Culture

There are treasures of folklore and tales in the Sabar society. The traditional verses are also rich in linguistic nuances. This heritage is a thing to preserve. The Samity is working to preserve the Sabar culture and heritage, festivals, songs, stories, etc.

The director of the Samity has been relentlessly trying to formulate ways to prevent the cultural identity from extinction.“Sabar Lok-gaan and Lok-katha” A book on Sabar folk songs and folk tales was published by Sahitya Akademi in 2013. This book was edited by Mahasweta Devi and written by Sri Prasanta Rakshit. “GeetarAajura”, the translation of Rabindranath Tagore’s “Gitanjali” in Sabar language by Sri Rakshit and published by Biswabharati University is another milestone achievement for the community.

Language

The Sabar language is a distinct one. However, a formal script is still not available. The Samiti has been trying to create one but needs to collaborate with a linguistic specialist to move forward.

Many words from other languages like Hindi, Odiya, Bengali etc. already influenced this ancient language to a good extent. While it is a natural phenomenon for a language to flow, it is equally important to preserve the original words. The traditional words they speak should not be replaced by foreign ones, they can coexist at most. The new generation tends to imbibe foreign language as well as culture. A written form of the language will enable instilling the ownership to protect the language to the community from childhood. With the Samity’s thrust on “Let’s go to School” we will better teach their own language if a script is developed. To sustain the distinct nature of the Sabar language a script is essential.

“Sabar bhasha abhidhan” released in 2006 has created a reliable platform to begin with. A script is in its formative state now. There is an opportunity for a scholar in philology/linguistics to give it a final shape. Whoever comes forward and assumes the onus will certainly create a history.

For the first time, a digital dictionary is being developed for the distinct Kheria Sabar speech. Linguistic Research Unit (LRU) of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata has taken up the project. The research team is conducting linguistic field surveys in Purulia to collect words and sentences from the community members to give examples in the dictionary. As the community is slowly forgetting their own language, its words and folk tales, this dictionary will help in creating awareness among the younger generation about the value of their mother tongue.

Traditional Sabar Dance

Documentation of oral narrative, songs & cultural artifacts of Sabar community: By Prof Jolly Das (Vidyasagar Uninversity)

The Research and Advocacy for Sustainable Transformative Action (RASTA) initiative began in 2021 with the fellowship of three youths from the Sabar community. The aim of the fellowship is to collaborate on research and documentation to address social, cultural, and economic issues faced by their community and disseminate the knowledge gained. The fellows conducted research activities in various Sabar hamlets, exploring topics such as changing stories, challenges, solutions, actions, and community programs. They also documented Sabar songs, poetry, and play scripts, which has proven to be valuable for students pursuing PhDs in Sabar languages. Visual documentation was also carried out by the fellows, capturing the community's culture and programs. They documented festivals, as well as the various activities and rituals related to marriage, death ceremonies, birth ceremonies, and more. The fellowship initially lasted for eight months, but it has been revised for this year, indicating the continued importance and impact of the research and advocacy conducted by the RASTA initiative.

RASTA Initiative