Orissa Tribal Heritage

Orissa tribal heritage is a significant part of the socio-cultural life of the state. A formidable part of the total population of Orissa belong to various ethnic groups.

Places like Rayagada, Koraput, Naurangpur, Kalahandi and Malkangiri house a huge number of ethnic people. Around 50% of the total population of these places are of tribal origins.

There are as many as 62 different ethnic groups of people in Orissa. These people live in the different parts of the state. The main tribes of Orissa are Kondhs, Gadabas, Koyas, Oraon, Santals and Juangs.

The tribal people of Orissa are well known for their simple lifestyle and hard work. The ethnic people of the region are currently engaged in a variety of professions, but their main occupations are agriculture, hunting and fishing.

Some of the tribal people also work in different handicraft industries and mills. Some of them are engaged in the textile industry of the place and they have their own looms. The tribes like Gadaba and Bondo work in the textile industry.

On the basis of language, the ethnic people of Orissa can be classified into four different groups; these groups are Indo-Aryan group, Tibeto-Burmese group, Dravidian group and,Austric group. The Tibeto-Burmese ethnic group is no more a part of the state.

The people of the ethnic groups of Orissa have their own traditional lineage like rituals, songs, art and craft, festivals and dance forms. The tribal women generally wear a long piece of cloth and the tribal men were loin cloths. The tribal jewelery like necklaces and bracelets are made up of different metals like brass and aluminum.