Before driving back into Onukudelli, a woman came down the road with a pot of Mahuli liquor and stopped by an elderly Bonda man. He hunkered down. She took out a gourd that looked like a pipe, filled an empty beer bottle with the strong liquor (according to Bibhu) from her metal pot …View image, and poured from the bottle into the pipe. The Bonda man began chugging the Mahuli liquor…coughing and choking like crazy…, one gourd at a time until the glass bottle was completely empty. That should have given him a nice buzz.

Still standing along the road, Bonda men appeared in the distance, carrying their home-brewed sago palm wine, mahuli liquor and rice wine. Bibhu told us not to photograph the men close-up but from a distance because they can get violent. Since they were also carrying spears, and bows and arrows with their liquor, I filmed from a good distance…View image. TIP: You need a camera with a telephoto lens. …View image… The Bonda men set up their own little liquor area inside the market for men only. …View image.

Bonda man enjoying his liquor in Orissa, India 

Bonda men coming down the road with liquor to sell at the Thursday Market, Orissa
The Bonda have been described as the wildest, rudest, most interesting tribe and are also known as the “naked people.” There are 10-12 liters ( approximately 4 quarts) of alcohol in an aluminum pot and an entire pot would cost 200 Rupees, $4.00 U.S. The old Bonda man was feeling no pain, the Mahuli seller picked up her aluminum pot and we all moved into the Onukudelli Bonda market with fascinating sights.

Two Gadabba women in the Bonda Market were traditionally dressed, wearing heavy, metal necklaces that are never removed until they die. These tiny Gadabba ladies (who only came to my 5’3″ armpits) probably make a killing on market day since all tourists want to photograph them. The traditional dress is dying out among the younger women.

two elderly Gadabba ladies in the Bonda Thursday Market, India 

Gadabba woman with heavy necklaces in Orissa, India
There were Bonda men and women sitting in groups…View image, schmoozing with friends from other villages…View image, selling handicrafts, buying vegetables…View image, and even a few tribespeople with really good tattoos…View image.

For some reason, the Bonda women lose their hair easily and wear an elaborate semi-circular cap of beads to hide the bald areas. When this fashion trend begins in other parts of the world (just like piercing and tattooing), you’ll know where beaded caps to hide baldness originated!

Bonda women hide the bald spots with beads, Orissa, India 

Bonda woman with her beads, necklaces and flowers, India
Bibhu was right! This was a wonderful market and I never got tired of watching the regally erect and poised women. Whether it was carrying “something” on their heads, tending babies, talking to each…View image…

…or sitting quietly in the shade, let’s hope their lives become a little easier in the future

Bonda woman and child in Orissa, India 

beautiful little girl in Onukudelli, India
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