Murmu Paris

What “Paris” means for the Santhal

A pari (plural paris) is one of the twelve totemic clans of the Santhal. Each has a totem, a Santhal does not marry within their own pari, and the pari name is carried today as the surname.

Name and Origin

Santhal oral tradition says the first couple, Pilchu Haram and Pilchu Budhi (Burhi), were hatched from the eggs of a wild duck on land that Marang Buru made, and that their seven sons and eight daughters formed the first seven paris, which later grew to twelve. The names of the paris are tied to totems of plants and animals. For Murmu the totem is the nilgai. In the version published by Sarma and Mukherjee (2019), the ancestors of the clan hunted the first antelope, which is said to be the first animal sacrificed by the Santhal. Accounts differ in detail and the names are spelled differently in different books.

Historical Journey

The Santhal have no written record of their early history, and what is known of the paris comes from oral tradition. The usual list of seven senior paris is Hansdak, Murmu, Kisku, Hembrom, Marandi, Soren and Tudu, with five junior paris added later: Baske, Besra, Pauria, Chore and Bedea. In the account of Sarma and Mukherjee, Hansdak and Murmu are the two senior paris, the Hansdak counted as advisers and the Murmu as priests; this is a tradition about rank and not a rule of present-day village life. In the 19th century two Murmu brothers, Sido and Kanhu, with their brothers Chand and Bhairav, led the Santhal Hul of 1855 to 1856 against moneylenders, landlords and the colonial government. In the 20th century Raghunath Murmu devised the Ol Chiki script for Santali, which is the official script for Santali.

Migration and Diaspora

Santhal folklore describes the tribe as a wandering people. Today the Santhal live mainly in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Bihar, with communities in Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Bangladesh and Nepal.

How the Paris Is Kept

A Santhal does not marry within their pari, and in the past marrying a girl of one's mother's sub-clan was barred. Older accounts list further rules, such as that members of the seven senior paris did not marry into the junior paris, and that certain pairs of paris were kept apart; Sarma and Mukherjee write that some of these restrictions are no longer followed. People of one house (mit orak hor) cannot marry. Members of a pari avoid harming their totem, and a person who finds a dead totem animal observes death rites for it. Within each pari there are smaller units, called khunt or khunti, which descend from a nearer common ancestor. Santhal religion is Sarna dharam: worship is centred on the jaher, the sacred grove at the edge of a village, and on the bongas, with Marang Buru as the supreme deity. No family deity is attached to the Murmu pari in the sources checked.

Presence Across Regions

Notable Personalities

Stories and Legends