Chero tribe is one of the major Scheduled tribes who are distributed in different parts of West Bengal especially Sathal Pargana, Palamu Ranchi and Latehar in Jharkhand. Among these areas, this tribal group is found in huge numbers in Palamu. According to Sir William Cook, this tribal community belongs to one of the non-Aryan tribal families related to Dravidian origin. According to him, the word Chero has been derived from the Sanskrit word `Chetak` or `Chedak` which signifies slave.

Apart from Jharkhand and West Bengal, the Chero tribes are also concentrated in Champaran, Patan, Rohtas, Bhojpur, Lesliganj, Gaya, Daltonganj, Munger, Bhawanathpur etc. They are also known by the name of Cherus or Cherwas. The early history of this tribal group mentions that the Cheros of Jharkhand were descendants of the Chandravanshi Kshatriyas. Earlier they were a martial group and seized lands by their courage and valour.

The Chero tribes are agricultural people. Their major crops are maize, kurathi, paddy, marua etc. Apart from farming they also practice animal husbandry, some are employed as labourers. These Chero tribes made houses on their own hands using products like bamboos, mud and wood.

This article is a stub. You can enrich by adding more information to it. Send your Write Up to content@indianetzone.com