In the wild, forested cliffs of Odisha’s Malkangiri, women walk like warriors.
Not in boots, but in beaded armor.
No silk sarees, no gold chains. Just a 2-foot cloth called the Ringa, a crown of handwoven beads, and a chest full of memory-strung metal.
These are the Bonda women- perhaps the oldest tribe in India, and definitely among its fiercest.
Their fashion? Bold.
Their myths? Spicier than your nani’s mango achaar.
Their ornaments? Think: body-positive, battle-ready couture designed by Mother Nature and passed down through bloodlines.
But here’s the twist: behind the bling lies a battle- against erasure, debt traps, language loss, and “modern” development that forgets to ask them what they want.
The Original Forest Settlers
The Bonda are more than just a tribe- they’re a living fossil of human history.
Genetic studies trace their origins back 60,000 years, likely part of the first human migration out of Africa. Their language, Remo, belongs to the endangered Austroasiatic family, with no script, and fewer than 6,000 fluent speakers left.
They call themselves Remo, meaning man. But it’s the women who run the show.
Their society flips the script: the bride is older than the groom, marriage is matriarchal, and debt cycles are settled in rice, not rupees.
Upper Bondas still live deep in the hills, far from mobile networks and asphalt roads. They don’t want to be “developed.” They want to be left alone — free to farm, feast, and live their lives the Remo way.
The Motifs: Dressed to Resist
Forget Paris Fashion Week.
The Bonda aesthetic is raw, rhythmic, and real.
1.The Ringa– Fashion trends come and go, but the ringa—a modest strip of cloth worn by the women of Odisha’s Bonda tribe—is stitched in legend.
Picture this: A sun-drenched pond, a bathing goddess, and a sniggering group of tribal women. In a plot twist worthy of a mythological soap opera, Sita, furious at the giggles aimed her way, curses the women to remain forever bare. But remorse has a soft spot. She tears a piece of her sari and hands it to them—the ringa—meant to cover just the waist, a compromise between punishment and pity.
Since then, the ringa hasn’t just been cloth. It’s a sentence, a souvenir, a symbol. Paired with bead-laced neckpieces (mali) and aluminum rings (khagla), it becomes a fashion statement—one that whispers stories instead of shouting trends.
Of course, times are changing. Sarees without blouses and nightgowns are slipping into the wardrobes of the younger Bondas. And maybe that’s okay. Because culture isn’t always about preservation; sometimes it’s about conversation. And the ringa? It remains—part folklore, part fabric, and wholly Bonda.
When a Bonda bride wears it, she’s not just getting married- she’s making a statement: This is who I am. This is how I live.
2. The Lobeda and Turuba:
The Bonda woman doesn’t need a tiara to reign. She wears the turuba, a grass-woven headband, to hold in place the lobeda—a cascade of vivid beads that circle her shaved head like a halo of heritage. The lobeda isn’t just ornamentation; it’s an assertion of identity in a world that often demands assimilation. Worn with quiet confidence, these twin crowns tell tales of resilience, rebellion, and rooted pride. Because in the Bonda hills, tradition isn’t worn lightly—it’s worn loud.
And then come the accessories- Each piece tells a story. Each metal is a metaphor.
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Khagla: Thick, aluminium neck rings worn tight and proud. Used daily, not just as decoration, but as protection against wild animals.
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Mali: Strings of multicolored beads cascading past the navel. Each line represents a layer of identity- clan, age, and ancestral memory.
- Orti: Chunky aluminium finger rings.
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Limbdi: Brass earrings that sparkle with symmetrical incision work.
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Anklets: Decorated with snake-mouthed faces and triangular dotted patterns, like a tribal Morse code.
These aren’t fast fashion. They’re cultural currency.
Bonda vs. Bharat: The Culture at Risk
But Odisha’s fast-changing landscape isn’t kind to slow cultures.
While upper Bondas remain mostly untouched in the hill interiors, the Lower Bondas, who have had more contact with the outside world, face increasing pressures:
Microfinance schemes and debt traps have pushed many men into indentured labor in Andhra and Telangana.
Young women are being asked to swap their Ringa for salwar suits in schools, calling their traditions “inappropriate.”
The Remo language is dying, as children are taught Odia and English instead.
NGOs often impose blanket development models without consulting the Bondas themselves, treating their traditions as obstacles instead of expressions.
What gets erased first in such “upliftment” projects? Their art. Their jewellery. Their language. Their right to define beauty on their own terms.
Reviving, not Replacing
Several Odisha-based scholars and tribal welfare collectives are now working on:
- Digitally archiving Bonda motifs, bead patterns, and jewellery styles.
- Encouraging documentation of the Remo language through oral recordings.
- Exploring ethical merchandising — where motifs like the snake-face and dot-clusters are used in textiles and home décor with tribal approval and benefit.
Cultural festivals like Parab Utsav in Koraput are also offering platforms for Bonda artists to present their traditions without being exoticized.
Empowered by Odisha’s Mission Shakti and the Bonda Development Agency, the tribe thrives today in small pockets through eco-friendly enterprises like Hill Broom Grass cultivation, attracting eco-tourism and preserving their unique identity. Hill Broom Grass has become one of Malkangiri’s most widely grown cash crops—valued not just for its eco-friendliness but also its everyday utility. Spearheading this green revolution is the Gulang Gursunga women’s self-help group, formed in 2001 and powered by Bonda women. What began as a grassroots initiative has now grown into a thriving commercial venture with an impressive annual turnover of ₹6 lakh.
But these are small steps. The larger battle is still one of cultural consent.
Plan your visit to Koraput’s Onukadelli market, explore the vibrant traditions, and support their economy by buying handcrafted souvenirs.
What We Can Learn
The Bonda people are not backward.
They are deeply forward in time — having cracked sustainable living, ecological balance, and matriarchal dignity long before the rest of us.
In a world obsessed with speed and spectacle, they remind Odisha — and India — of the power of slow design, minimal means, and maximum meaning.
The Bondas don’t live for spectacle. They live for community. They don’t own things — they wear their identity.
Their jewellery doesn’t shine in glass cases — it clinks and clashes in real time, as women gather firewood, sing forest songs, and keep the soil of Malkangiri alive.
So the next time someone calls a tribal aesthetic “boho,” ask yourself- is it fashion, or is it folklore?
Because on the metal-thick necks of Bonda women, style becomes survival.
References:
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Mission Shakti Odisha. (n.d.). Empowering women through self-help groups. https://missionshakti.odisha.gov.in
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Taruka Srivastav. (n.d.). Photographic documentation of Bonda tribe. [Photograph]. Personal website or portfolio if publicly available.
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Anthropological Survey of India. (1992). The People of India: Odisha. New Delhi: Anthropological Survey of India.
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