Didayi (ISO-639-3 code: gaq)

Introduction

Didayi language or Gta Asa or Gata, Didayi or Didei language, also known as Gta Asa, Gtaʔ (Gtaʼ also Gataʼ or Gataʔ) language belongs to the Munda languages of the Austro-Asiatic language family. It is part of the Gutob-Remo-Gtaʔ sub-group of the Koraput Munda language, which is part of the South Munda sub-group. Didayi language has two prominent varieties- the hill variant, known as Hill Gtaʔ, and the plain variant, called the Plains Gtaʔ. It is mainly spoken in Malkangiri District of Odisha.

The Didayi community is one of the sixty-two Scheduled Tribe communities of Orissa. They are inhabitants of the Malkangiri district, located in the southernmost region of Orissa. This community is one of the thirteen Primitive Tribal Groups (PTGs) of Orissa. Their habitation is mostly found in the Kudumulgumma and Chitrakonda blocks of the Malkangiri District, South of the Bonda hills. Apart from these areas, a few Didayi settlements can also be witnessed in the Khairput block, near the Bonda settlements. According to the Census of India 2011, only 1,993 people of the Didayi community are recorded in Orissa, much less than the 7,371 people recorded in the 2001 Census.

The hill population of this community still practices shifting cultivation, whereas, the plain population is indulged in settled agriculture. The Didayi worship nature and mother earth, and her consort the ant-hill. The Didayi community has a simple social structure. They have a symbiotic relationship with their neighboring scheduled tribe groups, such as Bonda, Gadaba, and Paroja, and also with other scheduled caste groups, such as Dom, Kamar, Gauda, Rona, and others.

According to the Anthropological Survey of India study (1970), five totems have been reported so far; they are Nkoo (tiger), Mala (cobra), Gbe (bear), Mosali (crocodile), and Goi (tortoise). Apart from these, three other totems, Gisia (monkey), Buba (snake), and Cendia (eagle), are also reported to be present in the community.

Didayi language is gradually losing its significance in society and is endangered as many speakers of the community tend to shift to Desia, which is considered one of the dialects of Odia or Odia as a medium of communication. Most of the younger generation speakers have yet to learn Didayi. Desia has been adopted as the medium of instruction in schools and as a medium of communication with other communities by the new generations. So only the older generation speakers are fluent in the Didayi language.

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