Clan names are pre-fixed to the individual names. The woman gets the clan name of the husband after marriage.
The Porja family is generally nuclear. These people are patrilineal, patriarchal and patrilocal. Cross-cousin marriages are permissible among them. They marry after attaining adulthood. Monogamy is a rule. Divorce is permissible among them. Widow re-marriages are socially accepted. Marriage by negotiations, marriage by elopement, marriage by capture and marriage by service are socially accepted ways of acquiring mates, but negotiation is held as the most prestigious and is common. The marriage ceremony takes place at groom's house and is always accompanied by a feast and a dance. As soon as the marriage is over, the son separates himself from the family of origin and sets up his family of procreation.
Porjas worship Bodo Devatha, Sanku Devatha or Nishani Devatha, Jakara Devatha, Nandi Devatha etc., in addition to the spirits of their ancestors. On every festive occasion, the ancestor worship is paramount in Porja religious life and they offer sacred food and fowls are sacrified to the spirits of ancestors. They celebrate festivals like Gilib Parbu (hunting festival), Poduja (Sowing festival), Gotnakiya (Ploughing festival), Amflishuva (new mango eating festival), Bandaponpurab, Nandi Purab, Volpoda, Bali devatha Panduga etc.
Porjas perform a folk dance called jhodia nat or Nandinat at the time of Nandi Devatha festival. It is also known as Jillinat because the songs which are sung during this dance performance are full of expressions of love and romance. 'Jilli' in Porja dialect means love and romance. The entire movements of dance resemble the movements of Dimsa Dance but swift movements which are found in Dimsa are not found in Jhodia nat.
There is a headman for Porjas in the village and a leader called 'Naidu' and the office is heriditary. The office bearers bear the responsibility of maintaining social order within the community.
The inter-village disputes and disputes among the community people are settled by their traditional village council.
Most of the Porjas who are living in the interior places are largely subsisting on podu cultivation and collection of minor forest produce. They practice podu cultivation on hill slopes and use primitive implements like hoe, digging stick, hand axe and sickle. They also practice plough cultivation on flat fields and irrigated terraces. The landless section of them work as agricultural labourers.
The Porjas are non-vegetarians and consume beef and pork.
The dead are either cremated or buried, according to convenience. The pollution caused by death is observed for ten days and ancestor worship is observed. |
