Contents: Vol. I: Preface. 1. Introduction/Sarit K. Chaudhuri and Sucheta S. Chaudhuri. 2. Myth and reality of the concept of primitive tribe/P.K. Misra. 3. Human rights and primitive tribes - an anthropological perspective/Shilpy Gupta. 4. The primitive tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands/Rajesh K. Gautam. 5. Hunter-gatherer tribes -- the Andaman situation/Jayanta Sarkar. 6. Saora - a primitive tribal group in Andhra Pradesh/M. Suryanarayana. 7. The Koraga/H.M. Maralusiddaiah Patel, B.M. Srinivas and B.R. Vijayendra. 8. The Kamars of Chhattisgarh/Nilanjan Khatua. 9. The Totos/M.K. Chowdhuri. 10. Ethnographic study of Saharia - a primitive tribe of Madhya Pradesh/Ranjan Kumar Biswas and A.K. Kapoor. 11. The Hill Kharia in Hilly Hazards/Prabhat K. Singh. 12. Primitive tribe in post-modern era with special reference to Baigas of Central India/Rajesh K. Gautam and R. Jyoti. 13. An ethnographic account of Kutia Kondhs -- a primitive tribal population of Phulbani District, Orissa/G.K. Kshatriya and S. Basu. 14. The Reangs of Tripura/Sukhendu Debbarma. 15. Family among the Lodhas of West Bengal/Prateeti Chakravarty, Snehashis Palit, Mamata Desai and Manis Kumar Raha. 16. Communion between Celestial and Terrestial world -- nature-man-celestial world complex among the Abujh Maria/Samira Dasgupta and Amitabha Sarkar. 17. Observance of death ritual among the Lodhas -- a study in Kin behaviour pattern/Ashis Kumar Das. 18. Family life among the Yerukala tribe in Andhra Pradesh/K. Viswanadha Reddy and C. Venkateswarulu. 19. The changing scenario in the PTGs from Vidarbha -- some observation on the Madia-Gonds and Kolams/S.G. Deogaonkar. 20. Dialect and folk-literature of the Gonds and Kolams/Shailaja Deogaonkar. 21. Birhors of North Chotanagpur -- Bio-cultural study of a primitive tribe/P. Dash Sharma. 22. Anthropo-demographic profile of Saharia - a primitive tribe of Rajasthan/Promod Mishra and A.K. Kapoor. 23. Anthropometric variations among the Siddhi of Karnataka/P.P. Pavate. 24. Growth progression in physical and physiological variables among Bondo tribal boys in Orissa/B. Dharma Rao, V.L.N. Rao and B.R. Busi. 25. Growth progression in physical and physiological variables among Porja tribal boys of Visakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh/B. Dharma Rao and B.R. Busi. 26. A study on physical growth and nutritional status of Savara tribal boys of Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh/B. Dharma Rao and B.R. Busi. 27. Indigenous health practices among the hill Korwa of Chattisgarh/Nilanjan Khatua. Annexure. Index.

Vol. II: Preface. 1. Introduction/Sarit K. Chaudhuri and Sucheta S. Chaudhuri. 2. The primitive tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and their future/Manis Kumar Raha. 3. The Shompens and their economic activities/Ashok K. Pandey. 4. The Asur -- the study on their changing economy/Partha Das and Nabakumar Duary. 5. Asur of Jharkhand -- a glimpse of their material culture/Pratibha Kumari. 6. Economy of a primitive tribe in Jharkhand/Rajeev K. Kumar, V.C. Channa and A.K. Kapoor. 7. Sauria Paharia economy in time perspective--a case of Sahebganj District/Pratibha Kumari. 8. Role of non-timber forest products in traditional economic system and cultural practices of a primitive tribal group -- the Baiga Caste of Mandla District in Madhya Pradesh/Debashis Debnath. 9. Adaptation and transformation problems -- a case of Kattunaicken of Kerala/Bindu Ramachandran. 10. The Birhor - an observation of their ecology and economy/Sudhanshu Shekhar Mahato. 11. Ecology and economy of a primitive tribe in a semi-arid zone/Pramod Mishra and A.K. Kapoor. 12. Kandha tribe of Orissa -- an ecological review/Malaya K. Misra. 13. Ecology environment and health care practices -- a case study of the Kamar women with special reference to sustainable use of Forest Resources in Chhattisgarh/Sheela Dasgupta. 14. Foraging food culture of the Andaman Islanders - an ecolinguistic study/M. Sreenathan. 15. Development of a PTG -- a case study of Baiga in Jharkhand/V.S. Upadhyay. 16. Development and socio-cultural dimensions of need for implementation in a primitive tribe of Uttaranchal/A.K. Kapoor and P.K. Patra. 17. Development of Primitive Tribal Groups (PTG) and the role of Government in Orissa/N.K. Behura and N. Panigrahi. 18. Culture specific development of the Dongria Kondhs/B.K. Mangaraj and Upali Aparajita. 19. Kondhs and their development - a primitive tribe of District Kalahandi, Orissa/Hemanta Bag and A.K. Kapoor. 20. Economy and education among the PTGs in West Bengal/Nabakumar Duary. 21. State of education among the Totos - a Primitive Tribal Group of Sub-Himalayan North Bengal/Ranjit Roy. 22. Education and economic development in a Primitive Tribal Group - The Chenchus of Andhra Pradesh/K. Raja Reddy and P. Sudhakara Reddy. 23. Facing new challenges -- the Todas of the Nilgiris/Sabita Radhakrishna. 24. Social mobility movement among the Bru (Riang) of Tripura/Gautam Kumar Bera. 25. A primitive tribe and the consequences of their rehabilitation - a case study of Pando Tribe/R.K. Sinha. 26. The Puroiks (Sulungs) of Arunachal Pradesh - their resettlement and socio-economic upliftment/David Pertin. 27. Sulungs (Puroiks) of Arunachal Pradesh - education and development/P.K. Shrutikar. Annexure. Index.

"Primitive tribes are located in different parts of India. They have maintained, to a large extent, their social life, customs and ancient traditions, even today. They have to be studied with meticulous resort to tenets of sociological and anthropological research and given social and economic support to overcome their handicaps due to their long isolating from mainstream social life and modern economic activities. They have to be brought on par with the rest of their countrymen in the light of the research into their predicament. With this intention they had been classified as Scheduled Tribes by the founding fathers of our construction and accorded empathy and social support that they need today. This study concentrates on the contemporary situation.

Volume one initiates the conceptual understanding of primitive tribes and provides ethnographic understanding of various tribal groups located in different States of India. It finally, deals with various vital demographic issues.

Volume two deals with various emergent issues such as ecology, economy and development in relation to the primitive tribes. It is marked by deep research and probing analysis of trends and patterns of the lives of people of these tribes.

Contributors to these volumes include specialists and researchers who have devoted their scholarship to the contours of tribal life and culture in different settings." (jacket)