Adivasi - v11_No.1-2

Abstract

This is a handbook on the Hill Juangs of Keonjhar who are one of the most backward groups of the State. They have their own language and customs and practices which they retain even now despite considerable changes which have taken place in the tribal life of the country in general and the State in particular. Primarily being a group dependant on shifting cultivation the Hill Juangs of Keonjhar who claim to be autochthones of high-land of Keonjhar with Gonasika the source or river Baitarani as the most significant landmark, have been seldom studied in detail. Their physical aspects and material life were studied by a few scholars in the past. in pursuance of the decision to prepare monographic handbooks of the important tribes of the State this work was assigned to Shri Siba Prasad Rout, Research Officer (then a Junior Research Officer). Shri Rout had the experience of field work among the tribe and that knowledge and experience have been properly conjoined for this monograph to show the multiple aspects of Juanglife. This cannot be claimed as a comprehensive study but we. hope that this could provide a suitable base line for anthropologists, administrators, and scholars from different walks of life to appreciate and understand the life of the Hill Juangs. We hope that this small work will be judged in its proper perspective.