Orissa’s prominent tribal museum faces threat of closure

Established in 1992 with the aim to preserve the art and artefacts of over 62 local tribal communities including Paraja, Didayi, Koya, Bonda, Lanjia Soura and Gadhva, the tribal museum at Koraput is now facing a serious threat to its existence.

Lack of funds and government patronage for maintenance of the museum has rendered it in a state of complete disarray.

Started by some enthusiastic researchers and intellectuals led by Mr Krushna Chandra Panigrahi, the museum is now being managed by the Jagannath Temple Committee. The Committee has engaged two volunteers who have been discharging multi-disciplinary roles – from working as curators to record-keepers. They even sweep the floors.

This ethnic museum in Koraput is unique in many ways. It has numerous collections of arts and artefacts that throw light on the life and culture of the local tribals. The museum has on display centuries-old tribal stone sculptures, metal images and objects, terracotta, wooden objects, paintings, documents, rare objects and textiles.

“This museum was established to preserve the cultural heritage of local tribes and promote their arts, crafts, dances and music. However, fund crunch has been a major obstacle towards maintaining it,” said Mr Surya Narayan Panda, a volunteer at the museum.

Mr Panda has been voluntarily looking after the day-to-day affairs of the museum since 1992. At present, the museum is governed by a board of governors consisting of 20 persons, out of whom 17 are ex-officio members. The collectors of Rayagada, Koraput, Malkangiri and Nowrangpur districts are among its ex-officio governors.

“Since the museum is run as a purely voluntary organisation, it has no fund-raising sources. We have been urging the state government’s district culture council to take over it so that it can be expanded, accommodating more collections,” said Mr Panda.

The undivided Koraput district has over 40 lakh tribal population and the entire Koraput region has been declared as a scheduled area.

“The age-old traditional and cultural practices are declining fast due to the onslaught of modern influences and they can be preserved only through an institution like this tribal museum,” said noted researcher Dr Gouranga Charan Rout.