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Western Odisha's bauxite-rich Niyamgiri mountains are the sole home of the state's Dongria Kondh Adivasis
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Weddings are simple and intimate events, with communities coming together to share tasks. Here, youth from neighbouring villages are on their way to a wedding ceremony (in the year 2009) to play the dhap , a popular local instrument
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The band members reach the venue amid song and music
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Unlike in several communities, where the woman's consent is assumed, the Dongria Kondhs emphasise the willingness of the bride. For her marriage, Telidi has accepted Lodo Sikakka as the groom
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Women from the community accompany Telidi with brass pitchers on their heads to collect water from a perennial mountain spring. Rice is cooked with these waters, and then offered by the bride to Dharani Penu (the Earth Goddess)
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The young friends of the bride dance all the way to Lakhpadar, the village of the groom, eagerly watched on by other villagers
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The beats of the dhaps are integrated into the dance
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And the dancing gathers momentum
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Meanwhile, other villagers help to prepare the wedding feast – usually rice, lentils and meat cooked on firewood with minimal oil and spice, and then served on leaf plates
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Children of the community await the feast
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And this little girl is pleased by the day's events