Weird Indian Tribal Traditions

5. Santhals, Eastern India

Santhals mainly occupy parts of Eastern India in West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar and Assam. They do have some contact with the urban world and society and are multilingual as they speak many languages other than Santhali. However, their written script is new and was developed as recently as 1925. While not atheists, Santhals do not believe in idol worship. They have no temples and no idols! They instead, worship local gods and spirits. They are ghost-fearing people and try and appease the "ghosts" of their area. The tribals often make animal sacrifices to appease these ghosts.