Numbering just over 1 million, the Ho People, also called the Larka Kol, are concentrated in West Bengal and the Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, India. The Ho are renowned for their simple, amiable and other philanthropic qualities. In earlier times, they were famed for their fighting skills.
The Ho people are deeply Spiritual. Their religion is to some extent similar to some other Indigenous Peoples in West Bengal like the Mundas, Oraons and Santals etc. Their supreme deity is Sin Bonga. Apart from paying reverence to this deity, they also believe in Hindu gods and goddesses. Deuri, their village priest performs their religious rituals. These people also believe in evil spirits and ‘Deona’ is employed to keep the evil spirits at bay.
Adapted from IndianetZone’s primer on the Ho People