Primitive Tribal Groups Research Articles

Challenge and Progress: Kutia Kondh's Development Journey

In the past, during India's Fifth Five Year Plan, a special category called Primitive Tribal Group (PTG) was created under Scheduled Tribes. These groups were characterized by living in a way similar to ancient times, relying on hunting and gathering for survival, having very few children or even decreasing population, and having very low levels of education compared to other tribal groups. However, in 2009, the Government of India decided to change the name from "Primitive Tribal Group" to "Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) " because some people felt that the word 'primitive' was disrespectful. Odisha, a state in India, has 13 communities classified as PTGs, and one of them is the Kutia Kondh community. This study looked at the Kutia Kondh people who live in villages managed by the Kutia Kondh Development Agency (KKDA) in Belghar, part of the Baliguda area in the Kandhamal district. The research compared important measures of progress for the Kutia Kondh community over two different time periods using surveys that examined their social and economic situations. The study also included information about the Kutia Kondh way of life gathered through ethnographic research. The study finds that the Kutia Kondh people are in a transition phase, balancing between their traditional way of life and modern influences. While socio - economic development initiatives have brought significant changes to their culture and lifestyle, many traditional practices still endure. However, when examining various factors, Kutia Kondh villages still lag behind in access to essential facilities like infrastructure, education, healthcare, and livelihood opportunities. Key concerns include inadequate infrastructure, limited connectivity, housing issues, lack of clean drinking water and electricity, poor education and healthcare services, and insufficient support for livelihood improvement. It's crucial to not only focus on development efforts to enhance their socio - economic status but also to preserve their unique culture and traditions. Efforts should be directed towards both improving living conditions and safeguarding their cultural heritage.

Birhor Society and Culture: A Study on Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups of Jharkhand, India

A significant portion of the Indian population consists of tribal communities. The world's highest concentration of tribal people with diverse cultures is found exclusively in India. Tribal people are those who inhabit a specific region, have uniform cultural characteristics, and use basic technology. Tribes are recognized for their unique ethnic and cultural characteristics, but they are losing their unique identities as a result of massive and rapid urbanization and industrialization. Since the beginning of ethnographic research on Indian tribes, scientists have been interested in the unique livelihood practices of the Birhor, a particularly vulnerable tribal group (primitive tribal group) in Jharkhand. They have historically lived in forests and had a nomadic hunting and gathering lifestyle. Large-scale deforestation brought about by urbanization and industrialization has an impact on the entire culture and civilization. Their language and unique socio-cultural structure are undergoing rapid changes as a result of their increased exposure to modern culture through different government initiatives for tribal development, the modern educational system, etc. It is therefore necessary to investigate the evolving sociocultural patterns of the vulnerable "Birhor" tribe and to put appropriate strategies and programmes in place for the self-initiated preservation of indigenous tribal culture and identity. Keywords: Oral tradition, Social life, Economic life, Birhor, Jharkhand.

An Exploratory Study on Status, Prospects and Challenges of Tourism Industry in Telangana State, India

The paper titled ‘An Exploratory Study on Status, Prospects and Challenges of Tourism Industry in Telangana State, India’ discussed status, prospects and challenges of tourism industry in Telangana. It has found that Telangana is renowned for its temples, forests, waterfalls, forts, monuments and historical places. Hyderabad is famous for Charminar and the fort of Golconda. There are multitude of bazaars, churches, temples and masjids. Telangana has many stunning and revered temples. They are famous for their architectural grandeur, spiritual and historical significance. They are symbolic of the tradition prevalent and secular culture. There is bright scope of religious tourism. Hyderabadi Biryani is the crown jewel of Telangana’s culinary repertoire. Cuisine in Hyderabad are influence of Muslim Nizams and also imparts Arab and Persian influence. There are around 33 tribes in the state. Around 12 tribes have been identified as Primitive Tribal Groups. The state has positive prospect in rural tourism, agricultural tourism, heritage tourism, eco-tourism, cultural tourism, advantages tourism, sports tourism, and agro-tourism. Growth of medical tourism is also impressive. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, domestic tourism has shown a steady recovery. Tourism is a growing industry. It has contributed more in the economy of the state. Therefore, tourism department should implement proper strategies for mitigating challenges before the tourism industry of the state.

Mental Health Research Among Tribal Population in India

Tribals are the most marginalized social category in the country. There is little and scattered information on the actual burden and pattern of illnesses they suffer from. Tribal communities in general and primitive tribal groups are prone to disease. Also, they do not have required access to basic health facilities. They are most exploited, neglected, and highly vulnerable to diseases with a high degree of malnutrition, morbidity, and mortality. Research on the mental health of tribal people is not much in numbers. Few studies made on them have produced inconsistent results. This study aims to assess the mental health status of tribal communities. It was found that due to a lack of appropriate mental health services in rural areas, the tribal population is unable to access the needful services and treatment. There is a need to develop a psychosocial care program for tribal to promote positive social, physical, psychological, and emotional well-being. This study is the first of its kind to review research on mental health among STs. Mental health research conducted among STs in India is limited and is mostly of low-to-moderate quality. Determinants of poor mental health and interventions for addressing them need to be studied on an urgent basis.

A STUDY OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF TRIBES IN THE NILGIRI DISTRICT, TAMIL NADU

Tamil Nadu, one of the major states of southern zone in India, consist of 36 important groups live in different district. According to the census of 2011, the scheduled Tribe population in Tamil Nadu constitute 1.10%of the total population. The Tribal Topography in Tamil Nadu broadly divided into three categories viz., 1) Tribal concentration areas 2) Dispersed tribal area and 3) Primitive tribal areas. According to the Ministry of tribal Affairs, Nigiri district had the highest percentage of tribal population area in Tamil Nadu came under the primitive tribal areas because of the presence of six primitive tribal groups (PTGs) viz., Todas, Kotas, Kurumbas, Paniyas, Irulas and Kattunayakans. Each of these tribes maintain unique cultural traits. All these tribes coexisted locally in a loose caste like community organisation. In our study facilitates to understand the social development of the six primitive tribal groups in Nilgiri district and provide an overall pictures of development initiatives by the government of India and Tamil Nadu Government for the upliftment of these tribal people and also focus on the status of theses tribal how they empowered themselves through self-help groups and other organisations. The study reveals that a number development programme, schemes, policies have been introducing to improve the well-being of tribal people.

ETHNOMEDICINE OF SOME PTERIDOPHYTES USED BY THE PRIMITIVE TRIBAL GROUPS OF VISAKHAPATNAM, ANDHRA PRADESH

The present study deals with 9 species of pteridophytes as many as genera and families used for various diseases by the primitive tribal groups of Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh. Plant part wise analysis, root is used in 10 practices followed by leaf and whole plant 3 each. Out of 16 practices 8 practices and one plant species were found to be new. KEY WORDS: Ethnomedicine, Pteridophytes, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

Smoking, betel quid chewing, and alcohol use among an indigenous primitive Tribal group in the Kerala State of India: Secondary analysis of a Tribal household survey

Background: In India, indigenous populations, known as Tribes, are among the poorest and most marginalized groups. We estimated the prevalence of smoking, alcohol use, and betel quid chewing and examined the association between gender and smoking, alcohol use, and betel quid chewing among Kattunayakan primitive Tribes who are categorized as a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in the Kerala State of India.Methods: A secondary analysis of a sample of the Wayanad District Tribal Household survey comprising 388 Kattunayakan PVTG households selected through multistage cluster random sampling was undertaken. Binary logistic regression models were used to estimate an association between gender and smoking, alcohol use, and betel quid chewing in these Tribal households.Results: Mean age was 39.2 years (±15.1), more than three-fourths of the respondents were female (75.3%), and approximately 24% of the respondents reported smoking tobacco in past 12 months. A fivefold increased odds of smoking among males compared to smoking among females was observed (OR = 4.92; p < .01). More than 64% reported betel quid chewing. Prevalence of alcohol use was 16%, which significantly varied between males (49%) and females (5.1%; OR = 17.71; p < .01). Among tobacco smokers, 64.1% were involved in betel quid use. Among alcohol users, 62.9% were involved in betel quid use and more than 58% were smoking tobacco. Betel quid chewing was the most prevalent substance use.Conclusion: Single and dual substance use of the three commonest types were disproportionately high among this hard-to-reach Tribal population in the southern state of India, with some gender variations. Alcohol consumption was relatively low. However, the complex nature of substance use, compounded by inaccessible health services, poses a significant challenge to rethink and to reimagine innovative methods of providing mental health care services, for instance, mobile health clinics.

Participatory rural appraisal for identification ethno-veterinary practices among primitive tribal groups of Girwa block, Udaipur, India

The participatory rural appraisal (PRA) exercise was conducted in Girwa block of Udaipur, India. Girwa (Geog. Lat. 24.58° N, Geog. Long. 73.6962° E) is a part of southern Aravali hills wherein 28% of the population belongs to the primitive tribal groups such as the Bheels, Meena, Gameti and Rawat. Since, animal husbandry is the main economic activity for tribal people of southern Aravali zone; it is important to study current animal health care system in the region. It was in this context that the PRA exercise was done as a pilot study to document, rapidly assess, and promote ethnoveterinary practices. The field work conducted in 15 villages and on 3742 animals which were being reared by the community under study to support agriculture and for milk purpose . A total 26 animal diseases in which ethnoveterinary practices were resorted to and 15 ethno-veterinary medicinal plants were identified as part of the study.

Impact of Literacy and Education on Earning Capacity of Tribal People with Special Reference to Kodaikanal District – Tamil Nadu

Tribal communities face unique challenges due to their heterogeneous population and their isolation from mainstream of the society. Tribal peoples are dispersed over the nation. Prior to gaining independence, not much was done to improve their living conditions. The objective aims to measure the impacts of literacy and education on earning capacity of tribal people in Kodaikanal district. Empirical research seeks, in a casual setting, to get accurate information regarding the study aim. It is possible that insightful data regarding the subject of research might be gleaned via formal interactions with the target respondents. Most researchers depend on prior works to identify research variables, however due to differences in economic and geographical contexts, this might lead to inaccuracies. The study is done in the area of Kodaikanal district which has significant presence of primitive tribal group in comparison to other areas of Tamil Nadu. The data will be collected based on the interview method which will help to find the reality in the study area. The sample size of the study is fixed to be 190 which is determined based on tribal presence in the area. The sample is selected based on the simple random sampling which is based on the finite population base in the study area. The collected data will be analysed using the SPSS -20. The statistical tools of ANOVA and factor analysis will be used for the study. The literacy of the tribal people has improved with the various tribal welfare programme and it’s revealed by the tribal opinions. The earning capacity and economic status of the tribal people can be enhanced with the imparting of education to the tribal people.

The gaps unaddressed in competency-based medical education (CBME) curriculum

It is crucial to glare at the lacunae of the current competency-based medical education (CBME) curriculum. Certain areas are inadequately addressed, namely issues about gender health and development with a particular focus on the healthcare needs of the LGBTQ+community. It is needed to insist more on health care of disadvantaged sections of the population like primitive tribal groups, the scope dimensions and utilities of palliative and rehabilitative care in patient care, addressing workplace violence against health care professionals, the role of universal health coverage and health insurance in addressing inequitable health care accessibility, the sensitization and application of digital and machine learning technologies in health care, use of artificial intelligence (AI) and 3D printing to solve complex health issues, the utilities of telemedicine to address inaccessible quality health care and most notably the absence of sensitization and training on Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) casualty management as a subset of disaster.

Phytochemical screening and anti-oxidant property of Diospyros melanoxylon used by Gothi Koya and Konda Reddi Tribes of Kinnerasani Wildlife Sanctury, Paloncha, Bhadradri Kothagudem district, Telangana

The Present study emphasizes that the preliminary phytochemical screening and the anti-oxidant activity of an important medicinal plant which was often used by primitive tribal groups of Gothi Koya and Konda Reddi located at Kinnerasani wildlife Sanctuary, Paloncha, Bhadradri Kothagudem district, Telangana state, India. Based on the uses of whole plant, phytochemical constituents, anti-oxidant property Diospyros melanoxylon Roxb was considering an important medicinal plant. Diospyros melanoxylon Roxb leaf extracts were screened for phytochemical components and for anti-oxidant activity. DPPH, Nitric Oxide, Superoxide, Hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity of methanol leaf extracts at different concentrations were studied (ascorbic acid used as standard). The present study revealed the presence of phytochemical compounds and anti-oxidant activity of the extracts of Diospyros melanoxylon Roxb at all concentrations tested.

Ethos and Edos in Traditional Health Care Practices of Hill Korwa Tribe of Chhattisgarh

The Hill Korwa is particularly vulnerable tribal group of the Chhattisgarh state of India. their natural habitats are found in Jashpur, Balrampur, Sarguja and Korba districts of the state. on the basis of censes 2011 report, there are total 37195 Hill Korwa tribes are residing in the state in 9046 households (Hand book of Tribal Welfare Dept. Govt. of C.G.). As the Hill Korwa tribe are the primitive tribal group so they can show various characteristics such as first, declining population, second, primitive technology, third, very low level of literacy and fourth subsistence level of economy (Ministry of Tribal Affairs, India), as mentioned in the article 342 of Indian constitution. this paper is basically focused to the cultural works of The Hill Korwa tribe special reference to their traditional treatment and healing procedures. the main objective of this paper is to identify the ethos and edos factors during the treatment process among Hill Korwa Tribe. the area of study belongs to fourteen villages from Bagicha and Kunkuri blocks of Jashpur district and it has been selected through lottery method of simple random sampling. an interview and case study is conducted among Hill Korwa community and participatory observation is also done to witness the way the healers used in carrying out their treatment processes in order to see the satisfaction of the people. the paper basically focused to Sociological theory of Social System introduced by Talcott Parson and Krober's concept about culture which is termed as Ethos and Edos.

Special Health Smart Cards Scheme Government Benefit to Korga's Primitive Tribal Group Mangalore District in Karnataka

Special Health Smart Cards Scheme Government Benefit to Korga's Primitive Tribal Group Mangalore District in Karnataka

Wild Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms Used by the Tribes in the State of Kerala, India: A Review.

Wild edible mushrooms are a valuable dietary food to many tribal people around the world. Wild medicinal mushrooms are therapeutically important sources of bioactive compounds. Tribal groups in Kerala ('Adivasis' of Kerala) are indigenous, ethnic populations that live in the forests and mountains of the Western Ghats, bordering Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Cholanaikkans, Kurumbas, Kattunaikkans, Kadars, and Koragas are the five primitive tribal groups in Kerala, constituting nearly 5% of the total tribal population in the state. Knowledge on the edibility of mushrooms is mainly based on folk taxonomy and traditional knowledge of indigenous people. Tribal people use some wild mushrooms as sources of food and medicine for various ailments in their communities. Auricularia auriculata, Agaricus bisporus, Boletus edulis, Ganoderma lucidum, Lentinus edodes, and L. squarrosulus are therapeutically important medicinal mushroom species used by the tribal people of Kerala. This article discusses the wild edible and medicinal mushrooms used by different tribal communities in Kerala.

Prevalence of sickle cell anemia, β-thalassemia and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency among the tribal population residing in the Aravali hills of Sirohi region of Rajasthan state

ObjectiveThe tribal population in India constitutes nearly 8.6% of its total population. Haemoglobinopathies is widely prevalent among the tribal population than the non-tribal communities in India. Due to its wide prevalence, haemoglobinopathies is a major cause of concern for the tribal health research in India. The present study was under taken to investigate the spectrum of hemoglobinopathies, in particular sickle cell anemia (SCA), among the primitive tribal groups of India. MethodsThis is a cross sectional community based study and carried out in the Abu Road Block of Sirohi District. The study was conducted through medical camp at schools and villages. The screening of SCA, β-thalassemia and G6PD deficiency were carried out using solubility, NESTROFT and DPIP methods respectively. Confirmatory test for SCA and β-thalassemia was done by using CE-HPLC (Bio-Rad). The confirmatory test of G6PD deficiency was conducted through enzymatic assay. ResultsA total of 7167 tribal individuals were screened for SCA and out of which 610 individuals were found to be SCA positive with a prevalence of 8.51%. The prevalence of β-thalassemia was recorded as 7.25%. The prevalence of SCA was found to be higher in Garasia tribes and β-thalassemia prevalence was higher in the Bhil community. The prevalence of G6PD deficiency was found to be 2.88%. ConclusionSCA, β-thalassemia and G6PD deficiency were prevalent among the tribal population of Rajasthan residing in the Aravali Hills of Sirohi. Mass screening and management of SCA is essential to ensure improve quality of life of affected tribal individuals.

To Ascertain the Level of Knowledge of Beneficiaries Regarding Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) Providing Farm Services Adilabad District of Telangana

The present study would be carried out in the tribal dominant area of Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) Utnoor of Erstwhile Adilabad district in Telangana State. After reorganization of districts in Telangana State, ITDA, Utnoor spread over four districts namely Adilabad, Asifabad, Nirmal, and Mancherial. As per 2011 census in Telangana State total tribal population constitute 9.08%The population of Erstwhile Adilabad district is 27, 41,238 and among them 4, 95,794 people were tribes. There are 32 tribal communities in Telangana State where eight tribes dwelling in the Erstwhile Adilabad district, such as Gond-2,55,403, Lambada 1,43,554, Kolam/Mane- 52,772, Koya-26534, Pardhan-16,667, Andh-9922, Thoti-8998. Among them kolam and Thoti are Primitive Tribal Group (PTG)With the advent of ITDAs (Integrated Tribal Developmental Agencies), developmental efforts of various departments (Agriculture, Horticulture, Veterinary and Rural works departments) have been channelled through a single window system. Agriculture being the main thrust area, ITDAs is focusing on improving the productivity of the crops by provisioning inputs such as seeds of improved varieties, and chemicals to make the farmers economically better off. 120 respondents from utnoor mandal were randomly selected and data were collected and analysed by using appropriate statistical tool. (48.33%) of the respondents have Medium level of the knowledge about ITDA Farm services. Variables like age, caste, occupation, annual income, extension contacts and risk orientation has no significance relationship with the knowledge on ITDA Farm ,while variables like gender, land holding, education, mass media and extension contacts, innovativeness, risk orientation have positive correlation with the knowledge on ITDA Farm services.

Perception of Noncommunicable Diseases Among the Tribals of the Gudalur Valley, Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu

Introduction: Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) pose a significant burden on global health with the increasing prevalence in rural and tribal communities. Although several studies show an alarming trend in adverse outcomes in Indian tribes, there have been only a few reports assessing their perception of NCDs. This study was conducted to address this gap to design better health strategies to reduce the burden of NCDs among the tribal communities. Methodology: This was a hospital-based cross-sectional descriptive study done in Gudalur Adivasi Hospital in The Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu. The study participants included the five tribal communities belonging to the Particularly Vulnerable Group (formerly Primitive Tribal Group) living in the Gudalur and Pandalur Taluks. After approval from the Ethics committee of the Association for Health Welfare in the Nilgiris (ASHWINI), the data were collected using a predesigned, semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. The results were entered into an Excel sheet and exported to SPSS software (version 19) for the analysis. Results: The interviewed tribals belonged to the Paniya tribe (54%), Bettakurumba tribe (25%), Moolakurumba tribe (7%), Kattunayakan tribe (6%), and Irula tribe (8%) of whom 43% were illiterate. Seventy-eight percent of the tribals were aware of the presence of NCDs in their community. The most common source of information is ASHWINI and the other health care facilities. The association of unhealthy diet and family history with NCDs was reported by 72% and 25% of the interviewed tribals, respectively. However, the other risk factors like lack of physical activity (7%), old age (2%), and environmental factors (3%) were poorly understood. Similarly, the association between alcohol, tobacco, and NCDs was acknowledged by only 10% and 4% of the interviewed tribals. The importance of screening was understood by 72% of the interviewed tribals. Conclusion: This study showed that there is a severe lack of awareness of NCDs among the tribal population of the Gudalur and Pandalur taluks of the Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu. The importance of health promotion in reducing the burden of NCDs is well recognized. There is an urgent need for implementing adequate strategies to correct the knowledge, attitude, and practices of the tribal communities towards NCDs.

Disease Burden, Health-belief and Treatment-seeking Behaviour among the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups of India

Widespread health problems are prevalent among the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of India, and they tend to incline towards their age-old traditional treatment practices. The PVTGs are relatively reluctant to accept modern bio-medical healthcare and treatment options available to them. The extent of interaction with and the level of exposure to the non-traditional domain directly impact the extent of acceptance of modern healthcare facilities by the tribal people. Based on the review of literature on health aspects of primitive tribal groups of India and some other relevant literature on health issues of indigenous peoples, the author tries to find out the disease burden among the particularly vulnerable tribal groups and perceptions of health, illness, and treatmentseeking behaviour prevalent among them. Further, using a conceptual framework, the author also analyses and discovers the gap in why these people are inclined towards traditional practices.

Educational Status of the Hill Kharias of Mayurbhanj District of Odisha in East India : A Psychological Analysis

Education in tribal societies has helped in maintenance of social structure and goal attainment for a sustained living. The Hill Kharias are the primitive tribal people of Mayurbhanj of the state of Odisha in Eastern India. The development of education of the Hill Kharia community/society of Mayurbhanj is the main aspect of the improvement of the primitive tribal communities of the state of Odisha. The Government of India issued directions vide the letter. No. 20018 5/81- ITDA dated 27th April 1980 for the identification of Primitive Tribal Groups, keeping in view the facts that attention to certain tribal groups’ backwardness. In India Hill Kharia is one of the primitive tribal groups living mainly in the forest and hilly covered areas of the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. Mentally, the people of Hill Kharia tribe of Mayurbhanj are very weak, because of lack of proper education, awareness, adequate foodstuffs, for which they are backward in present society. Odisha has possessed a distinct place in tribal history of India and it is the home of a number of different types of tribes. Different development programmes for education have been implemented through the different govt. or Non govt. agencies. On the basis of field study made by the earlier scholars including the present authors, the Hill Kharias are residing in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. The aim of this paper is to focus on educational status of the Hill Kharias of Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. Methodologically, both the primary and secondary sources have been used in the present article.

Ethnobotanical Medicines Used by the Kani and Kurichiyar Tribal Communities of Kerala

The nature endowed with hidden resources of biodiversity comprises of various flora and fauna. The indigenous knowledge about the ethnobotanicals is vital for the conservation of traditional medicine as well as for future research. The documentation of indigenous medicine through botanical studies is also one of the aspects of the conservation and utilization of biodiversity. Kerala has many diverse ethnic tribal communities, and they are still following the traditional system of healing with the help of various biological resources. Each tribal communities have different lifestyles, and they are distributed in the various parts of Kerala. The tribals possess a traditional knowledge of uses of medicinal plants and employ different plants for curing diseases and infections. But, this valuable information is not documented properly. The tribal communities, along with their knowledge, have been diminishing due to the vanishing of forests as well as rapid modernization. But, the proper documentation and utilization of indigenous knowledge of tribes about the diverse medicinal plants will be useful for the development of novel drugs. Hence, we have attempted for the documentation of valuable tribal knowledge on medicinal plants, which would potentially serve as a useful reference for future researches. This article provides the list of plants used by the selected primitive tribal group of Kerala such as Kani, and Kurichiyar to treat various diseases.