Anthropology of Primitive Tribes in India

Contents: Introduction. I: 1. Primitive tribal groups in India: an appraisal/Subhendu Sanyal. 2. The Jenu Kuruba: a primitive tribal group of Karnataka/H.M. Maralusiddaiah Patel and H.M. Ganesh. 3. Tribals and tattooing: an ethnographic account of baigas of Chhattisgarh/A.K. Sinha and B.G. Banerjee. 4. The last foragers: ecology of forest Shompen/Rajesh Patnaik. 5. Education among the Lodha of West Bengal/Nabakumar Duary and A.K. Haldar. 6. Ecology and economy of primitive tribes in Andhra Pradesh/V. Subramanyam. 7. Economic organisation of the Kattunaickans: a primitive tribe of Tamil Nadu/M. Sasikumar. 8. The Koraga: a primitive tribal group of Karnataka/H.M. Maralusiddaiah Patel and H.M. Ganesh. 9. Two types of leadership and balance of power in a primitive tribe: Bhoksa/Geetika Ranjan. 10. The changing role of individuals in the death rituals of the Lodhas of Kharagpur/Paulami Chattopadhyay and Ashis Kumar Das. 11. Occupational mobility and socio-economic change among the Birhor: a micro level study in Purulia district/Gokul Chandra Maity and Pradip K. Bhowmick. 12. Effect of shifting cultivation on Abujhmaria economy and suggestions for development/Rajendra Singh, Manjula Guha and Moyna Chakravarty. 13. Child rearing practices among the Hill Korwas of Chhattisgarh/Sandeep Sharma and Moyna Chakravarty. II. Health and nutrition among primitive tribes: 14. Health culture and health seeking behaviour in a primitive tribe of desert zone/Pramod Misra and A.K. Kapoor. 15. Nutritional status of two primitive tribes of Eastern India/K.K. Bhattacharya, M. Haque and T.K. Biswas. 16. Environment and health status of primitive Paudi Bhuiyan tribe in northeastern part of Orissa/Gandham Bulliyya. 17. Demographic profile and health seeking behaviour of Kutia Kondhs: a primitive tribal population of Phulbani district, Orissa/G.K. Kshatriya and S. Basu. 18. A study on mortality among the tribes of India with special reference to the Rajis: a primitive tribal group of central Indian Himalayas/P.K. Patra and A.K. Kapoor. 19. Nutritional status of Abujhmaria pre-school children/Mitashree Mitra and Narayan Sahu. 20. Nutritional status of the Kamar of Madhya Pradesh/Shampa Gangopadhyay. 21. The Kondhs of Mahendragiri: health and treatment of illness/Bharati Ray and S.K. Ghoshmaulik. 22. A study on nutritional status of Kolam of Maharashtra/Prodyot Gangopadhyay and Shampa Gangopadhyay. 23. Etiology and healing practices: a study in primitive societies of Jharkhand/Pratibha Kumari. III. Development initiatives for primitive tribes: 24. Chenchus of Srisailam: a primitive tribe of Andhra Pradesh towards development/Shankar Chatterjee. 25. Role of government programmes in Parhaiya: a primitive tribe of Jharkhand/Rajeev Kamal Kumar, V.C. Channa and A.K. Kapoor. 26. Birhors of Chhattisgarh: cultural barriers and constraints to development/A.K. Sinha. 27. Development, fallacy or reality: a case of Birhor tribe of Chotanagpur plateau/Sumit Gupta and Shilpy Gupta. 28. Strategies for the sustainable development of primitive tribes in Andhra Pradesh/V. Subramanyam. 29. The Jarawa: a primitive tribe of Andaman and Nicobar Islands/Manish Kumar Raha. 30. The Birhors in transition/M.K. Chowdhuri. Index.

"The Scheduled Tribe Groups who were identified as more backward communities among the tribal population groups have been categorised as 'Primitive Tribal Groups' (PTGs) by the Government at the Centre in 1975. So far seventy-five tribal communities have been identified as 'primitive tribal groups' in different states of India. These hunting, food-gathering, and some agricultural communities, who have been identified as more backward communities among the tribal population groups need special programmes for their sustainable development. The primitive tribes are awakening and demanding their rights for special reservation quota for them.

The thirty articles presented in this volume give an idea about the situation prevailing among the primitive tribes in India. The majority of the primitive tribal population groups in India are in perpetual poverty and stands much below the poverty line, suffering from an alarming malnutrition and high illiteracy. The government must take initiative more seriously, sincerely, and effectively to create sustainable development programmes among them." (jacket)