Kol, Munda, Ho.--A great tribe of Chota Nagpur, which has given its
name to the Kolarian family of tribes and languages. A part of the
District of Singhbhum near Chaibasa is named the Kolhan as being
the special home of the Larka Kols, but they are distributed all
over Chota Nagpur, whence they have spread to the United Provinces,
Central Provinces and Central India. It seems probable also that the
Koli tribe of Gujarat may be an offshoot of the Kols, who migrated
there by way of Central India. If the total of the Kols, Mundas and Hos
or Larka Kols be taken together they number about a million persons
in India. The real strength of the tribe is, however, much greater
than this. As shown in the article on that tribe, the Santals are
a branch of the Kols, who have broken off from the parent stock and
been given a separate designation by the Hindus. They numbered two
millions in 1911. The Bhumij (400,000) are also probably a section of
the tribe. Sir H. Risley [535] states that they are closely allied to
if not identical with the Mundas. In some localities they intermarry
with the Mundas and are known as Bhumij Munda. [536] If the Kolis
also be taken as an offshoot of the Kol tribe, a further addition of
nearly three millions is made to the tribes whose parentage can be
traced to this stock. There is little doubt also that other Kolarian
tribes, as the Kharias, Khairwars, Korwas and Korkus, whose tribal
languages closely approximate to Mundari, were originally one with
the Mundas, but have been separated for so long a period that their
direct connection can no longer be proved. The disintegrating causes,
which have split up what was originally one into a number of distinct
tribes, are probably no more than distance and settlement in different
parts of the country, leading to cessation of intermarriage and
social intercourse. The tribes have then obtained some variation in
the original name or been given separate territorial or occupational
designations by the Hindus and their former identity has gradually
been forgotten.