About The Santal Tribe
People
Language
Santali is an Austric language. It is related to the Munda, Kharia and Ho languages of Jharkhand.The Khasi of Meghalaya, Mon in Burma and Khmer in Cambodia have related languages. But Santali grammar has no relation to Sanskrit or Dravidian languages. It shares some words with Bengali and other neighbouring languages. You can read a lot about Santali script, literature and magazines at the wesanthals site.
Santals are one of the largest tribes in India. There were 5.26 million speakers of Santali in the 2001 census, making them the 14th largest Indian language group. The largest number live in Jharkhand state, especially in the Santal Parganas (Dumka, Pakur, Sahebganj, Godda), Singhbhum (around Jamshedpur,) Bokaro, Dhanbad and Hazaribagh. They also live in West Bengal, Bangladesh, Orissa, Nepal, Assam and the northeast of India.
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In Bengali one says Amar Naam (My name). In Santali one says In'ak N'utum.
Santal Mothers
Santali language
In Bengali one says Aami Baari Jaachhi Naa (I am not going home). In Santali they say In Orak'te Do Ban Calak'a.
Malto Tribe
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