Sora

Sora (ISO-639-3 code: srb)

Introduction

The Sora, also known as Savara or Saora, stand as an ancient and culturally significant tribe with deep historical roots in the state of Odisha. Referred to by various names such as Saura, Sabara, Sahar, Saur, and more, this tribe shares a racial affinity with the proto-Austroloid stock, prevalent among the aboriginal communities of Central and Southern India. As of the 2011 Census of India, their population stood at 409,549, spread across the states of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Assam.

According to a Sora myth, the term 'Sora' linguistically comprises of sɔ, derived from soso, meaning ‘to hide’, and ərɑ, meaning ‘tree’. Thus, 'Sora' translates to ‘people who hide in trees’, and refers to the elusive and shy nature of the Sora tribe, due to which they have remained inward looking and isolated from the rest of the world, inhabiting forestclad hills of Southern Odisha. Another interpretation (Ota & Mohanty, 2010) links the term to 'Sagories,' the Scythian word for axe, and 'Saba Roye,' the Sanskrit term for carrying a dead body. Both explanations align with their cultural practices, as the Saora are often seen carrying axes over their shoulders, and the latter reflects their primitive livelihood centered around hunting and subsisting on the spoils of the chase. While the Sora people are spread across India, they are primarily concentrated in the highlands of Gajapati District and Gunupur subdivision of Rayagada District of Odisha.

The Sora language holds a significant place among the Munda languages, and classified under the South Munda language group of the Austroasiatic family. It shows close affinity with Gorum (Parengi) and together they form the Sora-[Juray]-Gorum subgroup, where Juray is a dialect of Sora that seems to have diverged at an earlier stage. According to the Census (Table C-16: Population by mother tongue, India, 2011) there are 409,481 individuals that identify Sora as their mother tongue all over India, and out of these 298,655 are found in Odisha (Table C-16: Population by mother tongue, Odisha, 2011). The Sora speakers are settled mostly in the Gajapati, Rayagada and Ganjam districts of Odisha. While certain areas such as Gumma block of Gajapati district have concentrated population of monolingual Sora speakers, other parts of Odisha where Sora people reside but are not in majority, language shift is reported to have occurred (Anderson & Harrison, 2008).

The Sora language holds a significant place among the Munda languages and is classified under the South Munda language group of the Austroasiatic family. It shows close affinity with Gorum (Parengi) and together they form the Sora-[Juray]-Gorum subgroup, where Juray is a dialect of Sora that seems to have diverged at an earlier stage. According to the Census, there are 409,481 individuals that identify Sora as their mother tongue all over India, and out of these 298,655 are found in Odisha. The Sora speakers are settled mostly in the Gajapati, Rayagada and Ganjam districts of Odisha. While certain areas such as Gumma block of Gajapati district have concentrated population of monolingual Sora speakers, other parts of Odisha where Sora people reside but are not in majority, language shift is reported to have occurred (Anderson & Harrison, 2008).

Sora is represented in writing using the Latin, Odia and Telugu alphabets, alongside the indigenous Sorang Sompeng script. The Sorang Sompeng alphabet invented in 1936 by Malia Gomango gained momentum through the efforts of his son-in-law, Mangei Gomango, who established a letterpress producing numerous books. Originally intended for religious contexts, the alphabet remains integral to the practice of the traditional Sora faith.