Socio economic transformation of the gadaba tribe a sociological study in koraput district of Orissa

Abstract

Tribal Society is an enigma to the world of culture and heritage. In the broad sphere of Indian society, the tribal communities represent an important social category of Indian social structure. They are considered as the original inhabitants of India, who carry forward a legacy of rich and distinct cultural traits for many decades. Tribal society displays a fascinating profile of ethnic diversity. The tribals belong to different racial stocks, speak language of different families and show considerable variations in basic economy. The variation in physical and biological environment of their habitat is equally amazing. This bewildering variety in race, language, habitat and economy is fully reflected in their culture which, like a mosaic evokes the admiration of social scientists to study the dynamics of their society. Most of our contemporary cultures owe their origin to tribal and indigenous traditions. Thus, it is essential to have a close look at different tribal and ethnic studies in order to understand the matrix of recent societies. newline