In India, the state of Orissa is famous for its monuments, its beaches and its tribes. Unfortunately, tribal languages of Orissa are fast becoming extinct. While 62 tribal languages existed at the time of Independence ( in 1947), only 22 have managed to survive.
In some cases, the strength of certain tribes has decreased at an alarming rate. The population of tribes such as Chenchu, Baiga, Birhor, Mankidi, Ghara and Kerua ranges now from a mere 100 to a little more than 1000. The population of tribes like Bonda, Juang and Didayi is hovering around 5000 but they have stuck to their own languages.
Some tribes ( the Ho, Bhumji and Bhatudi) have discarded their own languages and adopted oriya, the language spoken by mainstream Orissa. One of the reasons why these languages have disappeared is that educated tribals have delibarately avoided to speak their mother tongue even at home. In…