Bhubaneswar
Humo is not just a tribal game — it’s an entire entertainment package. There’s song and dance, wit and humour and it’s staged like an event.
It’s popular in western Odisha, particularly in Deogarh district, among the Munda, Kharia and other tribes.
Unmarried girls in the 10-18 years age group form a line with their arms around each other’s waists, while swaying to a collective beat. An opposing grouping stands to their side.
The girls then begin a process of quiz — asking traditional riddles in the form of couplets set to music and rhythm. The other side must answer the puzzles smartly and promptly in the same form.
Football coach Balram Motare, who belongs to Deogarh, explains the fun to The Indian Tribal. “The stock of questions and answers are handed over to the young girls by their elders, but they juice up the game with their own compositions too,” he smiles. “They even collect verses from friends and relatives.”
The whole tribal game takes place in Sambalpuri dialect. Roles are reversed after one group finishes its grilling. “The game of fun, song and dance goes on between the batches of girls till the participants are exhausted,” says Motare.
