved in the occupation of farming. However they were initially restricted with the traditional methods of agriculture, but soon after Governments support and integration of modern technology, they now are at par with all modern day farmers. Holi is one of the main festivals celebrated by the Tharu Tribal Community. Popular dance forms of Tharu Tribe include the Jhi-Jhi and the Hanna dance.

Raji

Raji Tribe also known popularly as ‘Van Rawats’ is a tribal group from Uttarakhand with the least amount of population. Raji Tribe are mostly found in district Pithoragarh’s Kanalichina, DidiHat & Dharchula regions. Raji Tribe consider themselves as ‘Rajwars’ i.e. belonging to the Rajput Caste.

Raji Tribe’s ancestors lived deep in the jungle deprived from technology and modern amenities. It is a well-known fact that due to the inaccessibility of clothing, they were often seen wearing clothes retrieved from the dead relatives. Raji women are very fond of wearing silver jewellery, and necklaces made from pearls. Raji Women wear sarees whereas; men are seen wearing dhoti & kurta with an overcoat. Their popular dance form is called the Rigdance.

Buksa

Buksa Tribal community inhabit the plain regions of Bazpur, Gadarpur, Ramnagar, Dugadda along with Dehradun’s blocks of Doiwala, Sahaspur, Vikasnagar and inside Haridwar’s Bhadrabad region in Uttarakhand. Buksa consider themselves as Rajput descendants of the Panwar Dynasty. Languages spoken by the tribe are called ‘Bhawri’, ‘Kumaiya’ and ‘Rachbhaisi’.

Buksa tribes are involved in creating many types of hand crafted products such as the hand woven cane mats, baskets and sweaters. They also make many kinds of handmade earrings, necklaces and other jewellery. The major festivals celebrated by this tribe include the Holi and the Diwali. They celebrate weddings as if it’s a big festival and perform various types of dance.

Bhotia

People from the Bhotia Community are found in the region called the ‘Bhot- Pradesh’ that lies inside Uttarakhand just alongside the borders of Tibet and Nepal. The districts comprises of Uttarkashi, Pithoragarh and Chamoli. ‘Bhotia’ gets its name being residents of the ‘Bhot-Pradesh’.

They speak the language derived from the Tibet-Burman dialects. ‘Niti’ and ‘Mana’ regions sharing borders with Tibet have the majority population of this tribe. The traditional ‘Pauna’ dance is the most popular dance form of this tribe. This dance is very sacred to the community and is performed in almost all of their weddings. In particular, men and women of all groups perform together in a circle inviting more members to join participate. This dance can extend for prolonged hours and is especially seen during the night of any of their wedding. Women from the Bhotia tribal group wear heavy traditional jewellery.