Tuntia
Encyclopedia
The Tuntia, or sometimrs pronounced Tutia, are a Muslim
community found in the state of West Bengal
in India
. They are also known Tute and are a community of Bengali
speaking peasant farmers.
word for mulberry, which is tut. There traditional occupation was the rearing of mulberry silk, although most are now small to medium sized farmers. The Tuntia are said to be converts from the Kabairtta caste
, although there exact circumstances of their conversion of in unclear. They speak Bengali
among themselves and wit outsiders. The Tuntia are found almost entirely in the district of Midnapore
, and in particular in the villages of Hatiahalka, Cherua, Ramnagar, Balihat, Uttar Simla, Bashripat, Rajar Bagan, Ranipatna Binodihi, Gollasai and Gopalpur.
s, and have customs similar to other West Bengal
Muslim
s.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
community found in the state of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. They are also known Tute and are a community of Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
speaking peasant farmers.
Origin
The community are said to have gotten their name from the BengaliBengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
word for mulberry, which is tut. There traditional occupation was the rearing of mulberry silk, although most are now small to medium sized farmers. The Tuntia are said to be converts from the Kabairtta caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
, although there exact circumstances of their conversion of in unclear. They speak Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
among themselves and wit outsiders. The Tuntia are found almost entirely in the district of Midnapore
Midnapore District
Midnapore district is a former district of the state of West Bengal, India. This district was bifurcated on January 1, 2002 into the Purba Medinipur district and the Paschim Medinipur district.-References:...
, and in particular in the villages of Hatiahalka, Cherua, Ramnagar, Balihat, Uttar Simla, Bashripat, Rajar Bagan, Ranipatna Binodihi, Gollasai and Gopalpur.
Present circumstances
The Tuntia have given up their traditional occupation of cultivating mulberry, and are now mainly small scale farmers. They now grow mainly paddy, wheat, tomato, potato and brijnal. They are strictly endogamous, and marry close kin. The community have an informal caste association, which acts as an instrument of social control. They are Sunni MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, and have customs similar to other West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s.