Tribes and their cultures have been a stimulant for many, particularly for their rich cultural heritage and unique style of living. The colonial construction, which gave rise to a ethnocentric and isolated concept of tribe does not hold good today. Today, the impacts of modernisation, development and globalisation on the tribes have assumed great significance. Besides, a pro-tribal or a pro-administration approach will not be fruitful; rather, a sociological/social anthropological approach of objectivity, which not only removes observance of only noticeable phenomena but also understands the internal structure, is very important today. This book provides a thorough and detailed understanding of a tribal community-Kondh of Orissa. The Kondhs, who have been confronting with the forces of change, are now in a transitional state. The traditional Kondh social structure still continues, but people have always kept choices and alternatives to make changes. Today, job opportunities outside the villages, having multilineage structure etc., have changed the scenario. State-sponsored development programmes, neighbouring caste-Hindu community’s influence, and forces of Christianity and Hinduism etc., have been raising issues of identity and ethnicity among them. All these situations have made the Kondh society more dynamic than what it was earlier. The book will be useful for both anthropologists and sociologists for an overall understanding of the Kondh society.
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