The Santhals are among the major tribes of India. They are also among the most numerous of India’s tribal communities, the other two being Gonds and Bhils. Unlike the other two, the Santhals live in a contiguous area consisting of Jharkhand, South Bihar, the western part of West Bengal and Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. It’s a tribe deeply conscious of what it considers its Great Tradition. This sense of a Great Tradition seeks to recall a glorious past in which the tribe enjoyed mater